Italian Sausage Casserole

Italian Sausage Casserole

2 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese
5 links of Italian sausage (hot or mild)
1 lb. large shell pasta noodles (or whatever you have on hand - ziti works well too)
1 (26.5 oz) can spaghetti sauce (or 3 c. homemade - whatever you have on hand)
Salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper* (to taste)
1 tsp. minced garlic

Place sausage on a cookie sheet, then cook in a 400 degree oven until links are browned; turning once. (You are not looking for them to be cooked through, only browned. They will continue to cook later.)

Prepare pasta until just done according to package directions. (Pasta will continue to cook in the oven so it need not be fully done before draining.) Drain, return to cooking pot and set aside.

Simmer pasta sauce and add seasonings to taste.

Slice Italian sausage into bite size pieces, and add to noodles. Next ad tomato sauce, cooked & 1/2 of the Mozzarella to the pasta & sausage mixture. Stir well to combine.

Transfer to medium size casserole dish. Top remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

*I used crushed red pepper in our meal tonight as I used mild sausage. If you use hot sausage omit the pepper unless you like a lot of spicy heat. You can omit the red pepper altogether and only use mild sausage if you do not like heat at all.