Pasta with Sausage and Spinach

I love discovering kid-friendly, husband-pleasing workhorse recipes like this one! I've made this a LOT this fall and have doubled and tripled it on a couple of occasions. It works well straight from the pot (without being baked), but it also travels well in a 13x9-inch pan and reheats in the oven like a casserole. One of my go to recipes now when I bring food to people (as in the picture above), this is now in our permanent repertoire. It reminds me of the Mock Ravioli casserole I grew up eating. I've tweaked it just slightly from the original recipe over at Budget Bytes. She also has some terrific pictures of her method if you need the step-by-step type of directions (and you can print her recipe easily). So hop on over there and check it out. I'm posting it here partly so I can have it more readily available (although I nearly have it memorized). Oh--it also freezes well!

Pasta with Sausage and Spinach
~Budget Bytes

• 1 (12-16-oz.) box chunky cut pasta (rotini, penne, macaroni, whole wheat, veggie, ...)
• 12-oz. Italian sausage, squeezed out of casings and crumbed 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes (or two 14.5-oz cans), undrained
• 1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste
• 1 t. basil
• 3/4 t. salt
• pepper to taste
• 1/2 T. brown sugar
• 8-oz. frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 2-oz. crumbled feta cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.
2. Brown sausage with garlic and onions in a large skillet (use a big soup pot if you're doubling or tripling). Drain and return meat mixture to skillet.
3. Add tomato products and seasonings, stirring to incorporate. Bring to a slight simmer.
4. Add in drained noodles and spinach. Stir well.
5. Add in feta cheese and stir.
6. Pasta dish may be eaten as is or spooned into a baking pan for reheating in the over later.

~Serves 6-8