Baked Penne Pasta with Italian Turkey Sausage, Zucchini & Mushrooms

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
  
• 1/2 (16-ounce) package penne pasta
• 1 pound Italian Turkey sausage
• 1 medium yellow onion diced
• 1 cup yellow sweet peppers diced
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• 2 cups fresh Roma tomatoes diced
  
• 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons concentrated tomato paste
  
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 tablespoon sugar
  
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms chopped
• 2 cups zucchini squash cut in 2-3 inch shoestrings
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Directions

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan lightly with cooking spray.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat with a tablespoon of canola oil and 2 teaspoons of salt. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. It should be a little less than al dente; it will finish cooking in the oven. Drain it and set it aside.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the Italian Turkey sausage without the casing and saute until browned. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and set it aside. Add the onion and peppers to the skillet and saute until slightly tender, about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the fresh and canned tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, red wine, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Bring it to a boil, then simmer on low for about 30 minutes. Add the mushroom and zucchini and cook an additional 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.

Add the penne pasta to the prepared baking pan. Pour the tomato sauce over the pasta and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and lightly browned , about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.

Yield: 8 Servings