Cheesy Stuffed Turkey Sausage Pasta Bake w/ Baked French Bread

Dinner Tonight: Cheesy Stuffed Turkey Sausage Pasta Bake w/ Baked French Bread






It was Jennie - O Turkey sausage, Pioneer White Peppered Gravy, and a Toasted Slice of Healthy
Life Whole Grain Bread for Breakfast this morning. Outside it's been a cloudy and rain on and off all day, so not a lot going on. I did go look at a used car that was about 3 blocks away, but after seeing it up close it wasn't in very good shape so I passed on it. Had to have our next door neighbor come over and replace a window shade and rod that broke this morning. Another little frustrating thing that's difficult to do being an amputee. Thank goodness I've got such great neighbors! For dinner tonight a new recipe. I prepared a Cheesy Stuffed Turkey Sausage Pasta Bake w/ Baked French Bread.
   


I came across this recipe idea in the latest issue of the Food Network Magazine in an ad for Jimmy Dean Sausage. The recipe calls for; 1 package Jimmy Dean® Regular Flavor Pork Sausage Roll, 1 pound rigatoni or penne pasta, 1 24-ounce jar spaghetti sauce, 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 container ricotta cheese, 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (divided), 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional).




But to save on calories, fat, and carbs I made some substitutions. Instead of the Jimmy Dean®

Regular Flavor Pork Sausage Roll I used a 1 lb. roll of Jennie - O Ground Turkey Breakfast Sausage, replaced the rigatoni or penne pasta with Ronzoni Healthy Harvest 100% Whole Grain Penne Rigate Pasta, for the ricotta cheese I used Meijer Low Fat Ricotta Cheese, for the shredded mozzarella cheese I used Sargento Reduced Fat Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, and replaced the grated Parmesan cheese with Kraft Reduced Fat Grated Parmesan Cheese. With these switches I shaved a lot of calories, fat, and carbs. Cut them where you can!






To prepare the dish; I preheated the oven to 350°F. Then while the oven was heating up I cooked

pasta and removed it from the heat 1 minute before suggested cook time; drained and set aside. Next for the Jennie - O Turkey Sausage; cooked and stirred the sausage in large skillet over medium-high heat 12 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Stir in sauce (I used LaRosa's Sauce), McCormick Italian seasoning, Sea Salt and the cooked pasta. Layer half of pasta mixture in a greased 13x9-inch baking dish. Mix the ricotta and 1 cup of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Spread over pasta. Top with remaining pasta and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with parsley. Baked for about 30 minutes, until hot and cheese melted. What a dish! This is one excellent "Keeper Recipe"! Fantastic flavor and just a filling Comfort Food Dish. Plus with the changes I made I saved on the calories, fat, and carbs. The original recipe and web link are at the end of the post.

I also baked a loaf of Pillsbury French Bread to go with it. For dessert/snack later some Ruffle's Reduced Fat Potato Chips and some Helluva French Onion Dip.







Jenny's Cheesy Stuffed Sausage Pasta Bake

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
1 package Jimmy Dean® Regular Flavor Pork Sausage Roll

1 pound rigatoni or penne pasta
1 24-ounce jar spaghetti sauce
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 container ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, optional
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook pasta and remove from heat 1 minute before suggested cook time; drain and set aside.
Cook and stir sausage in large skillet over medium-high heat 8 to 10 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Drain and return to skillet. Stir in sauce, Italian seasoning, salt and cooked pasta. Layer half of pasta mixture in a greased 13x9-inch baking dish.
Mix ricotta and 1 cup of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Spread over pasta. Top with remaining pasta and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with parsley.
Bake for 30 minutes or until hot and cheese is melted.


This recipe was created in partnership with Jimmy Dean brand for the Family Table program.
Yield
8 servings)

http://www.jimmydean.com/recipes/dinner/jennys-cheesy-stuffed-sausage-pasta-bake