Skip to content
Italian Sausage Pasta Bake
Italian Sausage Pasta Bake Header

The Italian Sausage Pasta Bake is a Quick & Easy meal. The Pasta Sauce comes together while brining a pot of water to a boil. The Sausages & Vegetables cook in a pan. Tomato Sauce is added along with the Pasta and mixed in. Emptied into a single Au Gratin Dish or as a Casserole, topped with a Mozzarella Cheese Blend and Baked at 450 F for 5–10 minutes.

Switch it up using different short Pastas and Italian Sausages in different forms. From Ground, cooked whole and Sliced, or tiny to medium-sized Meatballs. Make a side of Garlic Bread too!

I really love this combination of Italian Sausage, Onions & Peppers. It just works extremely well and that Quick Tomato Sauce is Light & Sweet, pulling everything together.

Italian Sausage Pasta Bake Ingredients

Consisting of Italian Sausage, Short Pasta, Quick Tomato Sauce with Onion & Peppers topped with a Mozzarella & Provolone Cheese Blend.

Italian Sausage Pasta Bake with Garnish
Italian Sausage Pasta Bake with Garnish (Aleppo & Parsley with Parmesan)

Short Pasta

Use any type of short Pasta you’d like. Boil in 16 Cups of Water with 2 Tbl of Sea Salt. Once this is almost done cooking, scoop it out with a spider and add directly to the measured out Quick Tomato Sauce, Sausages & Vegetables while still in the Pan. Cook until just about done, adding more Pasta Water if necessary. Then fill the Au Gratin dishes and top with Cheese.

You can also just strain out the pasta but save some of the Pasta water in case it is needed to add to the Sauce to thin it out.

Penne Pasta

Penne Pasta

I find Penne best suited for this kind of dish. Use 100 g of Penne per person.

Spider

Spider

Excellent for scooping out short Pasta and adding to sauce, while keeping the Pasta water in case it is needed to adjust the sauce consistency.

Italian Sausage

Used to make up the meat portion of this dish and can be used in a few ways depending on what you are after. In all cases, use one Sausage per person with 200 g of Quick Tomato Sauce added per portion to simmer until the Pasta is ready.

It’s important to use good quality Italian Sausages. Bland ones (and there seems to be an awful lot of them around) will just make everything else bland. You need some good Italian Sausages to get those flavors to come alive and to the forefront.

Italian Sausages

Italian Sausage

Use 1 good quality Italian Sausage per person or more.

Ground Italian Sausage

The skin of the Italian Sausage can be removed, with the meat going into the skillet to break down and cook.

Cooked ground Italian Sausage

Ground Italian Sausage

Use 1 Italian Sausage per person, skin removed, and placed into the pan over medium heat. Cook and break the meat up.

Sliced Italian Sausage

Sliced Italian Sausages can be used instead. This option allows for bigger chunks of Italian Sausage throughout the Dish.

Air Fryer Italian Sausages

Cooked Whole Italian Sausages

Air Fry or Fry the Sausage whole and then remove to cool enough to handle. Slice the Sausages into slices of the desired thickness and throw them into the pan with the vegetables.

Italian Sausage Meatballs

Remove the skin and portion out to the desired size meatballs. Use anywhere from 1/2 tsp portions to 1 Tbl portions. These can be cooked in the skillet over medium heat with a cover until just done.

Homemade Italian Sausage Meat

A Homemade version of Italian Sausage can be made instead with 1 lbs. of Ground Pork and Italian Sausage Seasoning. With no need for Sausage Skins, the meat can go directly to the frying pan to cook up as a ground mixture or shaped into Meatballs.

Baked Italian Sausage Meatballs

Homemade Italian Sausage

This is a mix of ground Pork & Seasoning for a homemade Italian Sausage mix.

Made with 1/2 tsp portions and is an excellent size for the Italian Sausage Pasta Bake or as a Pizza Topping.

Italian Sausage Pasta Bake Vegetables

Diced Onions & Peppers are all that is needed. Use any combination of Green, Orange, Red, or Yellow Bell Peppers. A very nice Pepper to use is the Long Sweet Red Peppers. If you want a bit more heat, add in a Hot Pepper.

Peppers & Onion

Onion & Pepper

Use 1 Onion and 1 Bell Pepper or a mix of Peppers using half a Red Bell Pepper and Half a Green Bell Pepper or any other combination including Orange and Yellow Bell Peppers.

Long Red Sweet Peppers

Long Sweet Red Peppers

Wonderful Pepper for this Pasta Bake and a bunch of other recipes too.

Italian Sausage Pasta Bake Sauce

Although, other kinds of Tomato Sauces can certainly be used. The Quick Tomato Sauce Recipe is my preferred sauce. It’s Light & Sweet, coming together while the Pasta cooks. Once the Sauce is prepared, measure out what you need. Then all you’re left to do is cook the Sausage & Vegetables, combine with the Pasta and top with Cheese to Bake.

Any leftover Quick Tomato Sauce can be refrigerated and used again for the same dish or for other recipes including the Cheeseburger Oven Sub, Cheeseburger Pizza, Pizza Oven Sub, Cheeseburger Pasta Bake.

