Recipe: Gluten-Free Skillet Cheesy Baked Pasta

There are some things in life that just make me happy. Honestly. And it’s not what you would expect either. On the contrary, something as simple as the fact that making a skillet pasta meant I got to be all chefy and put my skillet in the oven…made me stupid happy. It’s the little things, my friends.

Tonight, I converted a recipe that came over the e-mail on Recipe.com (which was taken from Family Circle Magazine), from being a simple Skillet Four Cheese “Baked” Pasta to something even better. A Gluten-Free Skillet Cheesy Baked Pasta. Additionally, mine is also vegetarian. And, wow, did this ever go over well at dinner tonight.

Even better…the recipe is easy and everything is simple to prepare and put together. In the end, culinary magic in a skillet pan. Cheesy goodness!

Recipe: Gluten-Free Skillet Cheesy Baked Pasta

Servings: 8
Time: Prep 10 minutes; Bake 20 minutes

Ingredients:

16 oz rotini pasta or penne (I used Miller’s Finest Gluten-Free Corn Pasta Rigatoni)
3/4 pound hot Italian sausage (I used Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free and Vegan Soy Chorizo)
1 sweet red pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 jar marinara sauce (I used Classico Fire Roasted Tomato and Garlic)
2 cups shredded Italian four-cheese blend (I used Kerrygold 15 month aged white cheddar)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450° F.

Cook pasta following package directions. Drain.

While pasta is cooking, cut sausage into 1/2-inch slices. (If using Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free Vegan Chorizo, then just cut off the casing and keep aside because you don’t need to add this right away). Seed and slice peppers and slice onion for a total of 4 cups.

Heat olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage (unless using TJ’s Gluten-Free Vegan Chorizo, where I added it 5 minutes after the vegetables), peppers and onions. Cook, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until peppers and onions are tender and the sausage is cooked through.

Add sauce and bring to a simmer.

Stir in the drained pasta and 1 cup of the cheese.

Sprinkle remaining cheese over the pasta and bake at 450° F for 8 minutes or until cheese melts and casserole starts to bubble.

Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

~*~*~

This dish was fantastic. My roommate has dubbed it her new favorite meal that I’ve made so far. And the best part is, we still have another 3 days worth of it. It cooked and baked beautifully, the cheese melting fantastically over the top while in the oven. I was impressed.

The Soy Chorizo from Trader Joe’s was the perfect substitute for the sausage, although if you are a meat eater, go ahead and keep the sausage. As I am a vegetarian, I went with something I knew I could have…and thanks to Trader Joe’s a gluten-free sausage does exist. It added a great kick to the overall dish. And the use of cheddar cheese instead of an Italian four cheese blend gave some added flavor without being overpowering or too mild. It was ideal. And yeah…it melted beautifully. This was also the first time I used gluten-free corn pasta, and I absolutely loved it.

This is one of the easiest meals to prep and cook. Just a little chopping and the rest is done via the stove and the oven in one pot (for the pasta) and one large skillet. It doesn’t get easier than that.

Go ahead…try it. I promise…you’ll love it.