Creamy Mushroom Sausage Baked Pasta

I've made a bunch of different kinds of baked pasta and this is one of my favorites. The sausage really adds a nice flavor to the dish. You could, of course, use beef instead, but I like the sausage.


Ingredients

• 1 pound of pasta (I like rotini for this, but elbows or penne will work too)
• 1 pound ground sausage
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced (or a different color if you prefer)
• 1 14.5oz can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 16oz marinara sauce
• 1 4oz can of diced mushrooms (fresh mushrooms are ok too)
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 Tbls minced garlic
• 1 Tbls vegetable oil
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.


Cook the pasta to al dente according to the directions. The pasta will cook more in the oven so it's ok to make the pasta a little bit under done.


Using a large skillet, saute the onion and red bell pepper with the vegetable oil. When the onions turn translucent, add the ground sausage. Brown the sausage while breaking up the pieces as much as possible. Once the sausage is fully cooked, add the minced garlic and diced mushrooms. Mix in the cream of mushroom soup and marinara sauce. Heat the sauce until it starts to bubble.


Combine the sauce with the pasta and pour the mixture into a greased 9x13 baking pan or casserole dish. Cover the pasta evenly with the shredded cheddar cheese. Bake 30 minutes.

Leftovers heat up really nicely and make great lunches.