Pizza Pasta Bake

By Addie

Pepperoni provides the zip in this pizza-flavored casserole that kids of all ages will enjoy. "Serve it with a tossed salad and garlic toast, and you'll have a winner every time," assures Nancy Scarlett of Graham, North Carolina.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
• 1 (14 oz.) jar pizza sauce
• 3/4 cup water
• 3 cups rotini pasta (measure before cooking)
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided use
• 36 slices pepperoni, divided use

Preparation

Step 1

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta well.

2. Brown ground beef, onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. In a large bowl, mix pizza sauce and water. Add in cooked pasta, 1 1/2 mozzarella cheese, beef and 20 slices of pepperoni, sliced in half. Stir well.

4. Pour in greased 8x8 baking dish. Top with remaining cheese and pepperoni. Cover with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
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REVIEWS:

Even my picky little eaters loved this. I only had 1 lb of hamburger, 1 lb of medium shells, one jar of pizza sauce, added the pepperoni and about 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce because it looked dry and it was fantastic!!! Time was of the essence so I made it on the cook top and it tasted great and was super fast!

Tastes very good and is easy to make. It's meal I know both kids will eat! I usually halve the recipe using a full jar of spaghetti sauce and sometimes a little less cheese to save on fat.

I like this better than baked ziti. Next time I will use regular pepperoni instead of sandwich pepperoni cut up, I didn't realize it would have slightly less flavor than the regular. I also only made 1/2 the recipe but I will make this again.

It is not bad but too simple. It can be much better if place half of the pasta mixture in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Top with half of the mozzarella cheese then pepperoni. Repeat layers.

This was so easy to make and was loved by adults and kids alike in my house. Will definitely be making this again!

My entire family loved this recipe. It was very easy to prepare and had lots of flavor. Since my family tends to like things on the spicy side, I decided to use Italian sausage in place of the hamburger and it was wonderful. Definitely a keeper!

From the first time I made this recipe it was a family favorite of everyone! I love to make it for mothers with new babies.

A tasty and easy recipe, especially for a boy's track team!

I made with organic sauce w/ mushrooms. Loved it.

Our church made this to serve 100 people. We got LOTS of compliments and recipe requests. a 9x13 pan can go into a roaster oven (on a rack) for extra baking room when preparing for a large crowd.

Very delicious! I added green pepper to it. Will make again.

Very simple! I cut the recipe in half and did not freeze. Very tasty!

Very easy dish.Huge hit. I made mine with ground turkey & turkey pepperoni. Next time I might try to add vegetables.

I tried this for out camping outings and everyone loved it and was asking for the recipe. I did, however, make one small change. When boiling the pasta, cook only to al dente and remove half for the casserole that will be frozen. Then finish cooking the pasta for the first one. I do this so that the pasta doesn't get all "mushy" during the extended baking time.

This is great and I will make it again.

This is so simple with few ingredients and me and my husband just love it! He thinks it needs a crust of some sort so I'll try that next time. Definitly will make this over and over.

I love this. I make it healthier by using whole grain rotini, turkey pepperoni, and reduced fat mozzarella cheese. Love that it makes two and I can freeze one and take it out for a busy night. My DH also loved it