Italian MVP Bake (Meat Vegetables Pasta)

Ingredients:
1 pkg mild Italian Turkey sausage (can use pork too)
1 med onion, diced
1 med eggplant, diced
1 bell pepper (whatever color you want), diced
handful mushrooms, diced
1-2 tomatoes, diced
2 cloves garlic, pressed or equivalent
1-2c fresh or frozen spinach, chopped
basil
S&P
crushed red pepper flakes, if desired
Parmesan or mozarella cheese, shredded, opt
1 7 oz package bits-sized pasta of choice (rotini, penne, shells, etc)

Directions:
Start pasta cooking to al dente.
In 5 qt saucepan, brown sausage, casings removed, with onion and eggplant on med-high heat. After about 4-5 min (meat and veggies are quite cooked through), add bell pepper, mushrooms, tomato (if using) and garlic & basil (to taste). Saute until veggies are soft and garlic is fragrant (about another 3-4 minutes). Add spinach and S&P to taste, stir in and immed remove from heat or spinach will get too wilted. Mix meat/veg mix with pasta, place in 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with cheese if desired. Bake 400 degrees for 10 min (don't let cheese burn but toasted and slightly browned is nice). Remove, let sit for few minutes before eating.

Serves 8
*I made this dinner on a night I took dinner to a family with a new baby. That way we weren't eating it for a week because it's large.
Serve with salad, toasted parmesan English muffins, or by itself. This recipe has all the meal parts (meat, starch, veg) in one dish.