Italian Chicken Sausage Rigatoni

I made this meal for friends that recently had a baby. It is super simple, tastes delicious and you can modify it and make it for a crowd. The recipe below is what I used to make the meal for my friends and for Stephen and I (so a lot of food). Try it!

2 packages (2 lbs) of Italian Chicken Sausage
2 jars favorite marinara sauce
2 medium onions, chopped
8 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 bag mushrooms, chopped
1 cup basil + 4 tablespoons for sprinkling on top, chopped
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 pounds rigatoni noodles
1 bag Italian cheese mix

Directions: 

• Boil and drain pasta according to the directions, and set aside.
• In a large pot, saute onions until translucent. Then add garlic and Italian sausage  (that has been removed from the casing)
• When sausage is brown, drain any excess liquid
• Add diced tomatoes and mushrooms and cook for about 3 minutes
• Then add marinara sauce, spices and basil and cook about 15 minutes
• Turn off the sauce and let cool about 5-10 minutes. 
• Add the noodles to the sauce and mix.
• Add 1 cup of shredded cheese and mix
• Pour pasta into a large, greased pan. 
• Sprinkle with more cheese and basil
• When you are ready to cook (and you can freeze this meal for up to 2 months) bake at 375 for about 40 minutes, covered. Remove the foil and then let bake another 10 minutes to get the cheese bubbly and brown. If you have the dish frozen, you will likely need to either let thaw before cooking, or cook about 1 hour and 30 minutes.