Skillet Sausage Pasta

Love a pasta dish.

This one is easy, hearty, and kinda spicy.

I had never baked anything in a skillet before but it couldn't be easier.

Here's what you need:

1 lb. hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

*I used hot Italian sausage. To remove the casings, I used a sharp knife and cut lengthwise down the sausage and peeled the casings off.

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

6 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups water

12 ounce or ziti

*I couldn't find ziti at our Kroger so I used rotini

1/2 cup heavy cream or whole milk

1 oz. Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup parsley

4 oz. Mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat your oven to 475. 

Add the crushed tomatoes to your food processor or blender.

Pulse until there aren't any large lumps left.

2. After removing the casings, cook the sausage in a skillet. Use a spoon to break it up into small pieces.

Cook until brown.

3. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the skillet.

*I was out of red pepper flakes so I didn't add them.

Cook for a minute or so.

4. Add the tomatoes and salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 mins.

5. Add the pasta and water to the skillet. It will be very close to overflowing. Very slowly combine the water and pasta with the mixture. I started on the outside and tried to stir into the center of the skillet.

  6. Cover and simmer on medium-high heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the pasta from sticking to them bottom.

The pasta will NOT absorb all of the sauce.

7. Add the cream, Parmesan cheese, and parsley. Stir to combine, Season with salt and pepper.

8. Top with the mozzarella and place the entire skillet into the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes.

 You want the cheese to be golden brown.

9. Top with a little more parsley and serve. 

This dish is very, very good...

and pretty!

It turned out kinda spicy so I doubt I will ever add the red pepper flakes when making this in the future.

Instead of using a skillet, you could transfer the pasta to a casserole dish. 

It would be a great meal to take to family and friends.

We ate it by itself but I would definitely recommend a side salad to lighten it up.

Enjoy!

Original recipe from Tracy's Culinary Adventures