Three-Cheese Baked Penne

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups uncooked whole wheat penne (about 8 ounces tube-shaped pasta)
• Cooking spray
• 2 (4-ounce) links sweet turkey Italian sausage
• 1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 10 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Dash of salt
• 1 (8-ounce) can garlic-and-herb tomato sauce
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. 2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and keep warm.
3. 3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Remove casings from sausage. Add sausage to pan; cook 2 minutes, stirring to crumble. Add bell pepper and next 6 ingredients (through salt) to pan; sauté 6 minutes or until bell pepper is tender. Stir in tomato sauce. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add pasta to pan, tossing gently to coat. Spoon pasta mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Stir in mozzarella and goat cheese; sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 350° for 7 minutes or until bubbly and top is browned.
4. Wine note: I find whole wheat pasta often tastes best with red wine, which underscores the earthiness of the hearty pasta. And, of course, red wine and sausage is a match made in heaven. Try a Tuscan red: Villa Antinori Toscana. It's a little richer and fuller than Chianti; the 2004 is $23. —Karen MacNeil