Creamy Pesto Baked Spaghetti with Chicken Sausage

When al fresco challenged me to share a family favorite recipe my mind went to the baked spaghetti my mom made when we were growing up. It’s an approachable recipe that’s perfect for a family because kids love it and it’s easy to accomplish on a school night after work. Everything you love about spaghetti baked into a casserole – what’s not to love! The cheese gets all melty and delicious and the pasta on the edges of the casserole crisps up, so you get a nice crunch. I usually make this with ground beef and marinara, but I thought it would be nice to mix it up chicken sausage and pesto.

I used al fresco’s Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage that paired well with pesto, but the Sweet Italian, Sundried Tomato and Roasted Pepper & Asiago would all work well too. Y’all know I’m a huge fan of chicken sausage. al fresco’s product is fully-cooked, so you can quickly heat it up for an easy dinner. I always keep a package in the fridge for nights when I have nothing planned for dinner.

Ingredients

8oz spaghetti
8oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup cottage or ricotta cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup pesto
4 links al fresco chicken sausages, sliced 1/2in thick
1 small squash, sliced in half moons
4oz fresh spinach, about 2 big handfuls

Directions

Preheat oven to 350
Cook spaghetti according to package
Combine cream cheese, cottage cheese, 1 cup of the mozzarella and pesto in a small bowl and mix until fully combined
Drain spaghetti and toss with fresh spinach until wilted
Add pesto mixture, chicken sausage and squash to the spaghetti mixture and mix until combined
Spread spaghetti mixture in a 9in casserole dish and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top
Bake for 30-35 minutes until cheese begins to brown and edges crisp up