The beauty of this dish is you can freeze any leftovers, ready for another day when you’re short on time, or aren’t feeling in the mood – it beats takeaways!

Prep Time

    •    Prep time: 10 minutes
    •    Cook time: 1 hour
    •    Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

    •    3 cloves of garlic
    •    50 g mature Cheddar cheese
    •    50 g stale bread
    •    2 teaspoons dried oregano
    •    olive oil
    •    4 higher-welfare sausages
    •    1 pinch of dried chilli flakes
    •    3 x 400 g tins of quality plum tomatoes
    •    400 g dried rigatoni

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6.
2. Peel and finely slice the garlic. Coarsely grate the Cheddar. Tear the stale bread into small chunks or blitz in the food processor.
3. Tip the breadcrumbs into a bowl with one of the sliced garlic cloves, a good pinch of the oregano, the grated cheese and a pinch of sea salt and a sprinkling of black pepper. Drizzle with a little oil and toss to mix it all together.
4. Pop the sausages out of their skins and break each one into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball shape and place in an ovenproof dish. Drizzle over a little oil and roll to coat. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.
5. Heat a little oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the remaining sliced garlic and oregano, and the chilli flakes. Stir until the garlic is coloured, then tip in the tomatoes.
6. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Cook the rigatoni according to the packet instructions, taking it off the heat 2 minutes early, so it’s al dente. Drain in a colander and tip into a large baking dish.
8. Add the sausage balls, pour over the sauce and toss well. Sprinkle over the cheesy crumb mix and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden on top and bubbling.

This great family recipe is thanks to Jamie Oliver at https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pasta-recipes/sausage-pasta-bake/