Baked Pasta With Sausage and Tomato Pesto

Just made this delicious recipe for the second time. First I would say to those cooks that used different cheeses...make it again with the smoked gouda ~ it's what makes this good recipe great! The first time we only had one 26 oz.(739ml) jar of marinara sauce but had some fresh roma tomatoes that we sauteed down with the onion/garlic (and a little bit of red wine) and it worked out well. Used 6 links of sausage ... not sure how much it weighed but it was enough also added an extra clove of garlic. Second time round we upped the spinach to about 10 oz. so if you like spinach you can use more. Also second time round we did use another jar of sauce (19.6 oz. of Lucini Robust Tomatoe Gorgonzola Sauce) ... it was more than enough.
I agree that 2 - 26 oz. is quite a bit of sauce. Had a bit of mozza left so mixed it in with the parma for the topping. Initially didn't pay attention to how many servings this 1 lb. pasta made and was surprised how at how heaped the pan was! Second time I baked it in a 16" round pan ... it makes A LOT!! Company quality pasta dish.
PS. Depending on the quality of your spicy Italian sausage I would fry up the sausage on it's own that way if it's too greasy you can take some of the fat out .... then carry on with the recipe.

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I made my own sauce and doubled the recipe. My BF loved this dish. It was fun to make and absolutely wonderful to eat! I will definitely keep this on my list of dishes to make. I loved the smoked gouda and spinach. They were wonderful additions. Thanks for a great recipe!

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This was fantastic! I used a shredded Italian blend of cheeses as I couldn't find any smoked Gouda. I also use hot turkey italian sausage to bring down the fat grams. It was very flavorful and easy to put together.

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This was so good my DH said it was the best pasta dish he's ever had. I couldn't find a ready made marinara sauce so I made my own from one of the recipes in this website and it was SOOOO good. I had leftover pesto sauce so I mixed it in butter and grated garlic to spread on french bread to toast. yummmm

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We enjoyed this dish but I felt it called for too much marinara sauce. I would half it next time, and maybe put in more cheese and spinach. Thanks for posting:)

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very tasty! i didn't have any gouda or mozza but it still tasted great. i used tomato sauce (didn't have marinara) it would have been amazing with cheese, will make again.

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(Original review posted April 2006) Wow, this was really good (I picked this for Pick a Chef 2006)! I like baked pasta casseroles anyhow, but this was really nice, kind of a more upscale version of my usual baked ziti. I didn't have any jarred marinara around, so I made my own. Other than that, I followed the recipe to a T. I really liked the addition of smoked gouda; it really added to the dish, and it wasn't something I would have even thought to add on my own. Because I was getting ready to leave for work when I was baking it, I did an "I bake, you take" with Dad (he removes it from the oven while I'm getting ready for work. Before it was even cut into, he was commenting on how good it smelled. I'm not even sure if most of it made it to dinnertime, because Dad and Gram were cutting into it when I was leaving for work this afternoon! Thanks for posting!

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I made this with chicken Italian pasta instead of the pork sausage. I used provolone cheese on the top along with the parmesan cheese. After it was cooked, I broiled it for a minute or two to brown it. Everyone enjoyed it.

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FABULOUS! I made it as a side & skipped the sausage. Instead, I used finely diced mushrooms sauted in hot chili oil. I've made it twice since then. What a fabulously easy & delicious recipe. Thank you!

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I have made this dish many times before joining recipezaar! It is sooo good! A real treat. Especially with the smoked gouda, it changes the dish into something truly special. Thanks for posting so I can add to my cookbook online!

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5 stars for the recipe and 50 stars (gold ones!) for Velouria, who saved my butt by posting it. I promised my book group “the world’s best baked pasta dish” for tomorrow’s meeting. Well. I just TORE APART my kitchen looking for the Xeroxed copy of the recipe (I got the Best American Recipes book from the library last year). Damn! Nowhere! But Google and Recipezaar and Velouria saved me! This IS yummy. It is my standard “so and so had a baby; better bring my a casserole” dish. I have received many grateful compliments. The spicy sausage (I use turkey sausage) and the smoked cheese (I used mozzarella – the braided one) add a nice depth. And the very best part? It is so easy – what with the prepared pesto and marinara?! Delish! THANK YOU!

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