When you can’t decide between pizza or pasta for an Italian meal, this pizza pasta recipe is bound to make everyone happy. We all know those kids who, if left to their own devices, would gleefully subsist on nothing but pepperoni pizza and cheesy pasta. (Some of us have had those kids and some of us WERE those kids.)
Pizza Pasta
Pizza pasta is a great way to please those picky eaters while sneakily adding some variety into their diets. This hearty baked pasta recipe includes crumbled sausage along with pepperoni and cheese for a true meat lover’s meal. The chopped up peppers and mushrooms are mixed in thoroughly with spaghetti sauce, cheese and pepperoni so even the most adamant vegetable haters at the table are likely to eat them up without complaint. After cooking the pasta, sausage, and veggies in sauce, everything gets tossed together in the skillet, covered in cheese and even more pizza toppings and baked in the oven. In just 15 minutes, you have a gooey cheesy kid-friendly meal that’s ready to serve. This recipe is also a fantastic way to use up ingredients leftover from pizza night!
Pasta Bake
Baked pasta is, in essence, a variety of casserole but I think the phrase “pasta bake” sounds so much more delicious! I love the way that baking the assembled pasta dish creates a bubbly layer of melted cheese on top. Each bite of this baked pizza pasta recipe is packed full of cheesy pasta, tender vegetables, savory pepperoni, and flavorful sausage. I’ve used both canned and homemade pasta sauces to make this recipe and they both work well. My go-to Five Minute Marinara is absolutely perfect for pizza pasta but you’re welcome to use any tomato sauce you have on hand. I use staple ingredients that I’m likely to have on hand on any given weeknight in this recipe, so that I’m never more than a few minutes away from an amazing dinner. One of the beautiful things about pizza pasta that it’s easy to adapt the ingredients based on your preferences (or what you have in your pantry). Pizza pasta definitely isn’t my first endeavor at fusing two foods I love into one baked dish. This Cheesy Baked Mexican Pasta I posted a few weeks ago was a huge hit at my house. It’s the perfect marriage of the Mexican flavors I love in tacos, burritos and enchiladas in easy pasta form. And have you seen this Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake recipe yet? I love the idea of a baked chicken pasta filled with tangy Buffalo sauce and can’t wait to give it a try. If you’re in the mood for something baked and cheesy other than pasta, you must absolutely make Baked Potato Chicken and Broccoli Casserole sooner rather than later.
Pepperoni Recipes
Pepperoni is so much more than a pizza topping. Slices of pepperoni are an easy way to add savory salty flavor to any meal. I love to toss pepperoni in my green salads and pasta salads, stuff slices off it into a sandwich or serve it with cheese and crackers to my hungry kids for an afternoon snack. Can’t get enough pepperoni pizza recipes? Over at Crunchy Creamy Sweet, Anna recently shared this Pepperoni Pizza Dip that looks to die for. The pepperoni isn’t the only star of Pizza Pasta Bake! I really love the flavor and texture the sausage adds to this dish. For a quick pizza fix make these pizzas in a cast-iron skillet on the stovetop and finish them with barely a minute under the broiler. If you like it as much as my family does, I also recommend adding Pizza Soup–chocked full of white beans, sausage, and Italian seasonings–to an upcoming dinner menu. You won’t be sorry! While we’re talking pizza, have you seen my girl Rebecca’s guide for Perfect Pan Pizza at Home? She gives you so many tips for making delicious pizza from scratch right in your own kitchen. I’ve been following her advice and her method for years now and it’s a guaranteed WIN every time.
Pizza Pasta Bake
