Recipe: Enjoy this pasta dish on New Year’s Day while watching the parade on TV

With New Year’s Day fast approaching, I want to plan on making the holiday delicious and easy. I have a one-dish lunch or dinner in mind. At my house, Jan. 1 is primarily spent relaxing in front of the TV watching the parade and football games. It’s part of our tradition.

Everyone seems to love this one-dish wonder, a baked pasta dish with sausage and black olives. You can change its personality by using a sausage that you prefer. Hot Italian sausage will yield a dish that is fiery, while mild Italian sausage makes a more kid-friendly meal. I like to use half hot and half mild. The choice is yours.

Happy New Year!

Baked Pasta with Sausage and Olives

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided use
• 1 pound Italian sausage removed from casings, sweet or hot, or some of both
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 3/4 cup pitted black olives, such as Kalamata, drained
• Salt
• 1 pound penne or ziti
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided use; see cook’s notes
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided use
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Cook’s notes: Use the low-moisture style of mozzarella that is harder and often used for melting, not the fresh mozzarella.

DIRECTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Brush a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon oil. Cook sausage in a large, deep skillet until browned, about 5 to 6 minutes, breaking it up with spatula or wooden spoon. Transfer sausage to a bowl.

2. Drain all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and garlic; cook until fragrant but not brown, about 1 minute. Add crushed and diced tomatoes, return sausage to the skillet. Add olives and simmer until thickened, 15 to 18 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

3. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts of water to boil in large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta. Cook until slightly underdone. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water. Drain pasta and return to pot along with reserved water. Stir in tomato sauce.

4. Pour half of pasta into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with half of each cheese. Pour remaining pasta into dish, sprinkle with remaining cheeses and sprinkle with parsley. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Source: Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Follow her at CathyThomasCooks.com.