Baked Penne with Italian Sausage and Sun-Dried Tomatoes:

By bklynmommy

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, plus more for baking dishes
• Coarse salt and Ground Pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Fresh Nutmeg, grated
• 1 pound Penne Rigate Pasta
• 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
• 1 pound Ground Italian Sausage {not in casings}
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 cups Whole Milk, room temperature
• 8 ounces Crimini Mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup oil-packed Sun-Dried Tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced
• 1-1/2 cups {or 6 ounces} Sharp Provolone Cheese, freshly grated
• 1-1/2 cup {or 4 ounces} Parmesan Cheese, finely grated

Details

Adapted from simplyscratch.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes {or equivalent}.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta, and return to pot.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Brown Italian sausage until cooked all the way through. Remove from heat to cool.

In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium. Once melted add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer, and in the fresh grated nutmeg and whisk frequently until thickened. Add mushrooms, sausage and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Off heat, gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Add pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper.

Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes; sprinkle each with the remaining cup Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 20-25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

For Freezing: Prepare up until after sprinkling with Parmesan and let pasta cool. Cover tightly with foil, and freeze up to 3 months.

Reheating Frozen Pasta:Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and bake {still covered in foil} on a rimmed baking sheet until center is hot, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until hot in the center. Remove foil; bake until golden, about 15 minutes more.