When I was in college, one of my roommates introduced me to the glory that is a “Pepperoni Pasta Bake”.
We were always on a quest to figure out how to make meals that could feed 4 for less than $15. And I have to say, we were pretty inventive! But more often than not, our meals revolved around pasta, and this simple dish was our favorite.
It’s all of the goodness of pepperoni “pizza” flavors, wrapped into a delicious and uber-simple pasta bake. We would always just use pasta, pepperoni, Mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce, which was a fabulous start. But there are endless variations. For a “lighter” version, you could of course sub in some turkey pepperoni, whole wheat pasta and part-skim Mozzarella. Or for a more well-balanced version, you could easily throw in lots of your favorite veggies (I like using mushrooms, green peppers, onions, and broccoli). But when I am occasionally craving a more purist version of the college classic, I at minimum add in some sauteed garlic, onions and some extra seasonings to kick things up a tiny notch, but to still stay true to our memories.
However you make it, this classic can still be made for under $15, and I guarantee that it will be a crowd-pleaser. :)
Pepperoni Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 1 lb. dry pasta of your choice
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- half a white onion, finely diced
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
- 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- about 30 pepperonis, sliced into halves
- optional toppings: chopped fresh basil or Italian parsley, shaved Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cook pasta in generously-salted water until al dente according to package instructions.
- While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, until it is cooked and translucent. Add the garlic and oregano and cook for 1 minute more, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant. Remove from heat.
- Once the pasta is finished cooking, drain the water and return the pasta back to the pot. Stir in the garlic/onion mixture, the marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, Mozzarella (reserve a small handful of the cheese for the topping), Parmesan and pepperonis. Mix until well-blended.
- Transfer the pasta to a greased baking dish, and then sprinkle the remaining Mozzarella cheese on top. Bake uncovered for about 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starts to brown around the edges.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Omg this pepperoni casserole is awesome! And I didn’t even have all of what it called for. I didn’t want tomatoes so I used extra pasta sauce a cup of beef broth and added regular cheese to make the full 2 cups. I absolutely will make it again. I used penne.
Good recipe! I advise for the oven I be at 400 but that’s jus me.
This turned out wonderfully, thanks for the great recipe! I will be doing this again mid-week.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Emily!
Love this recipie. I make it often.
Thanks LuJean, we’re so happy to hear that! :)
This is really good and it was definitely a crowd pleaser! The only thing I would change is add more salt and dice the pepperoni slices smaller. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you for sharing Razan, we’re glad they were a hit! :)
Sounds delish! How well do you think this could be converted for a crockpot? Due to the heat index I don’t use my oven during the Summer. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Terri,
I haven’t tried it in a crockpot. But I imagine that if you cooked it on high for 45-60 minutes or so, that might be a close equivalent in the crockpot. I would just keep a close eye on it. :)
Good luck!
Ali
been Italian cooking for many years the secret is boil macaroni for 5 minutes then add to baking dish and bake for 25 minutes and it will never be over cooked also make an easy lasagna use no boil macaroni bake for only 30 minutes let set for 5mins and your good to go totally awesome
This is one of my favorite pasta dishes. I make it all the time! Thank you so much for sharing!
Need recipes for 20 as I help feed the homeless folks with our church each Sunday. Just want to make sure I’m getting it right! This looks yummy!
I’m try9ng this today.