Baked Ziti with Sweet Turkey Sausage

This recipe is a Robin Miller recipe from the Food Network. One reason I really like her recipes is that they usually make a large amount of food, and you can reserve a portion to either freeze for later or use in another dish. This one of those recipes with plenty left to freeze :)

Baked Ziti with Sweet Turkey Sausage (8 servings at 7 points a piece)

Ingredients:
1 lb ziti noodles
1 lb sweet turkey sausage, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
2 (28-ounce) cans of diced tomatoes with seasonings (green pepper and onion or garlic and oregano, or any flavor you want)
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1 (15-oz) container fat free ricotta cheese
4 cups grated part-skim mozzarella cheese, reserve 1 cup for topping
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup grated reduced fat Parmesan

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, cook sausage in a hot skillet over medium heat until golden brown on all sides. Add tomatoes, thyme, and rosemary, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and garlic powder, and mix well. Spoon 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 4 quart casserole dish. Top with half of the cooked ziti. Top with half of the cheese mixture. Top with 1 cup of the tomato sauce. Repeat layers (remaining ziti and remaining cheese mixture). Top with remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese over top. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes, or until cheese is golden and bubbly.

I was busy yesterday evening, so the husband was one who made this dish. I loved everything about it, especially the sweet Italian turkey sausage. It is a very hearty dish, and it makes a lot. We didn't have a baking dish large enough for all of it, so the husband made it in two separate dishes. The nice thing about that is we were able to freeze a good portion of it. It will make a nice dinner in a pinch.