Three Cheese Sausage Pasta Bake

This is one of my favorite weekend treats to throw together.  Pasta, sausage, cheese, cheese, and mo’ cheese.  It ain’t much of a recipe, but sometimes the simplest of concoctions put the biggest smile on my face.  You know what I mean?

Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients List for Three Cheese Sausage Pasta Bake (serves 5)

• 8 ounces pasta of choice, cooked al dente
• 3 cups pasta sauce of choice (such as Prego Heart Smart)
• 4 links cooked chicken or turkey sausage (such as Harris Teeter Hot Chicken Sausage)
• 4 slices mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup fat-free ricotta
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan
• Italian herbs of choice

I like to start off with some sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish.  Prego is (and always has been) my go-to standard store pasta sauce.  It tastes delicious, it’s super cheap, and you can buy it in a ginormous jar.  What more could you want?

1/3 of the sauce goes into the casserole:

Then I toss on half of my pasta:

Plus two tablespoons of shredded parmesan and 1/4 cup fat-free ricotta:

Then I add the sliced sausages and sprinkle with my favorite Italian herb combo:  oregano, basil, S&P, and a touch of red pepper flakes.

Add another cup of sauce, followed by the remaining pasta, then the last cup of sauce, 1/4 cup of ricotta, 2 tbsp parmesan, and 4 slices of mozzarella:

Cover with foil (careful that it doesn’t touch the cheese!!!).  Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes, removing the foil for the last 5 minutes.

Dinner is served!

Stats on 1 serving:  422 calories, 52g carbs, 11g fat, 30g protein, 5g fiber