Baked Pennette with Sausage, Bechamel and Mozzarella

Ingredients

• 400 g of short pasta (pennette) 
• 300 g of sausage 
• 250g mozzarella 
• 300 ml of tomato puree 
• 50 g grated parmesan cheese 
• 200 ml of creamy béchamel sauce 
• 1 clove of garlic 
• Salt 
• Extra virgin olive oil 

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Instructions

• Preparation of the dough:
  • Bring a pot of salted water to the boil.
  • Cook the penne until half cooked (about 5 minutes), then drain and set aside.
• Preparation of the sauce:
  • In a pan, heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and add the crushed garlic clove .
  • Remove the casing from the sausage , crumble it and add it to the pan. Fry until golden brown.
  • Pour in the tomato puree , season with salt and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Assembling the dish:
  • Preheat the oven to 200°C.
  • In a baking dish, pour a ladle of sauce on the bottom.
  • Mix the penne with the remaining sauce and half of the béchamel .
  • Spread half of the pasta in the baking dish, add half of the diced mozzarella and a sprinkling of parmesan .
  • Repeat with a second layer, finishing with the remaining béchamel , mozzarella and parmesan .
• Baking:
  • Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
  • Remove the foil and continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes, until the surface is golden and the mozzarella is melted.