Spinach and Sausage Pasta Bake

Pasta dinners are always a hit with my family. And since noodle dishes are always easy to freeze, they’re perfect for meal prep! This flavorful Italian sausage pasta bake makes the perfect freezer friendly dinner. It’s a delicious dinner that’s perfect for a busy weeknight meal. And since it’s made with veggies, it’s also a healthy one pot meal that’s sure to be a hit with everyone in the family.Our family loves our pasta meals! This one has a nice contrast of flavours with the sausage, spinach, and tomatoes. If you’re also a pasta fan, you may also enjoy our Alfredo Tortellini Bake, Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Bake, and Johnny Marzetti Casserole.

Italian Sausage Pasta Bake Recipe

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. bow tie pasta
• 1 pound ground Italian sausage
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 28 ounce can Italian style plum tomatoes, drained
• 1 1/2 cups whipping cream or heavy cream
• 1 cup spinach leaves, sliced into strips

Freezing instructions:

1. Cook pasta according to the package directions in a large pot of boiling water. Drain the water from the pasta and rinse under cold water. Set the pan aside.
2. Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat. When the meat is cooked through, drain the fat from the pan and remove the pan from heat.
3. Allow the sausage to cool slightly, then transfer it to a large freezer bag.
4. Add the onion, garlic, tomatoes, cream, and spinach to the bag. Use your fingers to squish the ingredients inside the bag to break the tomatoes into smaller pieces and combine the sauce ingredients.
5. Add the cooked pasta, then seal the bag and shake to combine.
6. Open the corner of the bag to release the excess air. Reseal and freeze.

Serving instructions:

1. Thaw the pasta in the refrigerator.
2. When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Transfer the thawed pasta to the casserole dish and cover the pan with foil.
4. Bake for 40 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly.

Is Pasta Freezer Friendly?

The trick to freezing pasta is cooking it slightly under what is called for in the package directions so that it doesn’t get mushy when you reheat it. You can easily freeze cooked pasta and reheat it in the oven for a delicious dinner any night of the week.  

When you’re freezing pasta for dinner, there are two methods for storing your noodles in the freezer:

1. Freezer bags. Using freezer bags to store your pasta is great for saving space in your freezer. Simply add your cooked pasta and sauce to the bag, remove excess air from inside the bag, and flatten it before placing it in the freezer.
2. Casserole dish. If you’re making a freezer pasta bake, you might want to store your prepared dinner in a dish for easier cooking. After preparing your pasta bake ingredients, just transfer everything to a freezer-friendly dish and store it in the freezer. When you’re ready to cook, transfer the dish to the refrigerator to thaw and bake according to the recipe instructions.

Should I Use Spicy or Sweet Sausage?

There are a variety of different sausage flavors to choose from, which means you can easily create a customized pasta bake for your family depending how spicy they like their dinner! You can use spicy sausage in this pasta dish to add a kick of spice to your meal. Or use sweet sausage if your family doesn’t like too much spice. You can even use a combination of the two sausage varieties for even more flavor!

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Italian Sausage Pasta Bake

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

40 mins

 

Course: Main Course

Keyword: pasta

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 12 oz. bow tie pasta
• 1 pound ground Italian sausage browned
• 1/2 cup onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 28 ounce can Italian style plum tomatoes drained
• 1 1/2 cups whipping cream or heavy cream
• 1 cup spinach leaves sliced into strips

Instructions

Assembly Instructions:

1. Cook pasta according to the package directions in a large pot of boiling water. Drain the water from the pasta and set the pan aside to cool.

2. Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat. When the meat is cooked through, drain the fat from the pan and remove the pan from heat.
3. Allow the sausage to cool slightly, then transfer it to a large freezer bag.
4. Add the onion, garlic, tomatoes, cream, and spinach to the bag. Use your fingers to squish the ingredients inside the bag to break the tomatoes into smaller pieces and combine the sauce ingredients.
5. Add the cooked pasta, then seal the bag and shake to combine.
6. Open the corner of the bag to release the excess air. Reseal and freeze.

Cooking Instructions:

1. Thaw.

2. Transfer the thawed pasta to a greased casserole dish and cover the pan with foil.

3. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly.