Baked Pasta with Sausage, Tomato and Cheese

I saved this recipe a couple months ago and had not gotten around to making it yet. Well it was voted recipe of the week on the WC Blog so I figured now was a good time to try it. I had to change it up a bit to suit my picky husband but overall it turned out really good! It is definitely something I would make again.

Baked Pasta with Sausage, Tomato, and Cheese

1 (1-pound) package uncooked ziti (short tube-shaped pasta)
1 pound hot turkey Italian sausage links
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 (14.5-ounce) cans petite-diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Cooking spray
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fresh mozzarella cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain the pasta, and set aside.

3. Remove casings from sausage. Cook sausage, onion, and garlic in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Add the tomato paste, salt, pepper, and tomatoes, and bring to a boil.

4. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Combine cooked pasta, sausage mixture, and basil. Place half of the pasta mixture in a 4-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Top with half of mozzarella and half of Parmesan. Repeat layers. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

Yield
8 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 413(26% from fat); FAT 11.8g (sat 6.1g,mono 2.2g,poly 1g); PROTEIN 24.1g; CHOLESTEROL 49mg; CALCIUM 265mg; SODIUM 941mg; FIBER 4.5g; IRON 7.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 53g

* These are my alterations. I subbed 1 29 oz can tomato sauce in place of the diced tomatoes and tomato paste and added 1/2 a fresh tomato chopped to thicken the sauce a bit. I also used penne pasta instead of ziti. I couldn't find turkey italian sausage at the store so I used regular italian pork sausage.

Original source: Cooking Light