Photo: Pepperoni and Cheese Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- Canola oil
- Kosher salt
- One 1-pound box rotini pasta
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium zucchini, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- One 6-ounce package sliced pepperoni, roughly chopped
- One 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes
- 6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with 1 teaspoon oil.
Bring a large pasta pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add a big pinch of salt and the pasta. Cover and return the water to a boil. Remove the cover and cook for 5 minutes. The pasta will not be completely cooked through.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil. When it is hot, add the onions and zucchini and cook until they are softened and brown slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and pepperoni and cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes and basil and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Reserve 1 cup of the tomato sauce for another use, such as Round 2 Recipe Garlic Bread Pizza.
Stir in the pasta and cheese into the skillet. Pour into the prepared baking dish and smooth out the top. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the top and drizzle with the 1 tablespoon oil. Bake until the top is browned and the casserole is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes.
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By oahe
on March 10, 2013
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Made this for the first time yeaterday and it is definitely a repeat.
Made the following changes...2 cups of dry pasta instead of a pound, 1 1/2 cups of cheese, simmer the mix for one hour instead of 5 minutes to meld the flavors, don't remove a cup of the sauce and use a dutch oven instead of skillet, and used panko bread crumbs
By Nutmeg04222
Durham, ME
on February 27, 2013
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I agree with another poster, this is a great "base" recipe. Making it as written it needed some extra flavor. Also, there was no way I'd get an extra cup of sauce to set aside for another recipe, I had to use all of it in this recipe. The basic taste was good but it needed a some kick. The second time I made it I added a pinch of red pepper flakes, some Goya adobo seasoning and some Montreal steak seasoning and an extra 14 oz can of tomatoes. Also, I tried using kale instead of zucchini and a Sicilian sausage instead of pepperoni... AND I used a chopped red pepper I had on hand. Four stars for this recipe if made as written...
By mistimcdowell
on October 31, 2012
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Quick and Easy recipe. Really good too. My eleven year old loved it, but she did request that next I add more zucchini. Next time I will also add another can of tomatoes (maybe a 14 ounce, the tomatoes that I did add had basil and rosmary in them so I think that added more flavor.
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