This delicious simple sausage pasta bake with only four ingredients will please the entire family. The mild mozzarella taste paired with garlic marinara and Italian sausage make this a home run. The simple recipe is easy to follow and the tasty ingredients will please anyone from a hungry toddler to a starving husband.

Time is one thing I don’t always have a lot of. This dish helps keep my dinner routine uncomplicated and offer plenty for seconds or leftovers. It pairs easily with just about anything – veggies, garlic bread, or a nice salad like this one! You can make this simple sausage pasta bake ahead of time and pop in the oven whenever you want or prepare and throw right in the oven – dinner ready in under an hour from start to finish.

Can I use different meats for the pasta bake?

Of course you can! Italian sausage is very flavorful and something my family loves. We have made this dish with ground beef, ground turkey, and even crumbled meatballs. Whatever your family prefers is easy to substitute in this simple dish.

What is the healthiest sausage?

The healthiest sausage is turkey sausage. While untraditional, a sausage made from turkey is healthier than a pork-based one because it contains fewer calories and fat per serving. It still offers a more flavorful taste than ground beef because of the additional seasonings. It can have a higher level of cholesterol though so always read your labels if worried about nutritional value.

What if I don’t have the right pasta?

You can substitute most types of pasta in this dish. I wouldn’t recommend using any type of spaghetti or long noddle. It makes serving a little more difficult when dishing out the final product plus those types of noddles don’t take hold of the sauce and flavors as well. We use penne, elbow, rigatoni… anything along those lines. Just cook according to the directions posted on the box.

Ingredients for the Simple Sausage Pasta Bake

• 1 box Bowtie Pasta
• 1 LB sausage
• 2 Cups Mozzarella
• 1 Jar Organic Bertoli Pasta Sauce

How to cook simple sausage pasta bake:

1. If you plan on baking right away, preheat your oven to 350 F.

2. Cook the pasta according to the directions you find on the box.

3. While the pasta is boiling, brown the sausage and crumble after you cook. Be sure to cook the sausage completely.

4. Once both the pasta and the sausage are done cooking, drain the pasta thoroughly.

5. Drain the sausage.

6. Once drained, return the pasta to the pot. Add the sausage and pasta sauce. Stir well to combine.

7. Pour mixture into a greased 9×13 baking dish.

8. Add the mozzarella cheese over top, putting an even layer throughout.

9. Place in a preheated oven for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

** If not baking right away, once cheese is on top, cover and place in refrigerator for up to 48 hours before cooking. Simply preheat oven and pop it in when ready to cook for 30 minutes. If frozen, be sure casserole is fully thawed before baking.

We are a family that runs on leftovers. This dish provides plenty for a family of 4 and leaves enough for lunch the next day. Whether heated in a thermos for my kids lunch box, or packed with my husband for his day at the squadron, no one is ever sad to see this meal come around twice!