Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage

Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage Recipe

delicious recipe for baked pasta with chicken sausageMy church has been booming with babies lately. 

It feels like every week another little one enters the world. In response, we cheer, we give thanksโ€ฆand we cook.

To me, one of the best things you can do for a growing family is bring them a meal. Because in the first weeks after bringing a baby homeโ€”in the midst of the crying, the sleepless nights, and the tears of both joy and painโ€”everybody still needs to eat, but nobody wants to cook.

This Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage has become my go-to meal for families with new babies. It’s mild enough that it suits most taste buds, it’s nutritious enough for those who are health-conscious (while still being hearty enough for a hungry, breastfeeding mama!), and I can easily take out the chicken sausage for vegetarian families.

Plus, if I bring along a bagged salad and maybe some garlic bread, I’ve given the family a complete mealโ€”exactly what they need!

Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage
Serves 6
Write a review
Print
Ingredients
  1. 1 tbsp olive oil
  2. 1 medium onion, chopped
  3. 1 red pepper, chopped
  4. 4 tsp minced garlic
  5. 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
  6. 1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes
  7. 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  8. 1/2 tsp dried basil
  9. 1/2 cup half and half
  10. 1 lb penne pasta (I use whole wheat)
  11. 1 (9 oz) bag baby spinach
  12. 12 oz precooked chicken sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick (I used the sundried tomato flavor, but the spinach & feta flavor would be good too!)
  13. 8 oz shredded mozzarella, divided
  14. 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Instructions
  1. First make the sauce. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and red pepper, cook for 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for another minute or so.
  2. Stir in tomatoes, oregano, and basil. Simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add half and half; cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Meanwhile start the pasta. Preheat the oven to 400ยบ, lightly grease a 9ร—13 baking dish, and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions, adding the spinach right at the end and cooking until wilted. Drain pasta/spinach and return to pot.
  4. Add the tomato sauce, sausage, and half the mozzarella cheese to the pasta. Toss to coat.
  5. Spoon the entire mixture into the prepared dish and top with the rest of the mozzarella and the grated Parmesan. Bake 25-30 minutes, until the edges are slightly browned.
PICK ANY TWO https://www.pickanytwo.net/

What’s your favorite meal to take to a family with a new baby? 

If this recipe caught your eye, I’d be so grateful if you pinned it!  


22 responses to “Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage”

  1. Right now I have 60 meals in the freezer for when daughter 2 arrives in under a month. Almost all are meat meals for my hub, as my veg meals I keep very simple.

    In the freezer is… Veal pasta sauce (just add noodles), chicken rise casserole and chicken noodle casserole (just add cheese), black bean soup, Great Northern bean soup, pulled pork, lamb stew, balsamic chicken, chicken tortilla soup, chicken stuffed peppers (add cheese and put in pepper), and more.

    I also have a mass amount of meat (roasts, ground, steak, etc) and frozen vegs plus granola and GF muffins.

    The weather here now means that the 60 mile round trip drive to the store is not always best. So when E arrives, we’ll feast and rest.

  2. I completely agree, Katie. I so appreciated the women who brought meals to me after we had our babies. My favorite meal to take to families with newborns is a hearty chili or chicken tortilla casserole. Both fairly simple to make, but hearty. This looks wonderful too!

  3. Oh nice call there! We do meal trains within our community. I usually take a chicken pot pie and caramel brownies, but I may mix it up with this!
    I have to be honest. Cassidy does 100% of the cooking. I’ll forward it to him.

  4. I dread bringing meals to neighbors because I never know what to make! Pinning this to make the next time an occasion arises, although I think I may try it for my family too. Thanks Katie!

  5. I want to bring this to my friends who just had their third baby. Do I fully cook it so they just need to warm it up? Will the pasta get soggy? Thanks!

  6. The only thing I’d suggest would be to put it in a one-use pan that the family can just toss and maybe include some paper plates! Don’t know about any of you mommas, but I have a hard time post-C-section loading/unloading a dishwasher or doing dishes! And trying to remember what casserole dish goes back to which friend…Uhm, do you really think that my post-birth-caring-for-irish-twins brain can process that? (LOL)

  7. Thanks for the great recipe! I am going to make this for a friend who just had a baby. How is it best delivered? Should I bake it and let it cool and then have her heat it later that evening when they are ready for dinner? What is the best way to heat it? Thanks!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.