Reviewed: Feb. 18, 2010

We loved this! I always alter recipes to be a little more healthy, thus I used whole wheat penne, chicken sausage, 1/2 the amount of mozzarella and cottage cheese instead of ricotta. One tip I picked up from another recipe is to blend an egg into the cottage cheese (used my stick blender for this) and I also added a box of frozen spinach (defrosted with water pushed out). I sprinkled the italian seasoning on top. Plenty of food, so the second half is in the freezer for another night.

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Reviewer:

ERINRYA

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: De Pere, Wisconsin, USA

Reviewed: Feb. 16, 2010

The title says it all!! I made it plain and with no meat as I was serving a crowd of 12, one of which was vegetarian but next time when I make it for myself and the hubby, I'll add all the vegies we love like mushrooms, onion, bell pepper and also more spices and italian sausage! Nice, fast, easy and flexible! Certainly a crowd pleaser! Thanks!

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Reviewer:

monica.gean

Reviewed: Feb. 16, 2010

There wasn't much of a kick to it. I wanted it spicier and cheesier.

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Reviewer:

mom&teacher

Reviewed: Feb. 15, 2010

Turned out amazing!! Works best with fresh Italian sausage from your local butcher. Also, sprinkle the basil on top of the cheese right before baking. Adds a great flavor surprise.

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Reviewer:

dino6230

Reviewed: Feb. 11, 2010

Enjoyed this recipe the first day. Made two batches. In one I followed the recipe and in the second I substituted the meat with raw zucchini thinly sliced (for my vegetarian daughter). Both recipes were a hit with the kids the first day but they did not enjoy it reheated on a second day. My suggestion, just make enough for one day.

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Reviewer:

Hanneke

Cooking Level: Beginning

Reviewed: Feb. 11, 2010

I make this all the time and people rave about it. The only thing I do differently is I use Sweet Italian Sausage and Sweet Basil Sauce so that I don't need to put basil in the sauce and warm it up. It helps with time. I have even layered differently. You just can't mess this up!

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Reviewer:

moutten

Reviewed: Feb. 7, 2010

This was excellent. I made it for a group of five and people were having second and third helpings. There really isn't that much left over today, about 5 servings. I followed the recipe for the most part but I was missing basil. I used wheat penne pasta with garlic & cheese sausage. I also added some sauted onions & garlic with the sausage. Spiced it up with white pepper, onion powder, & red pepper flakes. I used extra cheese and I did not heat my sauce first. I cooked it for the full amouont of time. To prevent the cheese from burning I used tin foil and removed during the last 15 minutes.

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Reviewer:

Shelly

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Amesbury, Massachusetts, USA

Living In: Raymond, New Hampshire, USA

Reviewed: Jan. 30, 2010

This needs no change as it is GREAT as it is!

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Reviewer:

motherofthree

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Huntington Beach, California, USA

Reviewed: Jan. 29, 2010

I made this while away visiting my bf and it turned out perfectly! He loved it... definitely a recommend.

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Reviewer:

Hthr8619

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Living In: Joppa, Maryland, USA

Reviewed: Jan. 26, 2010

First time I have ever made this dish and my family loved it! After reading the other reviews I cut the recipe in half and still had a small container left over. This was after feeding 3 adults & 1 child. My picky husband asked me to keep this recipe on hand!

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