Recipes under $20 - Italian Sausage + Zucchini Pasta Bake

The school routine is almost back, meaning you're after some easy weeknight meals that you can serve up in under an hour. Our Italian Sausage and Zucchini Pasta Bake is super simple and is family approved. Using our house-made sausages allows you to impart a lot of flavour into a dish, in a short amount of time. We've added in zucchini and spinach to lighten it up and it's perfect for re-heating for lunch the next day. We guarantee this will become a regular on your weekly cooking routine. 

Ingredients

• 500g Italian pork sausage
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large zucchini, grated
• 500g tomato passata
• 500g cooked pasta - cook it a little under
• 1C smooth ricotta
• 50g baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 100g cheddar, grated

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius.
2. Place a large fry pan on medium heat and squeeze the meat out of the sausage casings. Break into pieces and fry until caramelised. 
3. Add in the onion and garlic and cook for 5 mins.
4. Add in the zucchini and cook for a couple of mins.
5. Add in the passata and 250ml water and bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer for 10 mins. Check for seasoning.
6. Stir through the cooked pasta and add in the ricotta and spinach.
7. Tip into a baking dish and top with cheddar cheese.
8. Cook in preheated oven for 15-20 mins or until golden.