Try It Sunday: Pizza Pasta Bake

If you are like me, you have a couple of picky eaters (myself included) and dinner time can be... a struggle. I'm also on a budget and don't like to make things that require a lot of ingredients or time so that narrows down my cookbook, for sure. This week I'll share one of our favorites, and a favorites of the kids I've watched this summer, pizza pasta bake!

 So my ingredients vary depending on what I actually have. But ideally, this is what I use:

1 package of sliced pepperoni
1 1/2 pound of italian sausage  (or ground beef, but Matt prefers sausage)
1 diced green pepper
1 large diced onion
1 bag of mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 package of pasta (any kind you like, I prefer a short cut, but I'm using a long cut today)
1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce
1 jar of tomato sauce (kind of optional, I use that to stretch the sauce out a bit)
favorite pizza/pasta seasonings

*basically whatever you like on your pizza, throw it in. I've done different peppers, olives, mushrooms, etc- it's a great "dump" recipe with no real measurements, just whatever you want to add.

I cook my sausage and pepperoni together. You don't have to cook the pepperoni, but I kind of like mine cooked up a bit. 

Drain that out, return to your skillet. 

Start adding your veggies to soften them up a bit. Add some salt and pepper, and I sometimes throw in a little of this Italian seasoning blend I got at a kitchen store. 

Add your sauce. This is where I add more veggies if I feel like it isn't chunky enough. 

Let that simmer and get warm. Meanwhile, cook your pasta HALF WAY through. Don't cook it fully because we are baking this and you don't want your pasta to get mushy. 

Once your pasta is done and you've drained it, mix your meat and veggie sauce with the noodles. Give it a good toss. 

Spread it into a 9x13 pan. 

Layer with mozzarella cheese. You can pretty much use any kind of cheese. I've been known to use up anything I've got, mixing cheeses as I go. I don't feel like you can ever have too much cheese. 

Bake at 350 until it's bubbly. Remember, everything is basically already cooked, you're just warming it up and letting cheese melt. So maybe 20 minutes tops. 

And devour! 

This is so good as a leftover dish, and I'm not even a fan of leftovers! 

If you loved this, share it! Also follow me on Bloglovin' so you don't miss anything. Next week I'll share a new favorite, cheesy chicken and rice. MMM.