Baked Pasta with pesto

Heat a large dutch oven or medium heat and cook sausage, breaking it up, until no pinkness remains. Add onion, and saute until softened. Add garlic and cook about 1 minute. Add marinara sauce and reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken. Stir in Pesto, and season with S&P.

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until al dente. Drain well.

Preheat oven to 375. Oil a 9x13" baking dish. Spread a thin layer of sauce over the bottom.

Combine the pasta with the remaining sauce, diced cheese, 1/3 c of parmesan, and spinach. Mix well. Pour mixture into baking dish and sprinkle remaining parmesan on top.

Bake for approx 30 minutes or until cheese begins to brown and sauce is bubbling.

This can be prepared up to 2 days before, through step 4, cover and refrigerate. Take out 30 minutes before baking.

PESTO 2 garlic cloves 2 C packed fresh basil leaves, stemmed 1/2 C packed fresh parsley leaves, stemmed 2 tbls pine nuts 1/2 C olive oil freshly ground pepper to taste 3/4 C freshly grated Parmigiano In a food processor, puree the garlic. Add the basil and parsley and process until smooth. Add pine nuts and finely chop.

With the machine running, gradually add the oil in a fine stream. Add the pepper. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Transfer to airtight container. Add the cheese just before serving. This can also be prepared and stored in the freezer as well.