Easy Bake Casserole (Italiano!)

So when life gets crazy, desperation dinners are born. Life. Is. Crazy. Isn’t that the motto of every mom? Beautiful, controlled chaos…I came up with this one when Andy called me at 5:11 to say he would be home with the boys in twenty minutes. Easy Bake Casserole was born on this weekday evening-Nothing fancy, but simple, quick and good.

“The torch of love is lit in the kitchen”~Unknown

Here’s What You Need: (For 3-4)
Uncle Ben’s Microwaveable Brown Rice
2 Italian flavored Chicken Sausages (look for organic or nitrate free)
1.5 cups of frozen mixed bell peppers (Great time saving trick!)
All natural marinara
1/4 cup grated parmesan
6 Cheese Italian Shredded cheese
1 large ripe tomato, chopped
Italian Seasoning (I always vote for Penzey’s!)
Extra virgin olive oil

Here’s What You Do:
Preheat the oven to 425. Microwave the rice as directed. Slice the sausages and heat some extra virgin olive oil over medium high. Add the sausages followed by the peppers and saute for about 10 minutes. Layer the bottom* of a baking dish with the cooked rice and then a layer of marinara, topped by the fresh tomato and the parmesan. Add the peppers and sausage mix and then repeat with another layer of marinara. Sprinkle generously with Italian seasoning and then top with a light dose of Italian Cheeses. Bake for about 15 minutes. I then broiled for two minutes to get a golden brown topping. Season with s+p to taste.
*You may want to spray with organic non-stick first.

Kid Tip:
Sometimes my kids are weird about “mixed things” so I separated out the rice and the chicken sausage for them, added a big dash of parmesan, and then it was a hit!

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