Cheesy Baked Penne with Spicy Italian Sausage

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Mar 8

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This **Baked Penne with Calabrian Pepper Sausage** dish is an easy weeknight dinner and you’ll get to see how to make the best homemade sausage. This meal is wholesome and will leave you wanting more.

Sprinkle the top with some fresh basil and enjoy!

A few weeks ago, we found an old picture of this casserole and my wife loves pasta and was after me to have this on the weekend. I love pasta too but the way that she gets excited, I don’t think anybody can be the same over a good pasta dish! And I taught her how to say “I want food now” in Hindi and all day she was like “Khana do abhi!“.

Well so we made it! This is an older pasta recipe of mine, but it is indeed a timeless classic, and it was great to fall in love with it again! To A nice warm pasta dinner with candle light, a super special night. And the dinner was absolutely splendid, and both of us love eating. If you want to put your heart on a plate for a pasta lover in your life, then definitely prepare this Cheesy Baked Penne with Spicy Italian Sausage as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge! You can get started today for free by signing up to my email newsletter, plus all of my latest recipes will be sent straight to your inbox!

For a visual representation of how this extraodinary meaty and cheesy penne casserole comes together, then don’t forget to watch the video at the bottom of this post! If you’re not already, it would mean a lot if you would please subscribe to my YouTube channel, and press the bell button to be notified when all of my video recipes are live! Let’s get cooking!

What Kind of Meat Should I Use for the Sausage?

I wanted this meal to be light, so I used chicken. But feel free to use turkey or pork if you are feeling adventurous. The magic is in the fennel, anise and Calabrian peppers and it should tastes good with any mince really. Usually chicken is my go to preference since it is not as lean as turkey so it doesn’t dry as much.

Usually I reserve a pork sausage for super-special occasions, I think the last time I had it was when I made my Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza. But I leave that up to you!

Can I change the Pasta Shape?

Yes, of course! As I describe in my free motivational guide to explore your potential in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!!, I recommend you use up what is currently in your pantry if you’ve got a suitable substitute, as opposed to going out to the grocery store to keep piling up pastas in the cupboard! Feel free to use rigatoni, fusilli or rotini.

Tools Needed For Delicious Italian Sausage Baked Penne

Ingredients for Baked Penne with Spicy Calabrian Pepper Sausage

For all ingredients and their quantities and to save the recipe for later, be sure to check out the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card by scrolling to the bottom of this post or by pressing the “Jump to Recipe” button. You will also be able to scale the recipe based on how many portions of pasta you want to make so that you have the right amount of marinara and sausage for each portion!

Spicy Calabrian Pepper Sausage

Ground chicken: I’ve used minced chicken for this recipe, but you can use substitute with minced turkey or minced pork depending on what you have on hand or what you prefer.
Green chilies: Chopped fresh green chilies. You could also use green pepper or Serrano pepper.
Calabrian chilli pepper paste: Where I am, this is labelled as “bomba.” You could also use packaged Calabrian chilli peppers.
Fennel seeds: To give a nice aroma to the sausage.
Anise seeds: Adds tremendous flavour in the sausage.
Honey: Sweetness to balance out the heat.
Water
Salt and pepper: Essential seasoning to enhance the flavours in the sausage.

Marinara Sauce

San Marzano Italian Tomatoes: Do NOT use regular canned tomatoes! San Marzano tomatoes are special tomatoes that are grown in a specific region in Italy that have much more flavour!
Olive oil: My preference is extra virgin olive oil. It has lots of nutritional properties and has a great flavour!
Garlic cloves: Freshly minced garlic cloves will give the best flavour.
Red chili flakes: A touch to add some heat in our marinara sauce.
Salt

Pasta casserole

Penne rigate pasta: I recommend you get penne rigate, which is the version with the ridges, instead of the the lisce, which is smooth. I prefer rigate because the sauce and meat stick to it nicely.
Mozzarella: A block of fresh part-skimmed mozzarella that will be grated for some epic cheesiness!
Provolone: Adds some extra pulls and cheesiness.
Fresh basil: You will cut this into a chiffonade for garnish.

How to Make Baked Penne with Calabrian Sausage

Preparing the Sausage

Begin by crushing the fennel seeds and the anise seeds in a mortar and pestle. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, measure and arrange the whole spices on a paper towel.

Fold the paper towel over the seeds, making sure to have the spices gather in one spot. Using the back of a knife or a rolling pin to crush the seeds. It does not need to be completely powdered, the coarseness adds to the texture and flavour of the sausage. Crush just enough to break down the spices and release their flavour and fragrance.

In a large bowl, add the minced meat (chicken/turkey/pork) and mix all the ingredients together until well combined.

View the full Spicy Calabrian Sausage recipe for more details!

Preparing the sauce

Place the tomatoes in a food processor and pulse for a few seconds to break down the tomatoes.

Heat olive oil in a medium frying pan. Add garlic and chili flakes and sauté for 30 seconds.

Add in the pulsed San Marzano tomatoes and salt. Bring sauce to a simmer. Lower heat and cook for 10-15 minutes or until your sauce reduces and has a thick consistency.

