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Cheesy Sausage and Tomato Shells

by Jamie

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I have a simple dinner recipe for you today, ladies and gentlemen. 
Because dinner time sure does come around a lot, don’t you think?

Like, daily even. 

And I happen to have it on good authority that making a fabulous tasting meal for your family in a short amount of time, puts a Big Shiny Grin on your face. 

And why shouldn’t it! Tasty food on the table….AND time left over to help with homework, run kids to soccer practice, band-aid a skinned knee or two, fold the laundry, kiss your sweetheart, save the world and paint your toenails. 

Big Shiny Grin, here we come. 🙂


Let’s make it!
1. Get yourself a nice box of pasta. Elbow macaroni or medium shells work well. 
 
2. Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil. Salt it well, and pour in your dried pasta. Cook it according to package directions. Don’t let it get over cooked. Al Dente is the texture you are looking for. Which has nothing to do with Al your Dentist and everything to do with cooking pasta that still has a nice firmness to it, without being mushy and soggy.
 
Once the pasta is cooked pour the contents of the pot into a strainer resting nicely in your sink. Pour warm water over the top of the pasta and let it hang out there for a bit. 
 
3. While you pasta cooks, chop up one green pepper, one onion and 4 cloves of garlic. 
4. Heat up a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 T of olive oil to the pan.  Add the chopped veggies and cook them until the onions are translucent.
 Add the sausage and cook until browned.
 
5. Open up 2 cans of Italian Stewed Tomatoes and pour the contents into a medium sized bowl. 
 
Stick some kitchen scissors into the bowl and cut the tomatoes up into large chunks. 
6. Pour the chopped up tomatoes into the skillet with the sausage and veggies. 
7. Add 1 teaspoon of cumin, dried basil and dried oregano. 
 
Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper over the top and give it all a nice stir to combine. 
 
8. Pour the cooked pasta into the skillet
and stir it into the tomato mixture. 
9. Spray a 9×13 with cooking spray and pour the pasta/tomato mixture of bliss into it. Sprinkle it with grated cheddar cheese. 
10. Bake the yummy casserole at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese is lightly browned and bubbly. 
Enjoy!

Cheesy Sausage and Tomato Shells

Serves: 12-15 servings Prep Time: Cooking Time:
Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat
Rating: 5.0/5
( 1 voted )

Ingredients

  • 1 (16 ounce) box elbow macaroni or medium shell pasta
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1 pound sausage
  • 2 (14.5 ounce) cans Italian Stewed Tomatoes
  • 1 t cumin
  • 1 t basil, dried
  • 1 t oregano, dried
  • salt and pepper
  • 2-3 C cheddar cheese, grated

Instructions

1. Get yourself a nice box of pasta. Elbow macaroni or medium shells work well. 
2. Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil. Salt it well, and pour in your dried pasta. Cook it according to package directions. Don't let it get over cooked. Al Dente is the texture you are looking for. Which has nothing to do with Al your Dentist and everything to do with cooking pasta that still has a nice firmness to it, without being mushy and soggy. Once the pasta is cooked pour the contents of the pot into a strainer resting nicely in your pour warm water over the top of the pasta and let it hang out there for a bit. 
3. While you pasta cooks, chop up one green pepper, one onion and 4 cloves of garlic. 
4. Heat up a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 T of olive oil to the pan.  Add the chopped veggies and cook them until the onions are translucent.  Add the sausage and cook until browned.
5. Open up 2 cans of Italian Stewed Tomatoes and pour the contents into a medium sized bowl. 
 Stick some kitchen scissors into the bowl and cut the tomatoes up into large chunks. 
6. Pour the chopped up tomatoes into the skillet with the sausage and veggies. 
7. Add 1 teaspoon of cumin, dried basil and dried oregano. 
Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper over the top and give it all a nice stir to combine. 
8. Pour the cooked pasta into the skillet and stir it into the tomato mixture. 
9. Spray a 9x13 with cooking spray and pour the pasta/tomato mixture of bliss into it. Sprinkle it with grated cheddar cheese. 
10. Bake the yummy casserole at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese is lightly browned and bubbly. 

Notes

NOTE: This recipe makes a lot. It will feed my family of seven, twice. You could easily pour it into two 9x13 pans, cover one with aluminum foil and pop it into the freezer for another meal.

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34 comments

Janae April 16, 2012 - 1:48 pm

Thanks for a dinner idea for tonight!

Reply
Heidi Bundles Of Hugs April 16, 2012 - 2:49 pm

Ohh yum, this looks simple and delicious. Gotta try this one!

Reply
Sumit February 7, 2014 - 9:17 pm

That’s really sad news. Mosnews was, when you got past some of the fifufler articles, one of the more useful English language news sites.I hope all the staff there manage to find new work.

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Tiffany Daumueller April 16, 2012 - 4:36 pm

Awesome idea Jamie! Thank you for the nice dinner plan!

