Ingredients
1 box of elbow macaroni pasta.
1 lb. of pork sausage or sweet Italian chicken sausage.
1-2 tbsp olive oil.
1/2 brown onion, fine dice.
1 each red and green bell peppers, diced.
1 8 oz carton of heavy cream.
1 8 oz package of shredded mozzarella.
1 32 ounce carton of low sodium chicken stock.
1 jar of Due Cellucci Traditional or Tomato Basil Sauce.
1 tsp Smoked paprika.
1 tsp Italian seasoning.
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp each salt and pepper, plus more if needed for taste before transferring to oven.
2 cups raw baby spinach.
1/2 cup each of panko and grated Parmigiano cheese.
Basil for garnish.
Preparation
1. Rough chop all sausage.
2. In a large skillet that is also transferable to oven, add 1-2 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat.
3. Brown chopped sausage. (Doesn’t have to be completely cooked through.) Set aside.
4. Add diced bell peppers and diced onion to same pan, stir and sauté for 2-3 minutes. (*remove some oil if too much was left over from browning sausage.)
5. Add box of elbows, jar of Due Cellucci Sauce, half of the chicken stock and all of the browned sausage and juices, simmer medium low.
6. Make sure to stir occasionally to cover all pasta, and add in additional chicken stock as pasta begins to absorb the liquids.
7. Turn off heat (pasta should be al dente) and mix in heaping handfuls of raw baby spinach – keep adding, it really fades down.
8. Mix in the cheese and cream, taste for seasonings, salt & pepper – feel free to adjust as needed. Wipe sides of skillet above sauce line and place in pre-heated 375 degree oven, on middle rack.
Bake for about 10-12 minutes, you may start to see a little bubbling action. Take out of oven and cover the top with a mix of panko and grated Parmigiano. Return to oven and switch to broil to lightly brown the entire top of casserole. Middle or lower rack, about 3-6 minutes. Watch well, don’t burn!
Remove from oven and let cool and sit for a bit, garnish with chopped basil and scoop out big heaps onto everyone’s plates!
