Baked Pasta With Chicken Sausage

This is a yummy Martha Stewart dish I discovered at My Kitchen Cafe. I love one dish meals that have a little bit of everything. This pasta bake is not only delicious and full of flavor but pretty healthy too. Another plus, you can freeze this dish and eat half now and half later! Throw in a side salad and some bread and you'll have one big happy family!

Baked Pasta With Chicken Sausage

My Kitchen Cafe

*Makes a heaping full 9X13 pan*

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium red onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 (14.5 oz.) can crushed tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 pound rigatoni

10 ounces frozen baby spinach, thawed and drained well (can substitute 1 9-oz. bag fresh spinach)

12 ounces precooked smoked chicken (or turkey) sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick (find this in the same section/aisle as the hot dogs next to the precooked kielbasa and chorizo - you can use the Jennie-O brand and it is precooked in a U-shape.

8 ounces mozzarella cheese, 4 ounces cut into 1/2-inch cubes and 4 ounces shredded

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic. Cook for another minute.Stir in tomatoes, oregano and basil; simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add cream; cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste.Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook pasta in the boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. (If using fresh spinach, add it to the pot of boiling pasta right at the end and cook until wilted.) Drain, and return contents to pot.Add tomato sauce, sausage, spinach and cubed mozzarella to the pot; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Scoop pasta into lightly greased 9X13-inch pan (or divide evenly between two 8X8-inch pans). Top with grated mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake until browned and edges are crisp, 20 to 30 minutes.

*Freezable Meal: Prepare recipe right up until the baking step and then cover with a double layer of aluminum foil. Freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. To bake, increase baking time to 1 to 1 1/4 hours. If baking from frozen, bake covered for 1 hour and 15 minutes, uncover and bake 30 minutes longer.

Posted by: Sallie

Valentine's Dinner- Family Style

I love Valentine's Day. I love the colors pink and red and all the adorable heart shaped treats. I love the beautiful flowers and okay... I'll admit it, mostly the chocolate!

Sometimes we go out for Valentine's Day, sometimes we go to parties but usually we end up having a nice cozy dinner at home. If we're lucky, my in-laws take the kids for the night and my husband and I cook and eat dinner together. It reminds me of life before children when we cooked together every night and had a nice relaxing dinner.

Other times we have a Family Valentine's Dinner. I got the idea a couple of years ago from Williams Sonoma and now it has become kind of a tradition. We bring out our best dishes (or sometimes just cute paper Valentine's plates, etc.) and fancy glasses and the kids favorite part...we eat by candlelight. We all help cook dinner together. I usually have one child help me with each dish. That way it doesn't get too crazy in the kitchen. Usually we go around the table and say something we love about each person. It really is fun and it makes the kids feel really grown up and special.

Here is a what we're eating this year:

Bruschetta

Chicken and Sausage Pasta

Fennel and Pancetta Salad

Bread sticks

Valentine's Punch

Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake

I am going to post each recipe separately and then link them in this post. I've found that sometimes when I post a menu, it makes it hard to find each item individually. This will be my posting for the week because my Mom and I are going to spend a week with my beautiful new niece and fabulous sister!

Posted by: Sallie