Yum! Pizza & Pasta combo'd into one dish. Here's a really great recipe for those days when you want to stir something up, throw it in the oven and relax.
Supreme Pizza Pasta Casserole
Ingredients:
16-oz. package uncooked pasta (rotini, mini-penne, mini-farfalle or elbow spaghetti)
1/2 lb mild Italian sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
26 oz jar pasta sauce (we use 6-cheese or roasted garlic)
2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced (or 2 tsp pre-minced)
1/2 cup milk
Small package of sliced pepperoni (about 4 oz)
1/4 cup chopped Canadian bacon
1 cup bell pepper, diced
1 - 4 oz can mushrooms, drained
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. With cooking spray, lightly grease a 3 quart baking dish.
Find a large stockpot, add 5-6 quarts of water, bring that to a boil and add 1 Tbsp salt (a small palmful). Stir in pasta and cook for about 10 minutes (until al dente) and drain.
Meanwhile, cook the Italian sausage and onion in a large skillet over medium heat until sausage is evenly brown and onion is tender. Drain grease.
In a large bowl, mix the pasta sauce, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and milk. Stir in the cooked sausage and onion, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, bell pepper, mushrooms and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella. Fold in the cooked pasta until evenly coated and transfer to your prepared baking dish.
Cover with foil (or the lid to your baking dish, if you have one) and bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove cover, top with remaining cheeses, and continue baking for 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from the oven and let sit 10 minutes before serving.
Make this up the night before (save the cheese step for later) so you can pop it into the oven the minute you walk in the door. The thing to remember is, "cold oven, cold pan," meaning that you let the dish come up to temperature as the oven comes up to temperature - just add about 15 minutes for this process to the original cooking time; then finish up as directed.
Enjoy!!
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