Foodedo recipe

Sausage and Pepper Pasta Bake

Name: Sausage and Pepper Pasta Bake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 300 g penne pasta; 400 g pork sausages (about 6 sausages); 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion (large, finely chopped); 1 red pepper (deseeded and sliced into thin strips); 1 yellow pepper (deseeded and sliced into thin strips); 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped); 2 tbsp tomato puree; 1 tsp dried oregano; 400 g chopped tomatoes (1 tin); 300 g passata; 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce; 1 tsp fine salt (plus extra for the pasta water); 0.5 tsp black pepper (plus extra to taste); 100 g mature cheddar (coarsely grated); 125 g mozzarella (drained well and torn); 10 g flat-leaf parsley (roughly chopped)

60 min ·

A comforting tomato-based pasta bake with browned pork sausages, peppers and onion, finished with a golden cheddar and mozzarella topping.

Ingredients

17 items

300 gpenne pasta
400 gpork sausagesabout 6 sausages
1 tbspolive oil
1onionlarge, finely chopped
1red pepperdeseeded and sliced into thin strips
1yellow pepperdeseeded and sliced into thin strips
2garlic clovesfinely chopped
2 tbsptomato puree
1 tspdried oregano
400 gchopped tomatoes1 tin
300 gpassata
1 tspWorcestershire sauce
1 tspfine saltplus extra for the pasta water
½ tspblack pepperplus extra to taste
100 gmature cheddarcoarsely grated
125 gmozzarelladrained well and torn
10 gflat-leaf parsleyroughly chopped

Recipe notes (3)

Note: Undercooking the pasta slightly before baking helps it stay tender rather than soft.
Note: If your mozzarella is very wet, pat it dry before tearing so the topping browns better and the bake does not become watery.
Note: The cook time includes baking and the 5-minute rest before serving.

Method

10 steps

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 200C fan. Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil for the pasta. Have a 2.5 to 3 litre ovenproof dish ready.
Step 2. Keep the raw sausages and their packaging away from ready-to-eat ingredients. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the sausages and fry for 12 to 15 minutes, turning regularly, until browned all over and cooked through. Check with a clean probe in the thickest sausage: it should read 75C for 30 seconds, or 70C for 2 minutes. Transfer the cooked sausages to a clean plate and leave to rest for 3 minutes. Wash your hands and any tongs, boards, knives or plates that touched the raw sausages before using them again.
Step 3. While the sausages cook, boil the penne for 2 minutes less than the packet says so it stays slightly underdone. Reserve about 150 ml of the pasta water, then drain.
Step 4. Slice the rested sausages into 1.5 cm pieces on a clean board with a clean knife.
Step 5. Return the frying pan to a medium heat. Add the onion and both peppers to the sausage fat in the pan; if the pan looks dry, add a small extra drizzle of oil. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until softened and starting to colour. Season with the fine salt and black pepper.
Step 6. Add the garlic, tomato puree and oregano. Cook for 1 minute, stirring, until the puree darkens slightly and smells sweeter.
Step 7. Pour in the chopped tomatoes, passata and Worcestershire sauce. Stir well, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until the sauce thickens a little. Stir the sliced sausages back in and taste the sauce for seasoning, adding a little more black pepper if needed.
Step 8. Add the drained pasta to the sauce and stir until well coated. Loosen with a splash of the reserved pasta water if needed; the mixture should look a little saucy as the pasta will absorb more in the oven. Tip everything into the ovenproof dish and spread out evenly.
Step 9. Scatter over the cheddar and mozzarella. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until bubbling at the edges and the cheese is melted and turning golden in places.
Step 10. Rest the pasta bake for 5 minutes so it settles slightly, then scatter over the parsley and serve.