BAKING ITALIAN SAUSAGE OVEN RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Line a 10"x15" jelly roll pan with parchment paper for cooking/baking.
• Place one package of sausage links in the jelly roll pan flat on top of the parchment paper in a single layer.
• When the oven comes up to temperature, place the pan with the sausage on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
• When the time goes off remove the sausage from the oven and rotate them to the other side.
• Place them back in the oven for another 10 minutes or until sausage is thoroughly cooked through.
• Remove finished sausage to paper towels or brown paper and blot excess grease off of the links with paper towels.
• Repeat process until entire 3-pounds of sausage is cooked.
• Freeze in portion sized bags.
• Afterward, clean-up is a breeze. Wait for grease to cool and then throw away parchment paper.

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).