Creamy Tomato Sausage Pasta Bake

This creamy tomato sausage pasta bake is the perfect mid-week meal that the whole family will love. If you have sausages in your fridge or freezer and are not sure what to do with them then give this recipe a try and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. What I love about this pasta bake is that it is not only tasty but also very filling.

I started making this dish around a year ago when I one day bought some sausages for dinner as I was planning to make sausages with mashed potatoes known in the UK as (bangers and mash). I didn’t actually feel like bangers and mash but wanted sausages so I decided to try something different which was this sausage pasta bake. Initially the recipe was quite basic but over the course of the year I have been working on the recipe and have developed it to the yummy goodness it is now.

The sausage bake is made with pasta and pre baked sausage meat. The creaminess of the dish comes from the use of double cream mixed with tomatoes to make a delicious sauce that is added to the pasta. The sauce is seasoned with garlic granules, onion granules, salt and pepper and is then sprinkled with cheddar cheese and baked until the cheese on top is crispy and golden. Doesn’t it sound yum? You can serve this dish alone or with a side salad for a balanced meal. 

Ingredients for Creamy Tomato Sausage Pasta Bake

• 8 thick pork sausages
• 300g penne pasta (dry weight)
• 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
• ½ red bell pepper (sliced)
• 1 small onion (chopped)
• 1 clove garlic (chopped)
• 400g tinned tomatoes
• ¾ teaspoon garlic granules
• ¾ teaspoon onion granules
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 85ml double cream (heavy cream)
• 200g mature cheddar cheese (grated)
• 6 basil leaves (optional)

How to Make Creamy Tomato Sausage Pasta Bake

1. Preheat oven to gas mark 6, lightly grease a baking tray and set aside. Place a pot of water on a high heat and bring to a boil. Remove the meat from the skins of the sausages.

2. Take a tea-spooned size amount of the sausage meat, roll it into a ball and place the ball onto the baking tray. Repeat this process until all the sausage meat is used up.

3. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and place the baking tray with the sausage meat in the oven. Set a timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, drain the water off the pasta and set aside then remove the sausage meat from the oven and set aside. The sausage meat will not be fully cooked at this point.

4. To make the sauce heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. Add the sliced red peppers, chopped onions and chopped garlic to the pan and cook for 3 - 4 minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes and stir then reduce the heat to low. Stir in the garlic granules, onion granules, black pepper and salt. Stir in the double cream and allow to simmer for 3 minutes or until the sauce slightly thickens.

5. Add the boiled pasta to a large bowl and stir in the sauce. Stir in the sausage balls then pour the mixture into a baking dish. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving. Optionally top with basil leaves.

Recipe Tips

• If you don’t consume pork then you can make this recipe with chicken or Turkey sausages. You can even make this pasta bake with vegetarian or vegan sausages.
• I use penne pasta but you can use any pasta except spaghetti for this recipe.
• This recipe includes onions and red peppers but you can also include any of your favourite vegetables. Other vegetables you can add include courgette, spinach and broccoli.
• Garlic granules and onion granules can be swapped for garlic and onion powder.
• For this recipe, I use a 11 x 7 inch baking dish though most large baking dishes will be fine to use.

Nutrition

Calories	Fat	Saturates	Carbs
561kcal	30.1g	15.1g	49.4g
Sugars	Fibre	Protein	Salt
8.5g	3.2g	22.4g	1.38g

Storage

You can prepare this dish in advance and once cooled, store it in the fridge for around 2 - 3 days.

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