Pizza Casserole

We had something else planned for dinner tonight but I thought pasta sounded good and Jake was craving spaghetti. I had all of the simple and mostly basic ingredients for this recipe on hand and I am so glad that I did! It was cheesy and delicious, substantial and hit the spot! Healthy? No... but then, when do you eat pizza to be healthy? But it really is good and is sure to be a hit. Jake loved it and is really excited to take the leftovers for lunch. The original recipe doesn't call for olives but I feel it is a must add. And really, you could add whatever toppings you wanted: green peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms. This was a lot like my Meat Lover's Lasagna! Yummy! The recipe is courtesy of Blog Chef and can be found here.

PIZZA CASSEROLE

From Blog Chef

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 large onion (chopped)
1/2 clove garlic (minced)
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
8 ounces rotini pasta, (cooked and drained)
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (20 oz)
4 ounces sliced pepperoni
½ can olives, sliced

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet add oil and heat to medium-high heat. Add ground beef, onion, and garlic. Add Italian seasoning. Cook until the beef is browned. Drain.

Step 2: Stir in pasta, sauce and 1 1/2 cups of cheese into the meat mixture. Place mixture into a greased 9×13” baking dishes. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese and top with pepperoni and olives.

*The dish can be covered and frozen as this point if you are freezing.

Step 3: If you are cooking it now- Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

(Makes 7 servings)