Joey's Sausage, Peppers, and Onions Casserole

 One of my most favorite food combinations is Sausage, Peppers, and Onions. No matter how its cooked, whether just sauteed together and served on crusty Italian rolls, or cooked in a Marsala sauce and served over pasta, I love it all. It's a classic combination! So when I recently found myself with a bunch of leftover Italian sausage, I thought 'Hmm...how can I put a different twist on the old stand by...how about a casserole?' Awesome. And off to the store I went.
  At first I had planned to add a bunch of different things, veggies and such, but then decided that I really wanted it to be just the sausage, peppers, and onions. I didn't even add a lot of cheese, (which is very much the opposite of how I usually roll), just because I didn't want to overpower the main flavors. Still, I added some basic casseroley type ingredients, tossed it all together and baked it. It turned out great!!
 This one is definitely a keeper. It's hearty and comforting without being too heavy, and would perfect to serve with a light salad, and a nice glass of wine. Boom.

1 lb wide egg noodles
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
1 lb mild Italian sausage links, sauteed until cooked through
4 oz velveeta cheese, diced
1 can condensed cream of celery soup
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can milk
3 tbs fresh basil, chopped
Salt and pepper
3 tbs butter, melted
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Heat oven to 350ºF.
In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the egg noodles until just underdone. Drain, set aside.
While the noodles are boiling, saute the peppers and onions with a little oil in a large skillet or wok until soft. Slice the cooked sausages in half longways, then slice them crossways into half moons. Add the diced sausages to the peppers and onions and give it a good stir. In a large bowl, stir together the soups, milk, velveeta and basil. Add the sausage, peppers and onions, and the noodles. Toss everything until well coated with the sauce. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with nonstick spray, then pour the mixture into the dish, spreading evenly. In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter, bread crumbs, and grated Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the casserole. Bake uncovered for for 30 minutes or until lightly golden on top.

Tips:
This recipe is WIDE open to any number of variations. You can literally swap out ANY of the ingredients and it'll still work. Any kind of peppers, or sausage, or cream soups, or cheese. Yes, you'll get a slightly different product each time you tweak it, but that's the beauty of it, and it will ALL work! Also, if you want to add more of any ingredient, GO for it! More is more!