Be the first to Baked sausage mozzarella pasta is perfect for large parties. To jazz it up a little and lend some color, try adding some green bell peppers to the vegetable sauce mixture. The pasta casseroles may be prepared in advance, covered, and refrigerated. Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking. This recipe is easily cut in half for smaller crowds.
Cook Time: 1 hours, 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 12 pounds rigatoni pasta
- 20 pounds bulk Italian sausage (may substitute sliced links)
- 3 gallons spaghetti sauce
- 4 large onions, chopped
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 16 cups sliced fresh crimini mushrooms
- 1-1/2 quarts tomato juice
- 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 Tablespoon dried basil
- 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
- 2 Tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 Tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 5 pounds mozzarella cheese, sliced
- 8 pounds mozzarella cheese, shredded
Preparation:
Cook rigatoni pasta in salted water until a little bit firmer than al dente. Drain.Brown sausage in batches until no pink color remains. Break it up slightly as you are cooking the sausage, but leave some larger clumps. Drain.
Place sausage, spaghetti sauce, onions, garlic, mushrooms, tomato juice, oregano, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper in a large stockpot and stir to combine.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Divide half of the pasta equally amongst large baking pans, filling 1/3 full (reserve other half for second layer). Equally distribute half of the sausage spaghetti sauce (reserving half for second layer) between the pans. Top with sliced mozzarella cheese. Repeat the pasta and sauce layers. Sprinkle with the shredded mozzarella cheese and cover tightly with foil.
Bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and return to oven. Bake an additional 15 minutes until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown.
Yield: 150 servings
