Baked Cavatelli

"OMG! My kids complain about most food and eating dinner (they're snack-a-holics) but this casserole is not one of those dinners. When I used to cook this when it was just me and my husband (B.C.), we used to have a ton of leftovers!! However, now there are none, and it's the dog who's most upset.... The sausage you can either get in mild or Spicy and I like to mix both in this dinner. I cook both packs at once, one skillet for each type. Once they are done I take half from the mild and half from the spicy and combine them in one zippy-bag and freeze them (add them to your future Spag&Mtball dinner and WOW!). I got this from a BHG Mag at least 17 years ago (when we first moved in together - May of '89) and just saw this again on BHG.com (my original calls for half of a bag/box of spinach and 1/2 cup of red peppers and onion (I buy frozen in bags to save time or pre-prep your veggies and freeze), each in addition to what is here as well as draining the pasta water over the spinach in a mesh colander to wilt/separate it..I add the spinach to the sauce mix before stirring)... I tell ya, all.. this is a great recipe!"
 
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photo by Swirling F. photo by Swirling F.
photo by Swirling F.
photo by Swirling F. photo by Swirling F.
photo by Anonymous photo by Anonymous
photo by Swirling F. photo by Swirling F.
photo by NorthwestGal photo by NorthwestGal
Ready In:
35mins
Ingredients:
7
Yields:
1 casserole
Serves:
4-6
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ingredients

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directions

  • Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; set aside.
  • In a large skillet cook the sausage, onion, and garlic until sausage is brown; remove from skillet. Drain.
  • 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.*.
  • 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.
  • My card says it feeds 5 to 6, and I say a family of four -- and a sad ol'doggie -- for licking the casserole dish clean -- .

Questions & Replies

  1. Is this recipe really 758 calories per serving? If so this is nearly half a days calories. Thank you.
     
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Reviews

  1. This was a good basic recipe. We had enough left over to have again the next night, so I added more tomato sauce and fresh basil leaves and that seemed to give it a nice lift.
     
  2. My mother made it for dinner when I was young. Always a favorite in my house!
     
  3. This was a quick and easy dinner that everyone liked. I used a canned zesty marinara sauce and spicy Italian sausage links, and I think it still would have benefitted from a litte more seasoning (than just the pepper already called for in the recipe). Next time, I will add oregano and basil, I think. But overall, this was a great dinner dish with no leftovers. So that tells you it was enjoyed by all. Thank you for sharing your recipe, BratGyrl.
     
  4. This was a yummy and easy through together meal. I didn't add any onions because my kids wouldn't eat it if I did. I used my homeade sauce. The italian sausage really gives it a good flavor. Thanks for a great recipe.
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Woo-Hoo! :)" class="text-truncate svelte-1aswkii">
Mostly, I surf through here daily looking for quick and heathy recipes. I love that there are reviews and really do appreciate them. Cook, but with three picky kids (ages 6, 10 and 39- that one is the origional "Picky Eater") and a very limited budget, I have a limited ability to be creative these days. I try to feed my family healthy foods so I am always looking for quick and wholesome homemade meals and snacks. <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/Adopted1smp.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"> Woo-Hoo! :)
 
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