Sausage Pasta Bake with Mozzarella

• 8good-quality pork sausages
• 4garlic cloves, minced
• 280 gjar roasted red peppers, drained and roughly sliced
• 1large onion, finely chopped
• 2 tspdried oregano
• 1 tspsmoked paprika
• ½ tspchilli flakes
• 700 gpassata
• 150 mlwater
• 1 tspcaster sugar
• 2 tbspolive oil
• 400 gpenne
• 2 x 125gballs mozzarella, torn into rough pieces
• 40 gparmesan, finely grated
• Fine salt and black pepper
• 10 gbasil leaves (optional)

Method

1. 1Heat the oven to 200°C fan. Cook the penne in salted water for 2 minutes less than the packet says. Drain, keeping a little cooking water to loosen it if needed.
2. 2Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large ovenproof pan. Brown rough chunks of sausage meat in two batches for 6–8 minutes per batch, then lift out.
3. 3Add the remaining olive oil and the onion to the pan. Cook over a medium heat for about 6 minutes, scraping the sausage fond up as the onions release their water, until soft and catching gold at the edges.
4. 4Stir in the garlic, oregano, smoked paprika and listed chilli flakes for 30–60 seconds until fragrant.
5. 5Pour in the passata along with the 150ml of water. The water matters; passata on its own reduces to something tinny. Add the roasted peppers and the sugar, stir well, and bring to a gentle simmer. Season generously with salt and black pepper and cook for 12–15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce is thick and glossy. Splash in more water if it tightens too far.
6. 6Taste the sauce and adjust; more salt, more pepper, a touch more sugar if the tomatoes still bite. Return the sausage and any resting juices to the pan, then tip in the drained penne and fold everything through so every piece is coated in that deep red sauce.
7. 7Scatter the torn mozzarella evenly over the top and shower with the parmesan. Bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbling, molten, and gold with a few blistered, almost-burnt patches; those dark spots are the best bit.
8. 8Rest for 5 minutes and scatter over the optional basil if using.

Per serving

kcal

740

protein

36.5g

fibre

6.7g

carbs

70.7g

fat

35g