Ingredients
12ozuncooked pasta,(such as ziti, rigatoni or penne)
1lbground Italian sausage
1tbspolive oil
4cupssliced veggies,(such as bell peppers, red onion, mushrooms, etc.)
3cupsmarinara sauce,(homemade or store-bought)
2cupsextra pizza toppings,(such as olives, pepperoni, pepperoncini, etc.)
3cupsmozzarella cheese,shredded
½cupparmesan cheese,freshly-grated
fresh basil
crushed red pepper flakes
parmesan cheese,extra
Preparation
Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Heat a large stockpot of generously salted water until boiling. Add the pasta and cook the pasta until it is 1 minute shy of al dente. Drain the pasta completely and set aside.
Heat a large non-stick sauté pan over medium-high heat.
Add the sausage and cook until browned, crumbling the sausage with a wooden spoon as you go. Transfer the cooked sausage to a clean bowl and set aside.
Add the oil to the sauté pan, followed by any veggies that need to be pre-cooked. Sauté the veggies for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
Return the cooked pasta to the large stockpot and add in the cooked sausage, cooked veggies, marinara sauce and any extra pizza toppings into the casserole. Toss until evenly combined.
In a greased 9×13-inch baking dish, add half of the pasta mixture and spread it out in an even layer. Sprinkle half of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese evenly on top of the pasta.
Then add the remaining pasta mixture in an even layer, sprinkle the remaining mozzarella evenly on top of the pasta, and finish with a sprinkle of your reserved pizza toppings.
Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and golden and the casserole is heated through. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack.
Serve the baked ziti while it is nice and hot, garnished with favorite toppings.
