Apr 10, 2013

Pepperoni Pizza Casserole




Find it on Pinterest

Cooks Note: This looked amazing, pretty even, so I thought I would try it out, and knew I would get no complaints from the little monsters.  It was a hit. This was easy and yummy and there are so many options for ingredients and toppings. I used Turkey Pepperoni and Turkey Italian Sausage and a jar of marinara (not my fave). Next time I will use more sauce, maybe a cup more, because it was a little dry coming out of the oven and I added heated sauce to it when it came out of the oven. And I may try a Hawaiian Pizza Casserole next time, just substituting the pepperoni and sausage for Ham and Pineapple and homemade marinara instead of a jar. Go crazy!

A quick and easy pasta casserole with all of the flavors of a pepperoni pizza!

Servings: makes 4-6 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients
  • 12 ounces pasta, rigatoni
  • 1/2 pound Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
  • 3 cups (24 ounces) marinara sauce
  • 1/2 cup sliced black olives
  • 4 ounces pepperoni (turkey)
  • 8 ounces ricotta
  • 2 cups mozzarella, shredded
  • 1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano (optional)
Directions
  1. Cook the pasta as directed on package but stop 3 minutes early, drain and set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, cook the sausage in a large saucepan over medium heat, about 10 minutes.
  3. Mix in the sauce with the sausage and 3/4's of the olives and pepperoni and set aside.
  4. Mix the ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan and set aside.
  5. Place half of the pasta in the bottom of a large baking dish, top with half of the sauce, followed by half of the cheese mixture and repeat with another layer of each, finally topping with the remaining olives, pepperoni and oregano.
  6. Bake in a preheated 350F oven covered in foil until bubbling at the sides, about 20-30 minutes, remove the foil and bake until the cheese has melted and started to turn golden brown, about 10 minutes.
Original Pinspiration from Closet Cooking

No comments :