Cheesy Sausage and Penne Casserole

By á-2424

Smoked sausage and cheese mingle in this crowd-pleasing Italian penne pasta bake.

Ingredients

• 3 cups uncooked penne pasta (about 10 ounces)
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1/3 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 cups milk
• 2 cups shredded Italian-style cheese blend (8 ounces)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 8 ounces smoked sausage, sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Details

Servings 6
Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 60mins

Preparation

Step 1

1 Heat oven to 350°. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.

2 While pasta is cooking, melt butter in 3-quart saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour, salt, 1/2 tea-spoon Italian seasoning, the pepper and garlic. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in Italian cheese blend and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese until melted.

3 Gently stir pasta and sausage into cheese sauce. Pour into ungreased 3-quart casserole. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until bubbly.