Pizza Pasta Bake

Here at my house we LOVE pasta! Anything Pasta! My kids actually beg for spaghetti. (I don't like it that much, growing up, we ate A LOT of it)

I started making this about 10 years ago when my older 3 kids were very little. It was a change from spaghetti, sort of like pizza, and SUPER easy to make, which is my favorite part!

Here's what you need :

As you can see, I buy unbranded whenever possible. I never, EVER, under ANY circumstances buy store-brand pasta. EVER. But the sauce is ok as is the cheese and pepperoni. When making spaghetti, I always end up modifying the sauce anyways and it comes out tasting home made and better than ANY store brand. But for this recipe, it will be fine as is.

Now, my portions are HUGE, because I feed a family size of 10, 2 of which are teenage boys. And I actually only showed you a third of what I had, because not everyone has to feed an army.

Directions :

1. Boil the pasta just until softened. It doesn't need to be fully cooked because it will finish up in the oven. *The amount of pasta will vary depending on family size. For an average family, it's common to use 1 cup of pasta per family member.

Pre-heat the oven to 350.

2. Once the pasta is finished, drain.

Pour a little sauce in the bottom of your baking dish or dishes.

Then add the pasta. If you are using more than one dish, spread it out accordingly.

Pour sauce over noodles. 

It doesn't need to be perfect, however it's important to get the sauce over the entire pasta spread.

Bake for 15 minutes in the pre-heated oven.

3. After the 15 minutes is up, take it out and top with Mozzarella cheese and pepperoni or any other favorite pizza topping.

Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until cheese as melted and the pepperoni is crispy.

Here's the ending result. Spoon onto plates, top with Parmesan cheese and serve with salad bread sticks!