Kates Baked Italian Sausage Zucchini Yellow Squash Rigatoni Recipes

BAKED ZITI WITH ROASTED VEGETABLES

Steps:

• To roast the veggies: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit with racks in the middle and upper third of the oven. Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent the vegetables from sticking.
• Place the cauliflower florets on one pan. On the other pan, combine the bell peppers and onion. Drizzle half of the olive oil over one pan, and the other half over the other pan. Sprinkle the salt over the two pans. Gently toss until the vegetables on each pan are lightly coated in oil.
• Arrange the vegetables in an even layer across each pan. Bake until the vegetables are tender and caramelized on the edges, about 30 to 35 minutes, tossing the veggies and swapping their rack positions halfway (lower rack to upper rack, and vice versa). Leave the oven on at 425, because we're going to bake the dish at the same temperature. If you end up with any stray burnt onion pieces, discard them, and set the vegetables aside.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta just until al dente, according to package directions (it will continue to cook while it bakes in the oven, so you want the pasta to still have a little bite to it). Drain and return the pasta to the pot.
• Add 2 cups of the marinara, the chopped basil, and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella to the pasta. Gently stir to combine.
• It's assembly time! Spread 1 cup of additional marinara sauce inside a 9×13″ baker. Top with half of the pasta mixture, and gently spread it into an even layer. Evenly sprinkle the roasted cauliflower on top, then dollop 1 cup of the cottage cheese over the cauliflower (it doesn't need to be spread into an even layer), followed by 1/2 cup of the mozzarella.
• Top the mozzarella with the remaining pasta. Then sprinkle the roasted peppers and onion on top, dollop the remaining cup of ricotta on top, then dollop the remaining cup of marinara on that, then sprinkle the remaining cheese all over.
• Place a clean, rimmed baking sheet on the lower oven rack to catch any drippings. Place the ziti, uncovered, on top of the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, then transfer to the upper rack for 2 to 5 more minutes until the cheese is deeply golden, if desired.
• Remove the baker from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before serving (trust me). Sprinkle freshly torn basil on top, slice with a sharp knife, and serve.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the Italian sausage until the inside is no longer pink. Cut sausage into 1/4 inch slices, and continue cooking until browned.
• Stir in the zucchini, yellow squash, and onion; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Pour in the tomatoes, with liquid. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

EASY BAKED SAUSAGE AND ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Toss the zucchini slices with kosher salt. Place into a colander and set over the sink to drain for 30 minutes. Pat very dry and remove as much salt as possible at the end.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and adjust the oven rack to the middle position.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, add the oil. After it has heat up for about 1 minute, add onions with Italian seasoning. Cook for about 5 minutes until soft, stirring frequently.
• Add sausage and cook while breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon for about 7-8 minutes until browned. Add garlic and cook for about a minute, stirring frequently until fragrant. Remove from the skillet and transfer to a bowl. Stir in artichoke hearts and salt & pepper.
• Add mixture to a 1.75 quart baking dish and layer zucchini rounds in between. Evenly distribute the broth on top of the dish. Cover with red sauce and cheese.
• Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes until zucchini is slightly golden around the edges and the cheese has melted. Feel free to do a low broil the last few minutes, too. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve warm.

ITALIAN BAKED ZUCCHINI AND SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400F and make sure the rack is in the middle.
• Slice the zucchini, onions, and squash into thin, uniform slices. Half the cherry or grape tomatoes.
• Place all of the vegetables in a medium-sized bowl and combine them with olive oil, sea salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
• After seasoning, spread your vegetables on a roasting pan in a single layer. If you are concerned they may stick to the pan, apply a light coating of oil, or use parchment paper.
• Roast your vegetables in the oven.
• After 20 mins, remove the pan from the oven and flip the vegetables on the pan. Add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar (optional but super tasty!) and the parmesan cheese.
• Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
• Serve immediately and enjoy!

KATE'S BAKED ITALIAN SAUSAGE ZUCCHINI YELLOW SQUASH RIGATONI

Steps:

• ITALIAN SAUSAGE MEAT SAUCE: Caramelize onion in olive oil. Remove casings from sausage and add sausage and ground beef to pan breaking into bits and browning. Add garlic and sauté two minutes more. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, water, basil, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, black pepper, salt, sugar, and wine. Boil and simmer, covered, for at least 40 minutes up to 3 hours. Add chopped parsley to Meat Sauce during the last 15 minutes of simmering sauce.
• SAUTEED SQUASH: Sprinkle squash with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Sauté squash in olive oil until browned on both sides. Transfer to drain on plates lined with paper towels.
• PARMESAN GARLIC BREADCRUMB TOPPING: Combine breadcrumbs, marjoram or oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt, sugar, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese.
• PASTA: Boil salted water for pasta. Cook pasta according to package directions.
• CHEESE MIXTURE: Combine ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, eggs, and black pepper.
• ASSEMBLY: Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Grease a large baking pan with olive oil. In baking pan, spread pasta across the bottom coating with a small amount of olive oil. Remove bay leaves from Meat Sauce. Top pasta with half of Meat Sauce. Place Sautéed Squash at an angle half in half out of Meat Sauce. Top Sautéed Squash with other half of Meat Sauce.
• Spread dollops of Cheese Mixture evenly across the top of the Meat Sauce. Sprinkle Breadcrumb Topping evenly over dish.
• Bake at 350F degrees for 40 minutes or until crumbs are golden and dry and sauce is bubbly.

BAKED PASTA WITH SAUSAGE AND ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Generously butter a 9x12-inch casserole pan and coat with half the bread crumbs.
• Place the zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with the salt.
• Cover with a plate (press down on the zucchini), weighted down with a heavy object.
• The salt will draw the liquid from the zucchini; the plate will help squeeze it out.
• Allow the zucchini to sit for about 20 minutes.
• Place the onion, celery, carrot and pancetta or bacon in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture is chopped into tiny pieces.
• In a large, deep sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat.
• Add the vegetable-pancetta mixture and the garlic.
• Sauté for 5 to 6 minutes.
• Add the sausage, stirring to break it up further and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, until the sausage is cooked through.
• Add the wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the tomato sauce and broth.
• Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
• You should have a thin rather than thick pasta sauce; you want it liquid, as the mixture will eventually bake.
• Set the sauce aside, and cook the pasta in the boiling water according to the package directions.
• Do not overcook; the pasta should hold its shape.
• While the pasta is cooking, rinse the zucchini.
• Wrap in a clean, dry kitchen towel and squeeze out all the moisture.
• Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of the remaining oil.
• Add the zucchini, and over high heat, brown on all sides for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Cook in two batches, adding more oil if necessary, if the zucchini pieces are too many for one pan.
• They should be softened but not mushy.
• Remove and set aside.
• Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the cooking water.
• Remove 1 cup of the pasta sauce from its pan and warm the remainder.
• Add the pasta and reserved pasta water to the sauce in the pan and toss well.
• Add the zucchini and mozzarella and stir well.
• Spoon the pasta mixture into the prepared casserole pan.
• Pour the reserved sauce over the top and sprinkle with the remaining bread crumbs and the Romano.
• Cover the casserole tightly with aluminum foil, and bake in the center of the oven for about 10 minutes, until warmed through.
• Remove the foil, check that the mozzarella is melted and broil for 1 to 2 minutes to crisp the top before serving.