Sausage, Peppers and Pasta Bake

This is one of my favorite casseroles.  It takes a bit of prep work to chop all the vegetables and grate the cheese, but it is well worth it.  I get my husband to stir-fry the sausage while I'm chopping and then he cooks the veggies while I'm grating the cheese.  It takes team work if you want this on the table on a weeknight.  It makes a lot, so you will have leftovers for the next night or you could even bake half and put the other half in the freezer to bake another time. Just thaw over night in the refrigerator and take it out an hour before you want to bake it.  The bake as instructed.  

Ingredients

4 cups uncooked rotini, penne or fusili pasta

2 teaspoons olive oil

4 sweet or hot Italian sausage, removed from casings

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup thinly sliced unpeeled zucchini

1 each red and green peppers (or whatever colour you may have) cut into bite-sized pieces

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

28-oz can drained, diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups each grated mozzarella and cheddar cheese

Method

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add sausages and cook 7 to 10 minutes or until cooked through; remove from pan and set aside.  Drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat from pan.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Reduce heat to medium and add onion and garlic.  Cook stirring frequently, for 3 minutes or until onion is just tender.  Add zucchini, peppers, mushrooms, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste.  Cook, stirring occasionally, just until peppers are barely tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.  Stir cheese together.

Drain pasta when cooked and turn into a 9" x 13"casserole dish along with sausages, tomatoes and half of the cheese mixture; toss together.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake covered, in a heated oven for 20 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake for 10 to 15 minutes until casserole is hot.  

Serves 6 to 8.