Family sausage and spinach pasta bake
Hearty, cheesy baked penne with crumbled sausages, spinach and a creamy white sauce — feeds a family and reheats beautifully.
This is the family pasta bake every household needs in the rotation: simple, forgiving and loved by kids and adults alike. Crumbled sausages give it proper comfort-food heft while a splash of white sauce keeps it silky and stops the bake from drying out.
Make it on a weeknight when you want something that feeds a crowd and packs up well for leftovers. It’s easy to halve or double, and it freezes brilliantly — leave the crunchy topping off until you reheat.
Ingredients
- 500 g penne
- 6 pork sausages — about 450 g total; skins removed and meat crumbled
- 30 ml olive oil
- 1 brown onion — finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic — crushed
- 800 g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 30 ml tomato purée
- 5 ml dried oregano
- 5 ml sea salt
- 5 ml black pepper
- 5 ml sugar — to balance acidity
- 150 g fresh spinach
- 40 g butter
- 40 g plain flour
- 400 ml milk — cold or room temperature
- 200 g mature cheddar — grated, reserve half for topping
- 200 g mozzarella — grated
- 50 g breadcrumbs — for crunchy topping
- 10 g fresh basil — leaves to finish
Equipment
- ovenproof baking dish (approx 20 x 30 cm)
- large saucepan
- large frying pan
- grater
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C conventional. Put a large saucepan of salted water on to boil for the pasta.
When the water is at a rolling boil, add the penne and cook for 10 minutes — aim to take it off the hob 1–2 minutes before the packet timing so it’s slightly under al dente; it will finish cooking in the oven.
While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high hob. Add the crumbled pork sausage meat and brown for 4–5 minutes, breaking it up with a spoon. Add the brown onion and garlic and cook for a further 3–4 minutes until softened.
Stir in the tinned chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, dried oregano, sugar, sea salt and black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for 12 minutes until the sauce thickens and reduces slightly.
Make the white sauce: melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk in the plain flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk until smooth, then simmer for 3–4 minutes until the sauce thickly coats the back of a spoon. Season with a little sea salt and black pepper.
Drain the penne, reserving 50 ml of the cooking water. Add the drained penne to the frying pan with the sausage-tomato sauce, stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1–2 minutes until wilted. Remove from the hob and stir through half the mature cheddar and a little of the reserved pasta water if the mixture feels dry.
Tip the pasta and sausage mixture into an ovenproof baking dish (approx 20 x 30 cm). Pour the white sauce evenly over the top. Scatter the remaining mature cheddar, then the mozzarella and finally the breadcrumbs over the surface.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes until the top is golden and the bake is bubbling.
Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Scatter over the fresh basil leaves before serving.
Tips
- Undercook the pasta by 1–2 minutes in the boiling water — it will finish cooking in the oven and stay firm.
- If your sausages are very fatty, drain excess oil before adding the onions so the sauce doesn't become greasy.
- Make ahead: assemble in the dish, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Add an extra 5–10 minutes to the oven time if baking from cold.
- For a lighter bake, swap half the milk for unsweetened vegetable stock in the white sauce; the taste will be slightly less rich but still satisfying.
- If the topping browns too fast, tent loosely with foil; for extra crunch finish under a hot grill for 1–2 minutes — watch it carefully.
Substitutions
pork sausages → plant-based sausages, same quantity
Stays closepenne → rigatoni or short fusilli, same weight
Stays closemature cheddar → strong Lancashire or Red Leicester, same weight
Noticeably differentbreadcrumbs → crushed crisps or panko, same weight
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 920
- Calories
- 38 g
- Protein
- 80 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
- Sugar
- 800 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this vegetarian?
Yes — use plant-based sausages and check the mozzarella/cheddar are suitable for vegetarians (some hard cheeses use animal rennet).
How long will leftovers keep?
Cool completely, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 160°C fan/180°C conventional until piping hot, about 20–25 minutes.
Can I freeze the bake?
Yes. Freeze before baking (leave off the breadcrumb topping) for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 180°C fan/200°C conventional for 40–50 minutes covered, then uncover for 10–15 minutes to brown.
My sauce is too thin — how can I thicken it?
Simmer uncovered a little longer to reduce. Alternatively stir a teaspoon of plain flour mixed with a little cold water into the sauce and cook for 2–3 minutes until thickened.
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