This Mommy needs some comfort food, Italian Style

Now that the weather has turned and fall is officially here it’s time to break out those comforting cold weather meals. This Tasty Tuesday I bring you Spicy Italian Pasta Bake. This dish is super filling and so delicious.

Here’s what you will need:

Non stick cooking spray
2 cups dry rotini pasta, uncooked (I use whole wheat pasta in all my recipes)
8 oz Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 medium zucchini quartered lengthwise and sliced
1 (8 oz) package of sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (part skim)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350. Spray 8×8 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Prepare pasta as per directions.
2) Cook sausage in a large non stick skillet on medium high heat, breaking apart to crumble. Add onion, zucchini, mushrooms and carrot. Cook until sausage is no longer pink and vegetables are tender, stirring frequently. Add tomatoes and pepper flakes, cook until bubbling (about 2-3 minutes).
3) Add pasta to tomato mixture and stir until coated. Spoon half of mixture into baking dish. Top with half of the cheese. Repeat with one more layer, of pasta and cheese. Bake 15 minutes or until hot.

This recipe makes 6 servings (about 1 1/2 cups each). It took me just under an hour from start to finish, but I’m not the fastest chef in the world. Although it’s called Spicy Italian Pasta Bake it’s really not spicy at all, but you can adjust the “heat” by adding more or less crushed red pepper flakes to taste.

Recently I fell victim to one of those “As Seen on TV” products; The Slap Chop. Anytime I have a recipe that calls for chopped vegetables I break out my Slap Chop. It’s cut my prep time down considerably. Bed Bath & Beyond has them for $19.99, use one of those 20% off coupons we’re all always getting and you can have your very own Slap Chop for around $16.

Happy Cooking!