For more details on preparing the sauce, check out the full Classic Italian Marinara Sauce recipe!

Preparing the casserole

Preheat oven at 400 F and boil water to cook the pasta for about 7-8 minutes, or until al dente.

Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Add sausage and cook until no longer pink. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Heat the marinara or prepare the marinara if you have not already in a pan and add cooked pasta, mix well to coat.

Transfer the pasta into a casserole and add the sausage. Mix well and then toss the mozzarella cubes. Tear the provolone and add in as well. Mix lightly to layer the cheese and then bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese browns slightly.

Transfer casserole to oven and bake 10-15 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. While the pasta is cooking, chiffonade the basil by stacking 7-8 basil leaves, rolling them tightly into a cigar and slicing the basil thinly.

Top pasta with fresh basil, serve hot and enjoy :)

How to Serve Cheesy Baked Penne with Spicy Italian Sausage

This Baked Penne and Italian Sausage Pasta recipe is certainly hearty on its own! However, if you want to make it a complete meal, here are some sides and appetizers that will make this a dinner to remember!

What if I want a Single Portion?

No problem at all! If you want this all to yourself without worrying about sharing and cutting the casserole, then scale the recipe down to a single serving and assemble in an individual-sized casserole! I love to use these from time to time because the pasta stays hotter and I get my portion all to me! However, other times I just want the experience of cutting and serving from a family-style casserole!

Can I Make Baked Penne with Spicy Calabrian Pepper Sausage Ahead of Time?

I wouldn’t suggest making the entire casserole ahead of time. This is mainly due to the moisture content in the marinara and well pasta. which will absorb this moisture as you reheat the dish and make soggy. Here’s what I would do if you are looking to prep ahead of this dish.

Prepare the mince for the Spicy Calabrian Pepper Sausage and freeze if making well in advance. Cook the sausage when you actually start cooking to make sure you don’t lose out on any juiciness. The marinara sauce can be prepared up to 7 days in advance and when it comes to the pasta, there is neat trick. Cook the pasta for 5-6 minutes, instead of going all the way. This way, when you reheat the marinara and pasta together, the moisture from marinara will help cook the pasta to al dente.

Looking back at these tips, I am sure if you can plan so meticulously to make ahead this this dish, it shouldn’t be that hard to make it fresh!

However, if you do indeed have leftovers or must make the entire dish before serving for whatever circumstance, then this is fine! Feel free to keep your baked penne in the casserole and store the entire casserole in the fridge, or transfer the leftovers into an airtight container. Due to the meat and dairy here, I would not keep this longer for three to four days.

Your best reheating option would be in the oven. No need to preheat the oven prior to heating the casserole - you can place it in the oven as the oven heats. This will take about 40-45 minutes, so plan accordingly! Of course you technically can microwave the pasta, but you get the most even heating with the oven, and it will taste almost as good as when you had freshly baked it!

More Hearty Baked Pasta Recipes!

Watch How to Make Cheesy Baked Penne with Spicy Italian Sausage Here:

Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!

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pasta, pork, casserole

Italian

Yield: 4

Author: Anadi

You MUST Make This Baked Penne with Spicy Italian Sausage Casserole!https://youtu.be/56_JZhbokzEThis Baked Penne with Spicy Italian Sausage is an amazing pasta bake to make for dinner! This baked penne pasta recipe will show you how to make marinara sauce and how to make your own spicy Italian sausage. See how to assemble the casserole for baked penne with Italian sausage and how to bake this casserole to perfection!2024-03-08

Baked Penne with Spicy Calabrian Pepper Sausage

Learn how to make the most scrumptious Calabrian pepper sausage. I find that Calabrian sausage goes extremely well with this pasta dish, really packing in some heat that will blow your taste buds away!

Prep time: 25 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 45 Min

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

For the Spicy Calabrian Sausage

6 oz ground chicken
1 tsp green chilli, chopped
1 tsp Calabrian chilli pepper paste
1/8 tsp fennel seeds
1/8 tsp anise seeds
1 tsp honey
1 tsp water
Crushed chilli flakes to taste
salt and pepper to taste

For the pasta

2 tsp olive oil
6 oz penne rigate pasta
1 x Classic Italian Marinara Sauce (about 2 cups)
1/2 to 1 Cup mozzarella, diced
2 slices provolone
2 Tbsp fresh basil, chiffonade

Instructions

To prepare the sausage, measure all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well to combine. This can be done 2-3 days in advance.
Preheat oven at 400 F and boil water to cook the pasta
Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Add sausage and cook until no longer pink. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Once water is boiling, cook pasta until al dente, about 7-8 minutes.
Heat the marinara in a pan and combine pasta, mix well to coat.
Transfer the pasta into a casserole and add the sausage. Mix well and then toss the mozzarella cubes. Tear the provolone and add in as well. Mix lightly to layer the cheese and then bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese browns slightly.
While the pasta is cooking, chiffonade the basil. Top pasta with fresh basil, serve hot and enjoy!