Italian Pork Sausage Pasta Bake

I really like pasta bakes.  You can have a wide variety of ingredients, sprinkle some cheese and breadcrumbs on top and out comes a very tasty meal that hits the spot.

It’s the pork sausage that makes this simple pasta bake special.  Mixed through with cabbage and sage with a small amount of cream, topped with a sprinkle of cheese and breadcrumbs.  This produces a wonderful meal that is not overly creamy and really allows the flavour of pork to shine through.

The secret here is to get high quality pork sausages.  Anything less is really a compromise.

Leftovers can be saved for the next day (which is always good), or frozen to be had on another night when you are pushed for time.

Print Recipe

Italian Pork Sausage Pasta Bake

Cook Time

35 minutes

Servings

people

Ingredients

• 500 g Italian Pork Sausages
• 1 bunch Fresh Sage
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil extra virgin
• 350 g Savoy Cabbage thinly sliced
• 1 Brown Onion
• 2 cloves Garlic crushed
• 1/2 cup Dry White Wine
• 300 ml Thickened Cream use light
• 2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 500 g Rigatoni Pasta
• 1 1/4 cups Parmesan cheese finely grated
• 1 1/2 cups Breadcrumbs

Cook Time 35 minutes Servings people Ingredients 500 g Italian Pork Sausages 1 bunch Fresh Sage 1/4 cup Olive Oil extra virgin 350 g Savoy Cabbage thinly sliced 1 Brown Onion 2 cloves Garlic crushed 1/2 cup Dry White Wine 300 ml Thickened Cream use light 2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar 500 g Rigatoni Pasta 1 1/4 cups Parmesan cheese finely grated 1 1/2 cups Breadcrumbs

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (fan forced)
2. Squeeze sausage from casings and place in a bowl
3. Finely chop half the sage
4. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan.
5. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes or until onion softens.
6. Add sausage meat and cook for 4 minutes while stirring with a wooden spoon.
7. Add cabbage and cook while stirring for 3 minutes or until cabbage starts to soften.
8. Add chopped sage and garlic and cook for 1 minutes while stirring.
9. Add wine and reduce heat to low and cook while covered for 5 minutes.
10. Add cream and cook for a further 3 minutes while covered.
11. Add vinegar and salt and pepper to season and stir through.
12. While cooking the sausage ingredients, cook pasta per packet directions. Make sure you use a large saucepan, as the rigatoni expands and you will be adding the other contents to the saucepan a little later.
13. Once pasta is cooked, drain but retain 2 tbsp water.
14. Return pasta and water to saucepan and add sausage mixture and half the parmesan cheese. Stir to combine.
15. Transfer to a baking dish. You will need a large baking dish.
16. Sprinkle reamining sage, cheese and breadcrumbs over pasta and bake in oven for 20 minutes or until golden