Italian Tomato Bake

A hearty, wholesome, and tasty dish!

Ingredients:

Extra-virgin olive oil (for coating and drizzling)
1 C ricotta cheese
2 egg yolks
1 C grated pecorino romano cheese
Generous pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Handful of fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lb. Country Pasta Homemade Style Egg Noodles, cooked and drained
1 jar spaghetti sauce
½ lb. mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes
½ jar sun-dried tomatoes
Italian Sausage
2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly coat a 10 x 12” baking dish with olive oil.
2. Brown sausage. Halfway through, add garlic and continue cooking. Combine the sausage, ricotta, egg yolks, ½ C of the pecorino romano, nutmeg, sun dried tomatoes, and parsley in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and mix together. Add cooked and drained pasta to the ricotta mixture. Toss well. Add the heated tomato sauce and the mozzarella and toss again.
3. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and smooth the top. Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese over the top and drizzle with olive oil. Bake, uncovered, until bubbling hot and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Let rest for 3-4 minutes before serving.