Easy Pizza Pasta Casserole (OAMC)

"This is a kid pleaser-very cheesy and topped with pepperoni. It makes 2 large (9x13) casseroles or 4 small ones; I often divide it in fourths and freeze 3. This originally came from TOH's Quick Cooking."
 
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photo by anniesnomsblog photo by anniesnomsblog
photo by anniesnomsblog
photo by anniesnomsblog photo by anniesnomsblog
photo by anniesnomsblog photo by anniesnomsblog
photo by Matt R. photo by Matt R.
photo by Matt R. photo by Matt R.
Ready In:
1hr 5mins
Ingredients:
9
Serves:
20
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ingredients

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directions

  • Brown ground beef, onion, garlic and seasoning in oil.
  • Drain.
  • While beef is browning, cook pasta according to the packaging
  • Stir in pasta, spaghetti sauce and 3 cups cheese.
  • Place mixture in 2 greased 9x13x2 inch baking pans or 4 square pans.
  • Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.
  • Top with pepperoni.
  • Cover and freeze up to 3 months.
  • To cook now: Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until heated through.
  • To bake frozen casserole: Thaw in refrigerator overnight and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes, till hot.

Questions & Replies

  1. If I cut recipe in half - What size pan should I use?
     
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Reviews

  1. Yummy waaaay better than hamburger helper but just as easy. Our 2 year old loved it, too, and he is going though a picky phase. It was nice that it made 2 pans - we had one for supper and I'm bringing one to a church potluck tomorrow. I went basically with the recipe (but I added a bit more pizza seasoning and 2 more garlic cloves) because I wanted to keep it basic for the potluck, but I look forward to trying it again for home. I'll triple the pizza seasoning, put in 5 or 6 cloves of garlic, add some spinach, and use sausage instead of hamburger (or half and half)...maybe some mushrooms and black olives. Just like pizza, there are endless options. Thank you for the recipe! I need some simple standards (my husband is the main cook around here).
     
  2. This was a huge hit with the family. I had to half the recipe and it still made more than enough for 3 hungry eaters. I added some mild italian sausage, green peppers and onions as additional toppings just like a pizza. I added some leftover pizza sauce to the sauce and my top cheese was provolone which melted wonderfully. We all agreed it was the toppings that made the dish taste like a pizza. Make sure to cook the pasta al dente. Will make this again soon and it will be my next carry in dish at work.
     
  3. This is an extremely easy dish to make. The pepperoni on top was crispy and delicious. My only issue with this dish, and it's a slight one at that, is that the pasta underneath could use a little more pizazz for my taste. Maybe quartering up the pepperoni slices and throwing them into the pasta mixture maybe? Something that would give it a zing! There was plenty left over and my husband was able to have left overs for both a lunch a work and a snack at home over the next two days.
     
  4. I just thought that it was okay, nothing special. Kind of like a glorified hamburger helper. :-(
     
  5. This was a big hit here and I love that there is another casserole waiting in the freezer. I used 1 lb ground beef, 1 lb Italian pork sausage, reduced the pepperoni to 7 oz (two of which I diced and mixed into the casserole), added about 5 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms which were sauteed with the onion, and reduced the mozzarella to 4 cups - spreading two cups on top of each casserole and not mixing any in.
     
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Tweaks

  1. Yummm! Made this today and split into 4 casserole dishes. The only thing I altered was to use ground turkey in place of the beef and then grated 2 large carrots and chopped up 8oz of mushrooms to toss in. Came out delicious and even my super picky 2 year old ate it! (and little does he knows that he also got some veggies in too lol) Thanks for the great recipe! Will def make again!
     
  2. *I use recipes as a springboard for my own creativity*<br/>This one ROCKED! I used Italian sausage in place of the ground beef, wheat rotini, pizza seasoning, added fresh shredded spinach (how else would I get my kids to eat it), and canned mushrooms. OhMyGoodness! Had to force my family from the table as opposed to them running off. Can't wait to eat the one in the freezer. Thanks for sharing!
     
  3. This recipe was awesome! My husband loved the concept immediately. I cut it in half and used Italian turkey sausage instead of ground beef. I also added half of a large bell pepper. It turned out great! I was worried it was not going to be enough sauce but it was not dry at all. I loved the flavors. It was such a different twist on a baked pasta. I think next time I'm going to try a Hawaiian Pizza Pasta....the husband suggested it! Thanks for the wonderful recipe :)
     
  4. I was looking for an easy alternative to Pasta/Chicken Casserole and Pasta/Tuna Casserole ~ both of which are always sure-fire hits with the husband and the grandsons. <br/>I made it *mostly* as originally posted except I used ground venison in place of ground beef (we eat very little beef), used twice as much cheese (family preference) and made home made pizza sauce. <br/>It's a hit!<br/>Gotta feeling that leftovers will be even better - I served this within 30 min of coming out of the oven - and like most casseroles, letting the flavors 'marry' for 24 hrs may just make this a 5* recipe in our house!<br/>With a strapping husband and 7 GrandSons - this Granny approves! <br/>Thanks for sharing the recipe - <br/><br/>Follow-up: After 24-36 hrs in the fridge, this dish is even better. I expected as much. <br/>I highly suggest making this a day ahead!
     
  5. YUM! I've had this recipe in my "cookbook" for long time and can't believe I waited so long to make it! My husband wasn't too sure about it by the looks, but he sure devoured it! We both talked about alternatives in the future including more pepperoni (which he usually doesn't like that much but said it was so nice and crunchy), turkey instead of beef, adding veggies, so many possibilities! I ended up making 3 pans so I can freeze or give to friends - though, my husband asked that I keep it for us!! Thank you so much for the great recipe!!
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

I'm a stay at home mom with 3 adorable children-an 8 year old daredevil son, a 5 1/2 year old princess and a wild little 2 year old girl! I love to cook, and like having my little helpers in the kitchen! I usually love recipes that are completely from scratch (I still love them actually) but right now my focus is on having any kind of food ready by mealtime! It's a little crazy here lately. Every summer we have a huge organic garden, apple orchard and raspberry and blueberry patches, along with a woods full of wild foods waiting for me to learn what they are so I can collect them. I'm learning about wild mushrooms first, so if anyone has any tips, let me know. We also eat wild venison which my husband and I hunt ourselves. It's our favorite meat, since it's lean, organic and cheap! Some of my hobbies are: hiking, biking, rock climbing, gardening, playing in the water with my kids, or just swinging in the hammock with a good book. I go stir crazy if I spend too much time inside.
 
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