Sausage & Pasta Bake with Rose Romano's Red Bell Pepper Marinara

I am a serious bell pepper lover (especially red bell peppers). I love them raw, I love them fire roasted; in sauces and soups....you get the picture! So, it was a no-brainer for me when I was asked by the folks behind Rose Romano's Italian Peppers to create a recipe using their delicious marinara with red bell peppers sauce.

Last month a gorgeous box arrived at my doorstep filled with four artisan jars of this amazing sauce. Rose Romano's red bell pepper marinara is very versatile- it compliments eggs, meat, rice, vegetables, sandwiches, etc....but to me, it was begging to be made into a rich, creamy pasta! And so I created the recipe below with a busy mom in mind. This recipe was quick and easy to make, yet, thanks in part to the rich flavor of the red bell peppers, it tasted as if I slaved over it all day! All my family enjoyed it immensely and asked that I make it again! I surely will! And I hope you will give it a go, too!

Rose Romano's can be purchased online through their website (click here) or on Amazon.com.

2 mild or hot Italian sausages
1 c. Rose Romano's Italian Pepper Marinara with Red Bell Pepper
1 c. crushed tomatoes
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 c. half & half
2 c. shredded Parmesan, divided
1 lb. pasta shells or penne
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350F 

Cook pasta for only five minutes in a large pot of boiling, salted water. Drain pasta and set aside. Remove the sausages from their casings. Cook in a large skillet, breaking the sausage up into small pieces with a spatula or back of a wooden spoon. Once sausage is fully cooked, remove skillet from heat. Add Rose Romano's and crushed tomatoes to the skillet and stir.

Add heavy cream, half & half, salt and pepper to the sausage mixture; stir. Add 1 cup of shredded Parmesan and stir. Very carefully, add half of the pre-cooked pasta to the sausage mixture. Stir well to combine. Repeat with remaining pasta.

Pour pasta into a 9X13 glass dish. Sprinkle with 1 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes or until pasta is al dente. Serve with a side salad and a good crusty bread. Enjoy!