This sausage pasta bake is a delicious comforting dish that is perfect for batch cooking and freezing. Easy to adapt and add lots of vegetables to, it's a simple weeknight dinner that the whole family will love. Use any kind of pasta, any kind of sausage (even meat free), and any veg you have that needs using up. Just 500 calories for a filling portion.
If your kids love sausages and pasta, then this is a nice new way to serve it, and you can easily add loads of different vegetables to it too. Cheesy and comforting, this is kind of like a lasagna but without all of the effort.
For a different kind of pasta bake, why not try our Meatball Pasta Bake?
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Why should you try it?
- Hearty comfort food that your whole family will love - a great midweek meal
- Under 500 calories for a big filling portion
- Easy to add lots of different vegetables
- Freezes really well, so make extra for leftovers
- Can be made with meat sausages or vegetarian
Step by step
One: Add the pasta to a pan of boiling water and simmer for 10 minutes.
Two: Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onion and garlic. Gently heat, continuously stirring, for 3 minutes.
Three: Add the courgette, red pepper, mushrooms to the pan and cook for a further 4 minutes.
Four: Add the chopped sausages and stir.
Five: Pour the passata into the pan and add the oregano, thyme, balsamic and salt and pepper and stir.
Six: Drain the pasta and stir in to the sauce.
Seven: Stir in the spinach until wilted.
Eight: Transfer the pasta mixture in to a large baking dish and top with the cheese and fresh basil.
Nine: Put in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 for 20 minutes, until the cheese has melted.
What sausages to use
We used vegetarian sausages in this recipe, but you can use any kind of meat sausages. Use different flavour ones to add a twist to it. If you are not a fan of sausages, you could swap them for small chunks of chicken in this recipe.
What vegetables to add
We like lots of chunky veg like peppers and mushrooms, but it's a good way to use up leafy greens like spinach too. You could also use courgette and aubergine - try to stick to softer veg rather than root vegetables like carrots, as they will cook quicker.
For some extra freshness, add some cherry tomato halves on top at the same time as the cheese. The give little bursts of juiciness when you take a mouthful too.
How to make it creamy
Pasta dishes that are creamy are twice as comforting in my opinion. We stirred through a couple of tablespoons of creme fraiche before everything went in the oven, and it really took this dish to the next level.
This pasta bake of course had the integral layer of cheese on top. You can use pretty much any cheese you want here, and it's a good way to use up a few different types of cheese you might have leftover in the fridge. A combination of mozzarella, cheddar and goats cheese works well. Or feta. Feta always works.
How to store
This is an ideal batch cooking dish, so it makes a great leftovers dinner. They will keep in the fridge for a couple of days, or you can portion it out and freeze for up to 3 months. Just make sure to defrost thoroughly before reheating.
Extra tips
- You can use meat or vegetarian/vegan sausages for this. Try spicy sausages for a bit of a kick.
- For some extra freshness, add cherry tomatoes halves on top with the cheese.
- This dish is a great opportunity to use leftover cheese or any vegetables you have that need using. So feel free to swap ingredients around.
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge for a couple of days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To make this gluten free, use gluten free pasta and sausages.
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Recipe
Sausage Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 200 g rigatoni pasta
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 courgette diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 8 shiitake mushrooms sliced
- 4 vegetarian or meat sausages sliced
- 450 ml passata
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp dried thyme
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp creme fraiche
- 1 pinch sea salt and black pepper
- 100 g spinach
- 10g g fresh basil shredded
- 50 g mozzarella shredded
Instructions
- Add the pasta to a pan of boiling water and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onion and garlic. Gently heat, continuously stirring, for 3 minutes.
- Add the courgette, red pepper, mushrooms to the pan and cook for a further 4 minutes.
- Add the chopped sausages and stir.
- Pour the passata in to the pan and add the oregano, thyme, balsamic and salt and pepper and stir.
- Drain the pasta and stir in to the sauce.
- Stir in the spinach until wilted and add the creme fraiche.
- Transfer the pasta mixture in to a large baking dish and top with the cheese and fresh basil.
- Put in a preheated oven at 180C for 20 minutes, until the cheese has melted.
Notes
- You can use meat or vegetarian/vegan sausages for this.
- This dish is a great opportunity to use leftover cheese or any vegetables you have that need using. So feel free to swap ingredients around.
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge for a couple of days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To make this gluten free, use gluten free pasta and sausages.
Nutritional Information
Tim
Just started trying to cook for the missus, easy to follow, except confused as to whether I should have browned sausages initially,as I've put them in the oven looking raw.Plus accidentally bought spring shredded greens as opposed to spinach,I'll learn by my mistakes
Dannii
The sausages go in to a frying pan in step 4. So, they are precooked a little before they go in the oven, where they will continue to cook for 20 minutes. They should not have gone in to oven raw.
Jennie
I cooked the sausage pasta bake last week! I am cooking it again, with slightly different ingredients, so we will see whether it goes down well again! Thank you for the inspiration!
marie johson
This is a simple baked pasta recipe with sausage, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Thanks for sharing
Melanie
Silly question but are you cooking the sausages at all before putting them in? I.e. browning off?
Dannii
We used vegetarian sausages in this, so didn't cook them first. But for meat sausages you could brown them with the onions first.
Ms294
You put creme fraiche on the ingredient list, but at no point in the instructions or on the video is any creme fraiche mentioned??
Dannii
Sorry - this has been updated now. It goes in at the same time as the spinach.
Aine
Absolutely delicious. I love that I can prepare earlier and just have to pop into the oven
Dannii
So glad you enjoyed it :)
Mahima
Thank you so much for sharing recipes.Great blog!!!
Edyta
This looks like such an awesome comfort food. I love the sausage in the pasta. It tastes out of this world delicious!
Liz
This might be a silly question but if you’re making it to freeze or to use the day after do you bake it when you make it up and then bake it again when you defrost it or plan to eat it?
Dannii
Yes, we bake it and then reheat it in the oven or microwave.
lisa
Thanks for such an easy recipe. I'm saving to make for my next potluck. It's sure to be a hit.
Jane
Mmmm, this brings back memories! Serious comfort food and it'd be just perfect in this cold snap.
Helen of Fuss Free Flavours
Pasta bakes are always a tasty option, and so easy to make. Ideal for a mid-week meal, and can be prepped earlier in the day.
Noelle
My family loved this, can't wait to make it again!
Tania | Fit Foodie Nutter
This recipe is a real winner for this cold winter weather!
Excursion to Playa del Carmen
Superb recipe! Do you have others with Mexican sauces? See you soon
Sally Humeniuk
Such a beautiful recipe and I love the step by step photos and instructions! This looks so hearty and flavorful.
Chris Collins
Love that you've stirred a couple of tbsp of creme fraiche through this, really takes it to the next level! Looks so yummy!!
Sherri
I love meals that make great leftovers like this one! Love that there is a meatless option too...perfect for my Beyond sausages I have in my fridge! Love all the veggies in here too! So hearty and healthy! :)
Julia
I make similar but don't use balsamic vinegar in mine. Gotta give it a go next time!