PASTA FAZOOL CASSEROLE

This is adapted from an Epicurious recipe – I added a few vegetables and used Beef Sausage with Basil and Garlic from my grass-fed beef guys (see their website link to the left). My husband, Morgan and mother-in-law all liked it; great leftovers as is usual with Italian food. Audrey ate the sausage. If you don’t have a Dutch oven (I do love mine!), you can do all the sautéing in a large saucepan and then transfer to a 9 x 13 baking dish.

1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 large onion, chopped (I used a bunch of spring onions)
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
2 – 4 carrots, diced
2 small zucchini, diced
1 28-ounce can crushed Italian plum tomatoes, with juice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 15-ounce can cannelini beans, rinsed, drained
Salt and pepper

1/2 pound small pasta, freshly cooked & rinsed (I used brown rice penne)
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
8 ounces Fontina, grated

Preheat oven to 400°F. Sauté first two ingredients in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until sausage is brown, breaking up with spoon, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and herbs and sauté for about a minute. Add carrots, stirring for a couple of minutes, then zucchini, stirring again. Add tomatoes, tomato paste and cayenne and simmer 5 minutes. Add beans and heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Add mostaccioli, Parmesan and parsley and toss to combine. Top with fontina. Bake until cheese melts, about 30 minutes.