Baked Rigatoni with Tomato Sauce & Italian Sausage

🧂 Ingredients

• 10 oz dry rigatoni pasta
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

  (extra virgin)
• 1 lb ground Italian sausage
• 2 teaspoon garlic

  (minced)
• 24 oz tomato basil pasta sauce

  (1 24-ounce jar)
• 14.5 oz petite diced tomatoes

  (1 14.5-ounce can, drained)
• 1 ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese

  (shredded)
• ½ cup Parmesan

  (grated, divided into 2 portions of ¼ cup each)
• each, salt & pepper

  (to taste)
• fresh basil leaves

  (or fresh parsley, optional for garnish)

Instructions

• 1 Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick
  spray.
• 2 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your rigatoni as directed
  on the box, stopping 1 minute shy of al dente. Reserve ¼ cup of the starchy
  pasta water and drain the rest.
• 3 Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the Italian
  sausage. Crumble it as it cooks. Then, drain any fat from the pan and saute the
  garlic for 30 seconds with the meat.
• 4 After 30 seconds, stir in the reserved pasta water, pasta sauce, diced tomatoes,
  and Italian seasoning. Mix until combined.
• 5 In the now-empty pot, combine your meat sauce, drained pasta, and ¼ cup
  Parmesan. Stir, then season with salt & pepper to taste.
• 6 Pour the pasta mixture into your prepared baking dish. *Try to make sure all of
  the pasta is covered in sauce or it can dry up while baking.
• 7 Sprinkle the 1 ½ cups of mozzarella and the remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan over the
  top of the sauced pasta. Cover the baking dish with a sheet of foil, arching or
  'tenting' it over the top so that it does not stick to the cheese.
• 8 Bake for 25-30 minutes, garnish with basil or parsley if desired, and serve.

Nutrition Info