Easy Cheesy Pasta Bake with Sausage and Peppers

This Easy Cheesy Pasta Bake Recipe with Sausage and Peppers is easy to make and impossible to resist!

Nothing beats an easy cheese pasta bake recipe and this one really delivers the flavour without a lot of fuss.

This recipe is packed with rigatoni noodles, roasted red peppers, sausage, parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese! It's quick and easy and wildly addictive.

Honestly, pasta is my go to for almost any occasion. It's such a crowd pleaser when feeding company for dinner parties and events.

Plus, if I'm being completely honest, this girl LOVES pasta. I mean, basically I love all carbs!

There, I said it. It's out there. Now you all know my secret. Only it's not really a secret. I'm a pasta girl. Through and through.

It's comfort food to me. Life is chaotic. Always. So, when I'm having a crazy day I love digging into a big dish of pasta. The more cheese the better. It's who I am. I embrace cheese. Openly!

Nothing goes better with pasta than sausage and peppers. I dig sausage in pasta, the flavour is insanely amazing. It takes every pasta dish to the next level. Every bite is pure perfection.

Add roasted red peppers to that pasta and you take it from great to LIFE CHANGING. Roasted red peppers combine perfectly with sausage. This combination will change your life.

I think my regular readers know I'm completely addicted to roasted red pepper pasta. I can't get enough of it. It's my jam, but with noodles. I could eat it every single day. And often do.

My obsession with pasta knows no bounds. If you're like me, and I hope you are, you are going to LOVE this easy cheesy pasta bake recipe!

Ingredients

• Rigatoni - You can use any kind of pasta shape you like for this recipe.
• Sausage - Italian sausage is the preferred kind for this one. The flavour is magnificent.
• Shallots - I used shallots because I love their flavour but if you prefer onions you can use them instead.
• Roasted red peppers - You can used jarred or make your own. Your choice.
• Pasta sauce - I used jarred sauce for this recipe. Again, you can make your own if you prefer.
• Parmesan cheese - For this recipe, I used the grated kind you can buy in stores. You can use the expensive kind if you prefer it but, in all honesty, it's not necessary for this recipe.
• Sugar - This ingredient is completely optional. I used granulated sugar but you can omit it if you like.
• Salt - Use more or less, depending on your own taste and dietary needs.
• Pepper - I'm not a huge fan of black pepper but you can use either black or white pepper for this recipe.
• Mozzarella cheese - Buy a nice stretchy mozzarella for this recipe. Honestly, I really dig pizza mozzarella for pasta bakes.
• Parsley - Adding fresh or dried parsley is purely optional. It does add a nice pop of colour.

Directions

1. First, fill a stock pot with water and bring to a boil, salt water liberally. Cook pasta for 1 minute less than the package requires. Drain but do not rinse. Pour olive oil over top and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
3. Then, cook sausage in a skillet until juices run clear and the meat is browned.
4. Next, add the shallots and roasted red peppers. Cook for a few minutes.
5. After that, add the pasta sauce, parmesan cheese, sugar, salt and pepper. Boil then remove from heat.
6. Then, add the cooked noodles into a casserole dish. Pour the sauce over top. Mix until combined.
7. Next, add the cheese over top.
8. Place in the oven and bake for 12 to 18 minutes, depending on how you like your cheese.
9. Lastly, remove from the oven and dig in.
10. Serve!

How to store cooked pasta bakes

• First, allow the cooked pasta to cool completely before storing it.
• You can cover a whole dish with plastic wrap. Or you can dish out leftovers into containers. Seal well.
• Store in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.

Can you freeze pasta bakes

• First of all, allow the pasta to cool completely before storing it.
• Then, be sure to cover it really well. Whole casseroles can be covered with plastic wrap. Or you can dish out leftovers into containers. Again, be sure to seal really well.
• According to most sources you can store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Honestly, I recommend 1 to 2 months but that's my personal preference.

How to reheat

• Reheating pasta bakes is completely doable. In fact, it's quite simple.
• If reheating in the microwave always add extra water. This is true for almost any food.
• Reheating in the oven is easy too. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and bake for about 15  to 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes longer.
• I highly recommend adding about ¼ cup of water to pasta bake before reheating. You can also add extra extra cheese if desired. That's just my personal preference.

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3.80 from 24 votes

Easy Cheesy Pasta Bake with Sausage and Peppers

This Easy Cheesy Pasta Bake with Sausage and Peppers is the perfect simple recipe for busy nights. Easy to make, impossible to resist!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Pasta

Keyword easy cheesy pasta bake, pasta bake

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Kim Beaulieu

Equipment

• 6-Quart Stockpot
• 10 inch Le Creuset Skillet
• 9 x 13 inch Baking Pan

Ingredients

• 6 cups rigatoni
• 1 lb sausage
• 2 large shallots diced
• 16 oz jar of roasted red peppers drained and diced
• 24 oz jar of pasta sauce
• ½ cup parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp sugar optional
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded

Garnish:

• parsley
• cheese

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Fill a stock pot with water, bring to a boil, add salt, then drop in the noodles. Cook 1 minute less than the package directions. Drain but do NOT rinse. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a large skillet cook the sausage until juices run clear and the meat is browned.
• Toss in the diced shallots and diced roasted red peppers, cook in the pan with the sausage for about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add pasta sauce, parmesan cheese, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil while stirring to combine. Remove from heat.
• Add the cooked pasta into a large casserole dish. Pour the sauce over top. Mix thoroughly until well combined. Add the cheese over top. Place the casserole dish in the preheated 400 degree F oven and cook for about 12 to 18 minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown.
• Remove from the oven and dig in.
• Serve with a big old cheesy, sausage loving smile!

Video

Notes

Originally posted on April 30, 2016.

Post updated on October 8, 2017 to add video.

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