It’s no surprise that we love to use CrockPot Spaghetti Sauce in all sorts of different recipes. This kid-friendly recipe has all of the flavors of Pepperoni Pizza mixed with Baked Ziti, this is a fantastic week night kid-friendly dinner solution. This recipe would be perfect for Halloween, combining a Halloween classic for Pizza and an easy Baked Ziti!
This Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Bake was inspired from a recipe for Pepperoni Pizza Lasagna Rolls that I make my kiddos at school. This recipe came about as I forgot to order some lasagna noodles one day, and needed to make something for lunch, so instead of using lasagna noodles, we used penne, and this delicious kid-friendly recipe was born!
This is a great recipe to use up any leftover spaghetti sauce and pasta that you have laying around, and if you’re used to following my monthly menus, you’ll probably have this stuff in mass quantities. We’re always trying to put a new spin on dinner or lunch, and this recipe was a fun way to combine two kid-favorites. Spaghetti Sauce is just such a versatile recipe, it can make so many delicious meals, like this one for Pepperoni Pizza Pasta, or Mini Spaghetti Pies, or Baked Ziti, or Lasagna, or Chicken Parmesan, or Ragu – the possibilities with leftover Spaghetti Sauce are just endless, and this Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Bake is a great way to change things up.
Ingredients:
1 lb penne pasta
1, 15 oz ricotta cheese
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1, 6oz pepperoni
2 cups leftover crockpot spaghetti sauce
1 tsp each; dried basil, dried oregano, dried parsley, garlic powder
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large pot of salted water, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Save 10-15 pepperonis for the top of the casserole, and with a sharp knife, dice remaining pepperoni.
In a large bowl, mix drained and cooked pasta, diced pepperonis, 1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce, 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella, parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese and spices until well combined.
Place 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish.
Pour pasta mixture into casserole dish, and use a silicone spatula to press in evenly.
Top with remaining cheese and pepperoni.
Bake for 35-40 minutes. Serve right away with garlic bread.
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My kids loved this last time, so today I made extra so I could freeze one. What are the cooking instructions for a frozen one? Should I thaw it first or bake from frozen? How long, etc?
I’m so happy they enjoyed!!! Definitely bake from frozen. Put it in a cold oven and let the oven heat up while it cooks. One the oven is preheated, I’d add about 15-20 minutes to the bake time. Use your best judgement since every oven is so different!
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