Creamy Sausage and Escarole Baked Pasta
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 6
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 6 servings
- Calories
- 918
- Total Fat
- 50
- Saturated Fat
- 22
- Carbohydrates
- 70
- Dietary Fiber
- 6
- Sugar
- 8
- Protein
- 46
- Cholesterol
- 125
- Sodium
- 1157
- Total: 1 hr 5 min (includes resting time)
- Active: 30 min
Ingredients
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
One 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes, crushed by hand
One 15-ounce can whole plum tomatoes, crushed by hand
1 sprig fresh oregano
1 cup fresh ricotta
3/4 pound sweet or spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 head escarole, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound dried farfalle
3 cups shredded mozzarella
1 cup grated Parmesan
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Add both cans of tomatoes and 1 cup water. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat slightly, add the oregano and simmer rapidly, uncovered, until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard the oregano and stir in the ricotta. Season with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up any clumps with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a large bowl using a slotted spoon. Add the escarole and a pinch of salt to the sausage drippings in the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally and reducing the heat slightly if necessary, until wilted, about 4 minutes. Transfer the escarole to the bowl with the sausage.
- Cook the farfalle in the salted boiling water until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain the pasta and add it to the mixing bowl.
- Add the tomato sauce, half of the mozzarella and half of the Parmesan to the bowl and stir well to combine. Transfer the pasta to a 3- to 4-quart baking dish and top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, until browned, about 15 minutes. Let the pasta stand about 10 minutes before serving.