Hunk of Meat Monday: Sausage Pasta Bake Recipe

I am usually very prepared when it comes to making meals for my family. I make a list of all our weekly meals, stick to my list when I grocery shop and then make sure to look far enough ahead to thaw out meats for the coming days. But… sometimes life gets in the way.

Yesterday was good example. I had planned on making a pizza for supper. I was going to make the crust and then use some left over sausage and pizza sauce from earlier in the week. Before heading to church we got a pleasant surprise, because Tim was able to finish chores early and then spend most of the day with us. I certainly didn’t want to be in the kitchen mixing pizza dough. Days like this are rare for dairy farm families.

After church, brunch with both my parents and Tim’s, a trip to the park and then a short nap, it was already 3:00 p.m. and I was scrambling to make something before we had to leave for the farm and start afternoon chores at 4:00 pm. So I made something up and it turned out wonderful!

I made a sausage pasta bake. Here is what I did:

I cooked about 12 ounces of rigatoni pasta according to directions. While that was cooking, I added my left over pizza sauce (about 8oz) to a can of whole fire-roasted tomatoes (28 oz). Then I mixed the sauce and tomatoes together while breaking the tomatoes into smaller pieces. When the pasta was done, I drained them and then poured them in the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Then, I topped with the left over Zweber Farms pork sausage (about 1/2 lb) and then topped with chopped mushrooms. Next, the tomato mixture was poured on top. Last, I covered the top of the dish with about 2 cups of Organic Valley shredded mozzarella cheese. I was done by 3:45 (total prep time was about 20 minutes) When I got to the farm, I had Lisa bake the dish for 30 minutes at 350, while I started chores.

Sausage Pasta Bake

It was delicious!! We pared it with baby carrots and a glass of Organic Valley milk. No need for take out when you are creative!

See more Hunk of Meat Monday recipes on Leah Beyer’s Beyer Beware Blog.

Enjoy!

Emily

Zweber Farms is a 4th generation family operated organic dairy.  We are proud Organic Valley farmer members and sell our milk under that label. We also specialize in sustainably raised beef, pork and chicken and sell it directly to customers in Minnesota.Visit our website to learn more, www.zweberfarms.com. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitterand YouTube.