Baked Cavatelli

2 1/3 C dried cavatelli or wagon wheel macaroni (7 oz)
12 oz bulk Italian sausage or lean ground beef
3/4 C chopped onion
1/2 C green sweet pepper (1 small) (opt)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 26 oz jar tomato & basil pasta sauce
1 1/4 C shredded mozzarella cheese (5 oz)
1/4 C sliced, pitted ripe olives (opt)
1/4 t ground black pepper

1 Preheat oven to 375F. Cook cavatelli according to package directions, drain and set aside.

2 Meanwhile, in a 10-in skillet, cook and stirl sausage, onion, sweet pepper, and garlic until sausage is brown; drain off fat.

3 In a large bowl stir together pasta sauce, 1 C of mozzarella cheese, olives, and black pepper. Add cavatelli and sausage mixture to bowl, stir gently to combine. Transfer cavatelli mixture to a 2-qt casserole.

4 Bake, covered, in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or heated through. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 C mozz cheese. Bake, uncovered, about 5 minutes more or until cheese melts. Makes 6 main-dish servings.

Per serving: 432 cal., 21 g total fat (8 g sat. fat.), 51 mg chol., 1237 mg sodium, 36 g carbo.., 3 g fiber, 20 g pro.

Recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens ANYONE CAN COOK cookbook; 2007; Mereditch Corporation, Des Moines, IA