Cheesy Pasta Bake

Ah, another made up recipe ala Dee! This is pantry/freezer foraging at it's best! I was inspired by Cooking with Chrissy.  Go check out her fabulous blog, you won't be sorry!  I had similar ingredients that she called for in her Cheesy Tortellini Bake recipe.  With a few tweaks I could make it happen.  For the win, I discovered a very quick and easy marinara sauce!

Cheesy Pasta Bake

Yields 4 very hungry people or 2 dinners!

For the Quick Marina:
1 pound spicy ground sausage
1/4 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can crushed basil tomatoes, including liquid

3 tablespoons minced fresh basil
24 oz. box of rotini
1 cup ricotta cheese
6 slices of provolone - diced

Preheat oven to 350.

For the Quick Marinara:
Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and sausage, and cook, stirring constantly, until sausage is browned; drain. Add crushed tomatoes and tomato paste, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Turn heat to low and simmer 10 minutes.

Meanwhile; cook pasta according to package directions.

Combine the marinara sauce, ricotta cheese, and pasta and basil in a large bowl.  Pour into a 2 quart baking dish. Top with diced provolone.

Cover with foil, and bake for 20-30 minutes until the pasta is heated all the way through. Then remove the foil, and bake for an additional 10 minutes until the cheese on top is melted.

~ Enjoy!