Baked Cavatelli

I love a good Italian dish and a little change from the usual chicken and ground beef dishes is nice once in a while too, even though I'm not a huge fan of sausage links. There's never left overs at house when this is on the menu!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups cavatelli noodles (I use penne noodles instead)

12 oz Italian sausage links sliced 1/2 in thick

3/4 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 26oz jar of pasta sauce

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 

1/4 tsp black pepper

Italian seasoning to taste (optional)

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta as directed on package.

2. In a large skillet, cook the onion, garlic and sausage until sausage is brown. 

3. Stir together pasta sauce, 3/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Add the cooked pasta and drained sausage to the mixture. Stir together gently. Spoon mixture into 2-quart casserole dish.

4. Cover. Bake for 25 minutes or until heated though. Uncover and add remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Prep time: 25 minutes

Total time: 55 minutes

*Usually when I make this dish I double it and freeze half. I end up with more meat in the dish due to the packaging of the sausage we buy. I also make ours extra cheesy. Yum!*