Spicy Italian sausage and mushrooms are perfect baked with cheesy rigatoni. Make it a meal: Complete this meal with Radicchio & Fennel Salad.

Makes 6 servings

ACTIVE TIME: 30 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

4 ounces hot Italian sausage (2 links)
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
1 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary
2 14-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice (recipe-ready) or two 14-ounce cans plum tomatoes, chopped, juices reserved
1/4 cup dry red or white wine
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
12 ounces whole-wheat rigatoni, mostaccioli or penne
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
3/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs (see Tip)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 3-quart shallow baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Crumble sausage into a large nonstick skillet (discard casing) and cook over medium heat, stirring, until browned and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside. Wipe any fat from the pan.
3. Heat oil in the same pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add mushrooms and rosemary; cook, stirring, until the mushrooms begin to give off liquid, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes (and their juices), wine and the cooked sausage. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes. (The sauce will be quite thin.) Season with salt and pepper.
4. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and add to the sauce; toss to coat.
5. Spread half of the pasta and sauce in the prepared baking dish. Dot with spoonfuls of ricotta and top with the remaining pasta. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
6. Combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the pasta and continue to bake, uncovered, until the top is golden, about 10 minutes.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 368 calories; 8 g fat (2 g sat, 1 g mono); 21 mg cholesterol; 55 g carbohydrate; 19 g protein; 7 g fiber; 320 mg sodium; 217 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (20% daily value).
3 Carbohydrate Servings
Exchanges: 3 starch, 1 1/2 vegetable, 1/2 lean meat, 1/2 medium fat meat

TIP: Tip: To make fresh breadcrumbs: Trim crusts from firm sandwich bread. Tear bread into pieces and process in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. One slice of bread makes about 1/3 cup crumbs.