Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Bake

Bakingdom had this really great pizza pasta bake recipe that I knew I just had to make as soon as I saw it pinned on Pinterest.  Not only did it look delish, but I knew I'd have quite a few leftovers and it was simple too.  I was so stoked about making this that I made sure I had everything I needed... but the pasta.  I thought I had enough rotini, but it turns out I only had half a box.  Luckily I also had half a box of spaghetti which I just broke in half and used.  I also stuffed a couple of lasagna noodles in for good measure.

The meat can be ground chicken, turkey, beef, pork, or even an Italian sausage.  I used ground turkey and also used a turkey pepperoni.  This along with the whole wheat pasta, made it slightly more healthy.  At least as healthy as a dish full of pasta and covered in cheese can be. :)  I also left out the sugar that the original recipe calls for.  I'm just not a big fan of sweet sauce, and if I'm making it myself then the sugar is going to be left out.

You'll want to have a rather large pot ready to mix all of this up.  I recommend starting out with it for the pasta, rinsing it out, using it for the sauce, and then dumping the pasta and meat in it to mix it up.  I tried using a 4 quart pot, and it was simply too small.


Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Bake

Ingredients: 

• 1 13 oz box of whole wheat pasta
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 2 cups turkey pepperoni - quartered
• 2 15 oz cans of tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp garlic herb blend Italian type seasoning
• Pepper to taste
• 4 cloves garlic - minced
• 2 tbsp crushed red pepper
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Prepare pasta until al dente (about 10 minutes) in a large pot. Drain and rinse pot.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray, and set aside.
3. Brown ground turkey in large skillet.  Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to turkey.  Stir in pepperoni when almost browned.
4. Add olive oil to the large pot and warm over medium low heat.  Stir in garlic and let it get golden brown.
5. Stir in tomato sauce, crushed red pepper, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.  Simmer for about 10 minutes to let the seasonings release their flavors.
6. Remove sauce from heat.  Add pasta and meat and mix well.
7. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Cover in mozzarella.
8. Bake for 25 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and just turning brown on top.
9. Allow to sit for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6