Sausage Ragu And Spinach Pasta Bake Food

MAKE AHEAD ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Cut sausage into 1/2 inch chunks. I large skillet, brown sausage over medium-high heat, in batches and adding oil if necessary. Transfer sausage to a bowl.
• Pour off any fat from pan. Add onions, garlic and red pepper, cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in pasta sauce, tomato sauce, basil, oregano and fennel seeds; bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pan. Return sausage and any accumulated juices to pan; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until sausage is firm throughout.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta for 6 minutes, add spinach;cook for 1 minute. Drain well and return to pot. Add sausage mixture and provolone/mozzarella cheese; stir to combine well.
• Transfer to 2 greased 8-inch square baking dishes or 1 13x9-inch dish. Sprinkle with Asiago/parmesan cheese. Cover dish with greased foil, greased side down.
• To serve: Bake, covered with foil, in in 375 degree F. oven for 30 minutes or for 1 hour if from the refrigerator. This freezes beautifully (thaw in refrigerator before baking).

SAUSAGE RAGU & SPINACH PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Heat a large frying pan and brown the sausages, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat. Pour off any fat from the pan, stir in the passata, bring to the boil, then add the oregano and season. Simmer for 10 mins.
• Cook the pasta for 2 mins less than the pack says, reserve some cooking water, then drain, cool under cold water and drain again. Meanwhile, pour a kettle of boiling water over the spinach in a colander to wilt, then squeeze out all the water. Mix the pasta with the cheese sauce and some of the reserved water, to loosen. Season.
• In a large dish, add the meat sauce, then the spinach, some nutmeg and seasoning. Next, add a third of the Parmesan, the cheesy pasta, more nutmeg and finally the rest of the cheese. Wrap and freeze. Defrost at room temperature for about 8 hrs. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Bake for 40-45 mins, until the dish is piping hot and golden.

SAUSAGE RAGU AND SPINACH PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour. Remove the pan from the heat and add the milk. Stir over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Simmer for 8-10 minutes until it begins to thicken. Add the cheese and season with salt and pepper.
• Chop up the sausages into small pieces and fry in a little oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the tomato sauce and bring to the boil. Add the oregano, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Cook the pasta for 2 mins less than package instructions.
• Pour a kettle of boiling water over the spinach to wilt.
• Add the pasta to the cheese sauce.
• In a large dish, add the meat sauce and then the spinach, cover with the cheesy pasta mix and top with the parmesan.
• Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes at 180C fan.