Baked Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cheese

Last week I went to a conference for work and the lunch was catered by Macaroni Grill - a favorite of mine. I'm a sucker for Italian and most definitely comfort food. Whenever I feel the slightest bit of fall in the air, I immediately want pasta. This is a traditional baked pasta dish. Which with tradition typically means fat-laden. But hold on, this was adapted from Cooking Light, my trusty kitchen companion. You can assemble it ahead of time and then bake it after work served with a green salad for an easy dinner. Comfort that will not cause discomfort on the treadmill later!

1 lb package uncooked tube-shaped pasta (like ziti or penne)

1 lb spicy turkey Italian sausage links

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp tomato paste*

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 (14.5 oz) cans petite-diced tomatoes, undrained

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and set aside.

Remove casings from sausage. Cook sausage, onion and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until brown, stirring to crumble. Add tomato paste, salt, pepper and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Combine cooked pasta, sausage mixture and basil. Place half of pasta mixture in a large casserole dish (sprayed with nonstick cooking spray). Top with half of mozzarella and half of Parmesan. Repeat layers. Bake for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Serves 8.

*One of the best conveniences I use in the kitchen is tomato paste. It adds color, depth of flavor and is inexpensive. I found these tubes of tomato paste when I worked at Williams-Sonoma and was hooked. I was even happier when I found them at the local grocery store for a fraction of the price! You can buy the sun-dried variety but you will pay more and you still get a lot of flavor from the regular variety. The best part about the tube is not wasting a can of tomato paste when a recipe only calls for a tablespoon or two.