Cheesy sausage pasta bake...

We had a total of 9 new recipes for us this past week - our stand-outs this round were those Neapolitan Meatballs, Thin Mints on a Rocky Road and the Easy Eggs Florentine with Baby Spinach and Goat Cheese dish especially as it was such a quick and tasty dish. If I can sneak in a fourth recipe though, we are still indulging (probably a little too much) in those Chocolate Espresso Snowcaps we made yesterday.

It may be April and suppose to be springtime, but I think Minnesota was left out of the memo. It has been cold, very windy and we've been threatened with loads of snow - while we are thankful the snow went way north of the cities, we still got stuck with a mixture of icy rain and sleet. In an effort to warm us (and the house!) up, I prepared this comforting White Cheese and Sausage Pasta dish for dinner tonight.

As the rigatoni was busy getting tender, we browned and crumbled a good half pound of hot Italian turkey sausage. Once we removed the sausage, we melted a couple nobs of butter and then whisked in a few tablespoons of flour in the same skillet. Be sure to let the flour cook out for a minute or two so it has a chance to lose that raw pasty taste. Milk is gradually whisked in and after it had a chance to bubble and thicken, we combined the sauce with the sausage, pasta, a couple handfuls of sharp Parmesan cheese and a shake or two of crushed red pepper flakes for another dose of spice. Scooped into its carriage and showered with shredded mozzarella cheese, this loaded pasta dish bakes until the sauce is hot and the top transforms into a glorious golden brown layer that got just a little crispy (my favorite part!).

While there was no real explosion of flavors here, what this pasta bake gave us was a hearty, cheesy and carb-laden meal that warmed us from the inside out.

Recipes
White Cheese and Sausage Pasta