Not that that fact is in anyway relevant to this pasta.  But after spending a week at "camp," he came home yesterday morning and slept {passed out} the WHOLE day.  So it's just fun that he's back up and alive {and now shaking his sadly beheaded stuffed dog at me}!  Also fun: only spending 20 minutes on dinner and having your husband think you're a genius!


But seriously.  You know those nights when you have meetings during dinner hours?  Because the world has yet to adopt my rule that the hours from 6-8pm are for DINNER.  Not meetings.  Not homework.  Not even tv.  But dinner with the family {or husband and Moose in my case}!


I also have rules about getting up before 8am and getting out of bed during rain/sleet/snow/dreary days that I'd like to speak with the universe about.  But one thing at a time.  And first up: this baked, beautiful pasta!!

Basically in the time that it takes to bring water to a boil and then boil noodles in said water, you are finished with the prep.  Meaning that you can put it in the fridge and instruct the husband when to preheat and bake it so that when you walk in the door at 8pm, dinner is ready!  Whew.

And it's Thursday, and I can tell you're tired {ok, I'm still on Mountain time, so that 6am wake up this morning was brutal, and thus I'm tired}, and dinner really needs to not take an hour to prepare.  I'm mean really, can you actually go wrong with anything topped in mozzarella cheese?

Baked Sausage Pasta
Serves 4

1lb rigatoni pasta
1 35 oz can of crushed tomatoes (good quality)
1/2-3/4 lb of mild pork sausage
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup fresh spinach, torn
2/3 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Boil noodles according to al dente directions.  Cook sausage over medium-high heat.  Place noodles in a 9x13in glass baking pan and mix in sausage, cherry tomatoes, basil, spinach, and all of the sauce.
Top with cheese!

Bake for about 20 minutes at 375 (and you can refrigerate the whole thing for up to a day before).

I think pasta is the sixth love language...

Ohmygoodness, it's -1 degrees outside {degree? degrees? I'm plagued by grammatical correctness, ha}.  Woo boy that's chilly.  That kind of cold takes your breath away!  And that kind of cold is obviously not in North Carolina.  Nope, we're enjoying our last morning out in Wyoming, about to roll our {very very} overfed selves onto an airplane.

Here are some of the awesome things about Wyoming:

Today we're pretty far away from North Carolina: we're out visiting the brother-in-law in his adventurous state. I'll let you know if that Moose and I become friends (doesn't he know I have a Moose buddy at home?). And more pictures to come...