Baked Cavatelli

This is quite good and through my sniffles, I enjoyed it a lot! We used three hot Italian sausage links for this, so a bit more than the recipe required. It filled a 9x9 casserole dish to the brim. Really, it's more or less glorified spaghetti using a different kind of noodle, but again, we enjoyed it!


Baked Cavatelli (Prep: 25mins, Bake: 30mins)
(Makes: 9x9 casserole dish worth)

7 oz of dried Cavatelli or Wagon Wheel Macaroni
12 ounces uncooked Italian sausage links, sliced 1/2 inch thick, or lean ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 26-ounce jar pasta sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; set aside.
2. In a large skillet cook the sausage, onion, and garlic until sausage is brown; remove from skillet. Drain.
3. In a large bowl stir together pasta sauce, 3/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese, and the pepper. Add the cooked pasta and the drained sausage mixture. Stir gently to combine. Spoon the mixture into a 2-quart casserole.
4. Bake, covered, in a 375 F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until nearly heated through. Uncover; sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake about 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted.

Ways to add variety:
Place fresh spinach in colander for pasta draining. Drain past over spinach to cook it.