Baked Pasta with Spinach & Sausage for Nelly's Big Day

“And …I said YESSSSS!”

It happened one November midnight, in Twitterverse, we saw the above tweet from our dear Nelly @nella22. Without missing a beat, we all knew Nelly had “said YES” to her beloved “M”, as she sweetly calls Brian Murray, her fiancé.

If you don't know Nelly from Cooking with Books, you should.  She's a wonderful person and writes an exceptional blog.  Well today is her Virtual Bridal Shower. While I've been to many real bridal showers, this is my first virtual one. How does this work?  Basically a bunch of Nelly's blogger friends will be posting recipes today to help her celebrate this special occasion.  Be sure to check out everyone's post to see what they're bringing and don't forget to stop by and wish Nelly well.

Baked Pasta with Spinach & Sausage

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 cloves garlic minced

1/4 cup vodka

28 oz canned crushed  tomatoes

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 lb penne pasta

10 oz baby spinach

12 oz sausage

8 oz mozzarella cheese (4 oz cut into 1/2 in. cubes and 2 ounces grated)

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese                                      

1.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. 

2.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, stir in garlic.  Remove sausage from casing and crumble. Add sausage to oil and cook until brown.  Remove pan from heat and add vodka, return to heat cook until almost evaporated about 1 minute.

 

3.  Stir in tomatoes and oregano, cook about 10-15 minutes.  Add cream and cook until warmed through about 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

4.  In the meantime cook pasta in the boiling water until al dente.  Add spinach and cook just until wilted.  Drain and return contents to pot.

5.  Add tomato sauce,  sausage and cubed mozzarella cheese to pot.  Toss to coat.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour mixture into a baking dish.

6.  Top with  grated mozzarella cheese and parmesan.  Bake until browned and edges are crisp 20-30 minutes.