Pre-heat the oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gas Mark 4. Put the pasta on to boil as per the packet instructions then drain. Cook until it is al dente or still a little firm. The pasta will continue to cook in the oven.
350 g rigatoni
Heat a little oil in a large frying pan or oven-proof casserole dish. Fry the chopped sausages for 5 minutes.
2 tablespoon olive oil, 8 thin pork sausages
Add the onion and pepper and fry for 2 minutes. Add the courgette and mushrooms and fry for a further 2 minutes.
1 red onion, 1 red pepper, 1 courgette, 100 g mushrooms
Stir in the passata. Add the Worcestershire sauce and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cream cheese at this point if you want your sauce more creamy.
500 g passata, 1 dash Worcestershire sauce, 1 dash salt, 1 dash black pepper, 2 tablespoon cream cheese
Stir in the fresh basil leaves and spinach until the spinach has wilted. Stir in the rigatoni.
4 tablespoon fresh basil leaves, 100 g fresh spianch
Transfer to an oven-proof dish.
Sprinkle over the mozzarella cheese and bake in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes
150 g mozarella
Notes
The nutritional information is an estimate as the nutritional value of different types of sausage meat will vary. It does not include the addition of any cream cheese as this is optional.
Vegetarian or Vegan Sausage Pasta Bake
You will need to make the following swaps to make a vegetarian or vegan sausage pasta bake.
Sausages for vegetarian or vegan sausages (not all vegetarian sausages are suitable for vegans)
Grated mozzarella for a hard vegan cheese
Swap the cream cheese for a savory soft cheese dairy alternative.
Worcestershire Sauce is not vegan as it contains anchovies, but you can buy vegan alternatives.
Ingredients
Sausages - Buy as good quality sausages as possible with a high pork content. You can use flavoured sausages to spice it up. Alternatively, you could use sausage meat. In the US, I recommend using Italian sausage meat. You may need to remove the skin from Italian sausages.
Pasta - use any shape of pasta.
Herbs - Fresh herbs help to lift the flavour in pasta bakes.
Passata - Called pureed tomatoes or crushed strained tomatoes in the US. Use the best quality you can find. Cheaper versions will have a higher water content.
Cream Cheese - optional. You can also use ricotta or mascarpone.
Storage, freezing, and reheating instructions
Store in the fridge for 2 - 3 days. To reheat your pasta bake, cover with foil to prevent the top from burning, and reheat in the oven at 180C /350F/Gas Mark 4 for 25 - 30 minutes until piping hot. It can also be eaten cold and is great for lunch the next day. You can freeze a pasta bake. Store in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 - 4 months.