Italian Pasta Bake

I tried this recipe out of my Simply One Dish magazine from Pillsbury. I got a subscription to the Pillsbury monthly recipe magazines and am FINALLY getting around to using them!! See, all that money wasn't a waste. ;) Joe and Bade really enjoyed it and it seems relatively healthy...lots of veggies anyway.

What You'll need:
1 1/2 c. uncooked mostaccioli or penne pasta
1/2 lb. bulk pork Italian sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium stalk celery
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 small yellow squash
4-5 sliced mushrooms (or one small can of mushrooms)
10-15 quartered pepperoni slices (opt.)
1 can tomato sauce (15 oz.) (You can also do one large can of spaghetti sauce in place of the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes)
1 can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano (14.5 oz)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 350 F. Spray 8 in. square pan (I used a round corning ware dish). Cook and drain noodles according to package directions.

In a skillet, cook the sausage and onion over medium-high heat, stirring occassionally until sausage is no longer pink and onion is tender. Drain. Stir in zucchini, squash, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and mushrooms. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cook 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in pasta. Pour into baking dish. Cover and bake 15 minutes.

Uncover and sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered 5-10 more minutes until casserole is bubbly and cheese is melted.

I've made this a few times now and it is super yummy. The second time, I had a lot of spaghetti sauce on hand, so I used a jar of that instead of the two cans of tomatoes. It tasted just as good and was a good way for me to use some of my food storage. :)