Cavatini

Submitted by Dreamgoddess

"I found this recipe several years ago in Southern Living magazine and it is wonderful! My Mom really loves this so I always have to make it for her on special occasions. This really makes a HUGE amount...but the ingredients could easily be cut in half. Better yet, one dish could be frozen for later use. Enjoy!"

 

• Ready In: 55mins
• Ingredients: 13
• Yields: 2 11x7 inch dishes

ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb mild pork sausage
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 small green pepper, chopped
• 1 (3 1/2 ounce) package pepperoni slices, chopped
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (26 1/2 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 (16 ounce) jar mild salsa
• 1 (4 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
• 10 ounces pepperoncini peppers, drained and sliced
• 16 ounces shell pasta, cooked
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

directions

1. Cook the beef, sausage, onion and green pepper until brown.
2. Drain and set aside.
3. Mix the pepperoni, tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, salsa, mushrooms and salad peppers.
4. Stir into the meat mixture.
5. Add the cooked pasta shells.
6. Spoon 1/2 of the mixture into 2 greased 11x7 inch baking dishes.
7. Combine the two cheeses and divide the amount in half.
8. Take one half of the cheese and sprinkle on top of the meat in each dish.
9. Take the remaining 1/2 of the meat mixture and cover the cheese in the two dishes.
10. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
11. Top each dish with the remaining 1/2 of the cheese.
12. Bake 5 more minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Reviews

[wmobymac]

Everyone I make this for wants the recipe. It does make a large amount, but it freezes well. I think anyone could make this and impress their guests. Put it together ahead of time and just put it in the oven an hour before you serve it.

 

[KPD123]

love this recipe! a very zesty and zippy recipe due to the salsa and pepperoncini peppers! my mom used to make this when i was a kid...she's a big southern living fan! my changes are to halve the recipe, use only ground beef, use can of extra hot rotel instead of crushed tomatoes, omit the mushrooms, add garlic cloves, add a layer of whole pepperoni slices in the middle ontop of the first cheese layer, and use rotini pasta instead of the shells cuz that's what my mom always did. fabulous!!!! takes me back to my childhood! this will be a monthly staple in my house. thanks so much for posting!!!

 

[jack s.]

You will remeber this dish long after it is gone, jack in San Antonio, Texas

 

[Jennifer]

This was fantastic! I omitted the chopped onion and green peppers because the chunky salsa I used seemed to have plenty of those in it. This makes a lot of food, so it's a great recipe if you've got lots of people to feed. I took dreamgoddess' suggestion and put half into a freezer container to use later. I'm sure I'll be using this recipe frequently.

 

[jovigirl]

I made this tonight. I liked it more than dh did... he didn't like the pepperocini peppers. I also used all ground beef. It was very tasty!