Pizza Casserole

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Transform your pizza night with this easy Pizza Casserole! Pasta, ground beef, pepperoni, a simple homemade marinara sauce and loads of mozzarella cheese make this casserole a winning dish!

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 25

Servings:

Author: Heather

Ingredients

1 pound rigatoni pasta
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
28 ounces crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
pinch red pepper flakes
½ cup pasta water
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
5 ounces pepperoni slices

Instructions

First get a big pot of water boiling so you can cook your pasta to al dente or minute less than al dente.
Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.
In a deep sided large skillet, brown ground beef and chopped onions over medium heat until the beef is no longer pink. Drain any grease.
Next add the olive oil and minced garlic. Sauté until the garlic is really fragrant, about a minute or so.
Then add the crushed tomatoes, sugar, dried oregano, salt and red chili flakes. Let simmer over low heat until the pasta is done cooking.
When the pasta is done, reserve ½ cup of the pasta water and then drain the pasta.
Remove skillet from heat and add the pasta water, cooked pasta, and most of the pepperoni slices to the sauce. I like to save some slices for the top of the casserole. Stir it all together really well.
Spread the mixture into prepared baking dish. Top with any remaining pepperoni slices, and evenly sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top.
Bake casserole uncovered for 25-30 minutes until bubbly and cheese is fully melted. Let rest about 10 minutes and then serve with grated parmesan cheese and extra red chili flakes.

Nutrition

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