Sausage and Penne bake

I love a good pasta bake - especially one that freezes well! This recipe came from my mother's recipe box, she usually used sausage but you can also substitute a pound of ground meat. This is a great make-ahead recipe, and can be frozen cooked or uncooked since the meat is browned ahead of time. I like to make this in multiple batches!

Sausage and Penne Bake

Ingredients:
1 pound box penne pasta
1 pound Italian sausage (hot or sweet - or use ground meat!)
2 bell peppers, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 (14 oz) jar tomato sauce
1 1/2 - 2 cups shredded mozzarella

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Cook pasta according to package directions, removing from heat while still slightly firm (about 8-10 minutes). Drain and set aside.
- While pasta is boiling, crumble sausage into a skillet and brown over medium-high heat. After about 3 minutes, add peppers, onion and garlic, and brown for an additional 4-5 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes until heated.
- Remove from heat, stir in penne and half the mozzarella. Transfer to a casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella on top.
- Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is slightly browned and melted.

Total Cost:
Pasta - $1.00
Sausage - $2.00
Peppers - $0.75
Onion - $0.30
Tomato sauce - $1.00
Cheese - $2.40

Grand Total: $7.45 for 6-8 servings, or $0.93 per serving!