Pizza Pasta Bake

By carvalhohm

Ingredients

• 1 package (16 oz) penne pasta
• 3 links sweet Italian sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)
• 1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
• 1 can (15 oz) pizza sauce
• 1 can (6 oz) pitted ripe olives, drained, sliced
• 1 can (4 oz) mushrooms pieces and stems, drained
• 1 large bunch fresh basil, stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup sliced pepperoni

Details

Servings 8
Cooking time 30mins
Adapted from bettycrocker.com

Preparation

Step 1

1 Heat oven to 450°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package, using minimum cook time.

2 Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet, cook sausage, bell pepper and onion over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until sausage is no longer pink and vegetables are crisp-tender.

3 In baking dish, mix pasta and pizza sauce. Add sausage-vegetable mixture, olives, mushrooms and basil; toss until well combined. Sprinkle with cheeses; top with pepperoni.

4 Bake uncovered 8 to 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated and cheese is melted.

To make this dish more “figure-friendly,” use Italian turkey sausage and turkey pepperoni. Give this casserole a spicy kick by adding 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes to the pizza sauce before mixing it with the pasta