Quick Tomato Sauce

Quick Tomato Sauce

This is a Quick Tomato Sauce that can be made up in about 10 minutes while the Pasta is cooking.

Use 200 g of Sauce per 100 g of Pasta. About a little less than 1 cup of Sauce is 1 portion, or 200 g.

Pasta Bake Cheese

The Best Cheese Blend is a 3:1 ratio of High Moisture Mozzarella & Provolone Cheese. This is a phenomenal blend for optimal stretch and browning. Just combine 3 Cups of Shredded Mozzarella & 1 Cup of Shredded Provolone Cheese into a Ziploc bag. Mix well to get even distribution and freeze until needed.

Saputos Mozzarella Cheese

Mozzarella Cheese

A High Moisture Mozzarella Cheese that is ideal for things like Pizza, Lasagna or other Pasta Bakes and more.

How to make Italian Sausage Pasta Bake

With the oven preheated, it’s one cooking phase to the next and ready in about 30 minutes. You will want 1 Pot for the Sauce, 1 pot for the Pasta and 1 large Skillet or Pan to combine everything. Then Au Gratin dishes or a Casserole Dish to bake the Pasta.

Penne Pasta

Boil the Pasta

Preheat the oven to 450 F.

Place 16 Cups of Water with 1 – 2 Tbl of Sea Salt into a pot on the back burner and bring to a boil.

Weigh out 100g of Penne Pasta for each person.

Quick Tomato Sauce

Prepare the Quick Tomato Sauce

Prepare the Quick Tomato Sauce while the Water is coming to a boil. When done, set aside until needed.

Once the water is boiling, add the Pasta and cook until almost done. Meanwhile, start cooking the Sausages and Vegetables.

Simmering Quick Tomato Sauce

Cook the Italian Sausage & Vegetables

Place Italian Sausage into a Saucepan heated over medium heat. Halfway through, add the Vegetables and continue to cook until done.

Then add in 200 g of Quick Tomato Sauce per person (just shy of 1 Cup per person). Keep this at a simmer until the Pasta is ready.

Pan Italian Sausage Penne

Add the Pasta to the Sauce

Scoop out the Pasta when only a few minutes of cook time remain and toss in the Sauce. Use Pasta water to adjust the consistency if needed, and continue to cook the Pasta until just done to your liking.

Italian Sausage Pasta Bake

Pasta Bake

Empty into a Single serve Au Gratin Dishes or Casserole, top with Cheese and Bake in the oven for about 5 – 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted with spots of browning. Optionally broil for color the last few minutes.

Italian Sausage Pasta Bake Side

Serve these up with some Garlic Bread on the side. Optionally place some cheese on the Garlic Bread and Bake. Other options may include Twisty Bread or Garlic Fingers.

Italian Sausage Pasta Bake

Italian Sausage Pasta Bake

Italian Sausage Pasta Bake made with short Pasta, Italian Sausages, Onion & Peppers with a Quick Tomato Sauce and a Mozzarella Cheese Blend. Empty it into a Single Serve Au Gratin Dish or a Casserole. Top with the Mozzarella Cheese blend and bake.
Servings: 4 portions
Prep10 minutes
Cook 20 minutes

Equipment

  • 1 Sauce Pot for the Quick Tomato Sauce
  • 1 Pot for the Pasta
  • 1 Spider to scoop the pasta out
  • 1 Large Skillet or Pan
  • 4 Au Gratin Dishes or 1 Casserole Dish
  • 1 Digital Scale

Ingredients

  • 4 Links Italian Sausage
  • 400 g Penne Pasta
  • 800 g Quick Tomato Sauce
  • As Desired Mozzarella & Provolone Cheese Blend - 3 parts Mozzarella and 1 part provolone
  • 1 Onion
  • 1 Bell Pepper - or a mix of peppers
  • 16 C Water with 1 – 2 Tbl of Water - for the Pasta

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 450 F with the rack in the middle position.
    Place 16 Cups of Water with 1 – 2 Tbl of Sea Salt into a pot on the back burner and bring it to a boil. Weigh out the Pasta and set it aside.
  • In a Saucepan, prepare the Quick Tomato Sauce and then set it aside.
  • Add the Pasta to the Pot of Boiling Water.
    Remove the Skin from the Sausages and place Italian Sausages into a Pan and cook halfway through over medium heat breaking it up.
    Then add in the Onions & Peppers to continue cooking until the Sausage meat is cooked through, and the Vegetables are softened.
  • Measure out 800 g of Quick Tomato Sauce and add to the Pan with the Italian Sausages & Vegetables. Mix and keep cooking until the Pasta only needs a few minutes to finish cooking.
  • Scoop the Pasta out of the Pot and add it directly to the Meat Sauce. Mix well and continue to cook until just done to your liking.
    Empty into single serve au gratin dishes or a casserole dish. Top with Cheese Blend and Bake 5 – 10 minutes or until the Cheese is melted with light browning.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Canadian
Keywords: Italian Sausage Pasta Bake, Italian Sausage Pasta Casserole
Author: JAH

Follow Us

Sign up for email updates