My kids love to stuff spiral pasta inside bread for a clever dinner torte. We save the bread crusts to make garlicky croutons for salad.
Ingredients
- 1 package (16 ounces) spiral pasta
- 1 package (19-1/2 ounces) Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed
- 8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
- 1 medium green pepper, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 jar (24 ounces) marinara sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2-1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
- 6 tablespoons butter, cubed
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 20 slices white bread, crusts removed
- Additional marinara sauce, warmed, optional
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400°. In a 6-qt. stockpot, cook pasta according to package directions for al dente; drain and return to pot.
- In a large skillet, cook sausage, mushrooms, green pepper and onion over medium-high heat 7-9 minutes or until sausage is no longer pink, breaking up sausage into crumbles; drain. Stir in sauce, basil and Italian seasoning. Add to pasta; stir in 2 cups cheese.
- In a microwave, melt butter; stir in garlic. Lightly brush one side of bread with garlic butter. Line bottom and sides of a greased 10-in. springform pan with bread slices, trimming to fit and facing buttered sides against pan. Fill with pasta mixture; press firmly to pack down. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
- Bake, uncovered, 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and cheese is melted. Loosen sides from pan with a knife; remove rim. If desired, serve with additional marinara sauce.
Nutrition Facts
1 slice (calculated without additional marinara sauce): 409 calories, 16g fat (7g saturated fat), 49mg cholesterol, 752mg sodium, 48g carbohydrate (7g sugars, 3g fiber), 19g protein.