Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta Bake (No Boil!)
Italian sausage, fresh tomatoes, and uncooked penne bake together in one pot with Boursin and Parmesan for a creamy, garlicky pasta dinner with no boiling required.
Servings: 8
Calories: 711kcal
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Italian sausage
- 14.5 oz penne pasta
- 2 lbs fresh tomatoes chopped
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- 5.2 oz garlic and herb Boursin cheese
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
- fresh basil for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Add the Italian sausage to a large oven-safe pot or Dutch oven and cook over medium heat, breaking it into crumbles, until browned and cooked through. Drain off any excess grease.
- To the same pot, add the uncooked penne, chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Stir everything together so the pasta is spread through the liquid as evenly as possible.
- Place the Boursin in the center of the pot. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and transfer the pot to the oven.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the pot and stir very well, breaking up the softened Boursin and moving the noodles that were on top down into the broth.
- Cover and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. If a few pieces are still too firm, stir again, cover, and return to the oven for about 5 more minutes.
- Let the pasta rest for at least 10 minutes. The sauce will look fairly thin at first and thickens as it sits.
- Stir in the Parmesan. Taste and add salt if needed. Serve topped with fresh basil and more Parmesan.
Notes
- Stir the pot at the 15-minute mark. Noodles on top may not be covered by the broth and can stay crunchy if they aren't moved.
- The sauce looks thin when it comes out of the oven. Give it at least 10 minutes and it will thicken as the pasta absorbs the liquid.
- Pasta shapes and brands cook a little differently. If a few noodles are still firm after 30 minutes, stir, cover, and bake 5 more minutes.
- Wait to add salt until after the Parmesan is stirred in. The sausage, broth, Boursin, and Parmesan are all salty.
Nutrition
Calories: 711kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 1326mg | Potassium: 698mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1208IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 138mg | Iron: 3mg
