Baked Spaghetti

I'm back in the classroom full time starting tomorrow. I like to plan my weeknight meals on the weekend, make a list of what I need and then shop on Sunday. I dread having to stop by the store on the way home to pick up items needed to make a meal. By the time I get home, dinner is at least an hour later than usual. This recipe provides a good use for leftover sauce like my Marinara. If you don't have any extra sauce lying around, you can substitute your favorite jarred version.

Cook's Notes- If you would like to make a vegetarian version. Swap out sliced mushrooms for the turkey sausage. Brown them and continue on with the recipe.

Serves 6

1 pound of spaghetti(I use either the Ronzoni Garden Delight brand or a good mulitgrain pasta)
4-5 cups of marinara sauce
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 large ball of fresh mozarella cubed
6 leaves of fresh basil chopped
5 turkey sausage links
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepot on high heat. Squeeze the sausage out of its casing into the saucepot. Break apart and brown. Add the sauce and basil and heat through. Turn the sauce down to simmer. Meanwhile cook pasta in boiling salted water for 5 minutes(it will still be crunchy in the center). Drain and return to the pot. Remove the sauce from the heat and pour it over the pasta. Add the parmesan cheese to the pasta and sauce, stir to combine. Pour into prepared casserole. Sprinkle the mozarella over the pasta. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and browned around the edges and the pasta is bubbly.