Baked Penne, an easy any night of the week recipe!

Sorry for being so recipe heavy on the blog this week! It's been chaotic around here and cooking is the one thing I do consistently so it's a simple thing for me to post.

This is an easy dish to make, which can be prepared ahead of time and then baked just prior to serving. Today I prepped it a little ahead so that dinner would be ready early for Austin and his friend to eat before they take off to their school dance.

Ingredients:
1 lb Hot or Sweet Italian Sausage (I use a mix of both)
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz jar prepared alfredo sauce
1 lb box penne rigate pasta
1 medium onion, diced
2 tsp minced garlic
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a large sauce pan over medium and cook sausage until no pink remains, 9-10 minutes. Drain fat and add onion and garlic to the pan.

Cook until onion begins to become translucent, 2-3 minutes.

Add canned tomatoes to the pan, increase the heat to medium high and cook down until liquid reduces by half, 4-5 minutes.


Cook penne to al dente (6 minutes), drain well and return to pot. Combine with the sausage and tomatoes, then add the jar of alfredo sauce and 1 cup of mozzarella.
Stir to combine.

Transfer to a 13x9x2 casserole dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.
Sprinkle remaining mozzarella on top.

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Garnish with fresh herbs if you have any on hand and serve!

Enjoy!

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