Description
A comforting Italian-American dish with sausage, creamy cheeses, and tender mostaccioli pasta.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb Italian sausage
- 1 large onion (diced into 1/2-inch pieces)
- 5 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp Italian seasoning
- 3.5 cups marinara sauce
- 2.5 cups spinach (roughly chopped)
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 14.5 oz mostaccioli pasta (boiled 2 minutes less than package directions)
- 3.5 cups mozzarella (freshly shredded)
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- Pinch of nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F and grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Brown the Italian sausage (with casings removed) and diced onion together in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes. Add minced garlic, salt, and Italian seasoning; cook for 1 more minute.
- Pour in marinara sauce and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- Boil water and cook mostaccioli pasta for 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Stir chopped spinach and red pepper flakes into the sauce, cooking until spinach is wilted.
- Mix ricotta, 2 cups of mozzarella, 1/4 cup parmesan, and the egg in a bowl until combined.
- Layer 1/2 cup of sauce in the baking dish, followed by half the pasta, half the cheese mixture, and half the remaining sauce. Repeat with the rest of the pasta, the cheese mixture, and finish with the final layer of sauce. Top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Allow the dish to rest after baking for better flavor melding.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: main course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 400mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 15g
- Cholesterol: 30mg