Description
Comfort meets luxury in this soul-warming “Creamy Sausage Alfredo Bake” that brings Italian-inspired magic to dinner tables. Hearty pasta, rich sausage, and velvety cheese sauce promise a delightful meal you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Protein:
- 1 pound spicy Italian sausage (ground or casings removed from links)
Pasta and Cheese:
- 12 ounces (340 grams) rigatoni or similar tube pasta
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
Seasonings and Additional Ingredients:
- 6–8 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 stick (113 grams) butter
- 2.5 cups heavy cream (half and half can be substituted)
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the oven environment by heating to 350 degrees and coating a 9×13 casserole dish with nonstick spray.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet and gently sauté onions until they become translucent, then introduce minced garlic and cook briefly.
- Add sausage to the skillet, breaking it into crumbly pieces and cooking completely through.
- Transfer the sausage and onion mixture to a separate bowl, carefully draining excess grease while preserving a small amount for enhanced flavor.
- Using the same skillet over medium-low heat, melt butter and quickly sauté garlic until aromatic.
- Slowly stream cream into the butter, whisking continuously to create a smooth sauce. Allow the mixture to simmer gently for approximately 5 minutes.
- Simultaneously, bring a pot of salted water to a boil for preparing the pasta.
- Incorporate parmesan cheese into the cream sauce, stirring until fully integrated and adjusting seasonings with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.
- Cook pasta until it reaches al dente consistency, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining.
- Return pasta to the pot and combine with alfredo sauce, sausage-onion mixture, and a portion of mozzarella cheese, using reserved pasta water to achieve desired consistency.
- Transfer the combined mixture to the prepared casserole dish, sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese on top.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the surface becomes bubbly and develops a golden-brown color.
Notes
- Select high-quality Italian sausage for richer flavor, preferably with fennel or spicy variants for extra depth.
- Reserve pasta water strategically to control sauce consistency and prevent dryness during baking.
- Consider using gluten-free pasta to make the dish celiac-friendly without compromising taste or texture.
- Reduce sodium by choosing low-salt parmesan and using less added salt during cooking process.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 685
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 1045 mg
- Fat: 48 g
- Saturated Fat: 28 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 41 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 31 g
- Cholesterol: 155 mg