Reply
Tiffany Daumueller April 16, 2012 - 4:39 pm

I just looked over the ingredients again and I think this would make an awesome Meal in a Jar recipe. I'm going to have to give it a try using freeze dried stuff and let you know my results. Wouldn't that be fun?

Reply
Elizabeth Squirrell April 16, 2012 - 4:40 pm

I cant wait to cook dinner tonight 🙂

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Laura April 16, 2012 - 5:34 pm

This looks so good! As far as I'm concerned, anything with sausage is a winner!

Reply
Melissa Bo April 16, 2012 - 5:51 pm

oh my goodness, this looks so good! =)

Reply
Kim B. April 16, 2012 - 6:27 pm

Looks DELICIOUS!!! Can't wait to make it 🙂 Thanks sooo much for sharing. LOVE LOVE LOVE simple recipes that I know my whole family will enjoy!

Reply
Steph April 16, 2012 - 7:22 pm

Looks amazing! I know my family would love this, thanks for sharing.

Reply
Anonymous April 17, 2012 - 3:11 pm

you have such wonderful family recipes. keep up the great work, your blog is super beautiful and inspiring 🙂

Reply
Crystal April 17, 2012 - 4:01 pm

Made this for Dinner last night.. My husband LOVED it! He took some to work for lunch today and a bunch of his coworkers asked for the recipe! You were right tho.. it makes a TON! I ended up freezing a 13×9 of it for later. Thanks for all your awesome recipes! I LOVE your blog!

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Anonymous April 18, 2012 - 1:20 am

Made this for dinner tonight. It was awesome. My 7 year daughter even loved it. Thanks for the great recipe!

Jamie

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Karen April 18, 2012 - 10:28 pm

My husband will love this one. I don't know how you find the time to come up with these great recipes, but I sure am glad you do!

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Anonymous April 19, 2012 - 3:15 pm

I have a quick question…are you using breakfast sausage..like Jimmy Dean? Thanks 🙂

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Heidi January 5, 2015 - 4:57 pm

This is answering an old question, but maybe it will help someone else.
I used the sausage that is sold in one pound rolls sealed in thick plastic wrap, like prepackaged ground beef. It is usually found near prepackaged bacon, hotdogs, and cold cuts. Jimmy Dean is one name brand in the U.S. It comes in different varieties (spicy, mild, Italian, etc.).

Reply
Colette April 19, 2012 - 11:14 pm

yes I have a question about the sausage too. i don't use it often and all I know is breakfast sausage.

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Gotyourholidayon April 23, 2012 - 6:04 am

I have to make this. Looks like a perfect rainy day meal.

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Emily April 24, 2012 - 11:58 pm

We had this for dinner tonight and it was a HUGE hit!! My entire family loved it. This is the third recipe that I've tried and we've loved each one.

Reply
Anneka May 7, 2012 - 2:06 am

Yummy! My family enjoyed this tonight. Our second pan is in the freezer waiting for another meal :)Thank you!

Reply
Jo-anne Blossy May 8, 2012 - 8:00 am

We're having this for dinner tonight. It's in the oven right now and smells divine!

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KimmYa January 10, 2013 - 1:23 pm

Im making this now for my family and also taking some to a friends family. Looking Forward to it! I found you on pinterest and pinned several of your recipes! I am having trouble linking to the recipe pages from pinterest though:(

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Vrushali July 17, 2013 - 12:09 am

Hi there Jamie,

Thanks for the receipe, i tried it…it was awesome….but to be honest…i didnt get the canned tomatoes…so i made a tomatoe base myself and all the rest was as it is….and since we are indians, our food need a lot of spicy stuff…we added green chillies instead of green peppers…It turned our great…Thank you so much.
Regards Vrushali

Reply
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Heather May 21, 2018 - 5:26 am

This recipe is delicious! Big hit and highly recommended!

Congratulations on your sons wedding! They look so happy! God bless!

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Denise August 10, 2018 - 7:15 pm

Sometimes this is also known as ‘goulash”? You can use just ground beef instead of sausage, but then you would want more seasonings ? Am I right ?? This looks like total comfort food–and I need some comfort soon !! 🙂

Reply
Jamie August 13, 2018 - 9:19 am

Denise,
Yes, if you use ground beef you would definitely want to increase the seasoning.
Best of luck!
~Jamie

Reply
Tammy August 13, 2018 - 11:33 am

Do you use jimmy dean or Italian sausage? Thanks

Reply
Jamie August 15, 2018 - 12:20 pm

Tammy,
Thanks for your question. I used ground Italian sausage. Hope this helps.
Best of luck!
~Jamie

Reply
Joan Montroy August 7, 2020 - 8:02 am

Thanks for the delicious recipe. Shared a pan with several neighbors and they loved it. Does make a lot and I’m looking forward to having the left overs another evening. I would bet the flavors are even better the 2nd night.

Reply

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