Main dish

Broccoli and Double Sausage Pasta Bake

A deliciously easy sausage pasta bake loaded with chunks of sweet Italian sausage, Bratwurst and broccoli and cooked in a rich tomato sauce!

To recipe
sausage pasta bake in a ceramic dish
Recipe insights & TIPS

This rich and tasty sausage pasta bake is packed with chunks of Italian sausage, bratwurst and broccoli making it a great choice for an easy dinner!

sausage pasta bake in a ceramic dish

Because life has been so busy lately and with no real signs of slowing down, making easy one pan dinners that everyone in the family will love to eat can be a challenge. Pasta is always my go-to for a quick meal because it's super simple, fast and you can add so many other items and end up with a full meal!

You can save even more time making this sausage pasta bake by using a jar of your favorite pasta sauce, but using quality canned tomatoes is just as easy and you know exactly what went into it.

How to cook your sausage pasta bake

You'll need a 13 x 9inch oven safe dish prepared with a light spray of cooking. I use a combination of sweet Italian sausage and bratwurst just to boost the flavor.

The sausage meat ends up being really chunky and not like how ground beef would be. That's one of the best things about this dish, the big chunky pieces of sausage cooked in a rich tomato sauce.

Using hot and spicy Italian sausage would be a great option if the rest of the family don't mind the extra heat.

Best tomatoes to use for this recipe

Whole plum tomatoes in sauce, preferably San Marzano Italian tomatoes. You'll need to roughly chop them or crush them with your hand before you add them to the cooked sausage meat.

Tomato paste is also added with some balsamic vinegar to give the sauce a deep rich flavor.

A huge scoop of sausage pasta bake

What type of pasta can I use?

I used fusilli spirals but penne, farfalle, and rigatoni would all work perfectly for this sausage pasta bake. The pasta should already be cooked and 2 cups of dry fusilli will yield enough pasta, about 3 cups to mix with the sausage and broccoli.

How many will this recipe feed?

This 13 x 9 dish will feed 6-8 depending on appetites and who asks for seconds. Both of my kids had two giant bowls and we still had some leftovers for lunch the next day.

Leftovers can be stored in a  sealed container or keep it in the 13 x 9 and cover with foil or plastic wrap to keep out the air. Store in the refrigerator

Best vegetables to add?

Even though I used broccoli, you could use cauliflower, diced eggplant, asparagus, zucchini or any other favorite vegetable. The most important thing to remember is to keep the size around one-inch square for even cooking.

close up view of Italian sausage pasta bake

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Recipe

A deliciously easy sausage pasta bake loaded with chunks of sweet Italian sausage, bratwurst, and broccoli!

Course:
Main dish
COOKing TIME:
55 minutes
Total TIME:
75 minutes
CUISINE:
Italian
PREP TIME:
20 minutes
SERVINGS:
6

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 pound Italian sausage meat
  • 2 Bratwurst sausages
  • 1/2 red bell pepper diced
  • 1/2 green pepper diced
  • 1 tbsp heaped minced garlic
  • 1 28oz can whole plum tomatoes and sauce
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 3 cups dried fusilli pasta cooked and drained
  • 2 cups broccoli florets
  • 4 oz Provolone cheese grated
  • 2 oz Parmesan grated

Ingredient Swaps

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with some non stick spray.
  2. In a large pan, heat the olive oil and then add the Italian sausage meat breaking it up with a spatula.
  3. Slice the Bratwurst throwing away the skin and add the meat filling to the first sausage meat.
  4. Cook the meat until almost done and most of it has been well broken up.
  5. Add the diced peppers, garlic, plum tomatoes with sauce, tomato paste, balsamic, salt, and black pepper.
  6. Mix carefully together in the pan breaking down the tomatoes and stirring well.
  7. Simmer for 10 minutes.
  8. Add the cooked pasta and broccoli florets to the 13 x 9-inch dish.
  9. Pour the meat mixture over the pasta and stir all of the ingredients together.
  10. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
  11. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F.
  12. Take the foil off the dish and add the grated cheeses over the top.
  13. Place the dish back in the oven uncovered for an extra 15 minutes until the cheese is fully melted and bubbling.
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