Italian Chicken Sausage Pasta Bake is a five ingredient dinner recipe that is so full of flavor from a special ingredient - jarred Giardiniera pepper mix!
When it comes to family dinners, there are two things that I know my kids will pretty much always eat: pasta and chicken sausage links. I decided to combine the two to make this super flavorful and easy weeknight dinner - Italian Chicken Sausage Pasta Bake! To my delight, this dinner was gobbled up by everyone, with Emma and Soren even asking for seconds. That's a weeknight dinner win in my book!
Not only was this enjoyed by everyone, but it was so easy to make. It's essentially a dump-and-bake recipe once the pasta is cooked. There is one fun ingredient that added so much flavor to the dish without any extra work and that is Giardiniera Chicago Style Pepper Mix. I used the mild version because, kids, but if you like things a bit spicier, use the hot kind!
What You'll Need
As mentioned above, this recipe only requires FIVE ingredients!
Italian Chicken Sausage - you can use regular Italian sausage, but I would recommend using the pre-cooked sausage that you can cut into slices.
Marinara - I always use Rao's marinara - it has such great flavor!
Penne Pasta - really any kind of short noodled pasta would work
Giardiniera - this is found canned, near the pickled vegetables/pickles/olives typically. I used a mild Chicago-style giardiniera which has peppers, onions, and olives. It adds a ton of flavor without any work!
Italian cheese - I use pre-shredded Italian cheese that is a combination of Parmesan, mozzarella, and provolone cheeses.
How to Make Italian Chicken Sausage Pasta Bake
Like I said, this recipe is SO easy!
Start by cooking the pasta to al dente. While the pasta is cooking, slice the Italian chicken sausage into bite-sized pieces. Really, this is up to your preference on how large you slice them. I like doing a diagonal slice.
Once the pasta is cooked, simply combine the pasta, marinara, chicken sausage, giardinera, and some of the Italian cheese. Transfer it to a baking dish and then top with the rest of the cheese.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes and then serve! So easy and delicious.
Italian Chicken Sausage Pasta Bake is a five ingredient dinner recipe that is so full of flavor from a special ingredient - jarred Giardiniera pepper mix!