BAKED SPAGHETTI WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND GROU RECIPES

Steps:

• Slice the sausages lengthwise, leaving them attached along one side. Spread them out flat in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, turning once, until the sausages are browned and cooked through. Remove from skillet and set aside.
• Place the ground beef, olive oil, onion, and garlic in the skillet, and cook and stir over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent and the beef is browned and crumbly. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of fat. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, basil, oregano, and bay leaf. Simmer uncovered over low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until the flavors have blended. Remove the bay leaf.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, drop in the pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Drain the pasta, and mix it into the sauce.
• Place servings of hot pasta with sauce on oven-safe plates, place a cooked, opened sausage over each serving, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Place plates in the preheated oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until the cheese has melted and begun to brown.

Steps:

• Cut sausage into 1/2 inch chunks. I large skillet, brown sausage over medium-high heat, in batches and adding oil if necessary. Transfer sausage to a bowl.
• Pour off any fat from pan. Add onions, garlic and red pepper, cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in pasta sauce, tomato sauce, basil, oregano and fennel seeds; bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pan. Return sausage and any accumulated juices to pan; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until sausage is firm throughout.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta for 6 minutes, add spinach;cook for 1 minute. Drain well and return to pot. Add sausage mixture and provolone/mozzarella cheese; stir to combine well.
• Transfer to 2 greased 8-inch square baking dishes or 1 13x9-inch dish. Sprinkle with Asiago/parmesan cheese. Cover dish with greased foil, greased side down.
• To serve: Bake, covered with foil, in in 375 degree F. oven for 30 minutes or for 1 hour if from the refrigerator. This freezes beautifully (thaw in refrigerator before baking).