Baked Penne with Sausage and Garlic (Dracula's Revenge)
Servings: 10

2 whole garlic bulbs
1 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
5 cups skim milk
1 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese (4 ounces)
2/3 cup shredded gruyere cheese (2 1/2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound pasta (penne or rigatoni)
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook Pasta.

Remove white papery skin from garlic heads (do not peel or separate the cloves). Wrap each head separately in foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour; cool 10 minutes. Separate cloves; squeeze to extract garlic pulp. Discard skins. Set garlic aside.

Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees.

Remove casings from sausage. Cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon. Place sausage in a large bowl; stir in thyme and oregano.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add the flour to melted butter, stirring with a whisk. Let the roux simmer for 1 minute. Gradually add the milk; cook until slightly thick, stirring constantly with a whisk (about 10 minutes). *Don't heat too much, or milk will curdle. Stir in roasted garlic, cheeses, salt, and pepper. Remove mixture from heat.

Add 5-1/2 cups cheese sauce and cooked pasta to sausage, stirring to coat.

Spoon pasta mixture in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with remaining sauce.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

NOTES : Overall, flavorful, yummy pasta dish that I will repeat. May want to add a dash of crushed red pepper flakes next time. Source: Adapted from CL