No worries, however -- I'm back! And I happily share my first recipe of 2012 with you. You've seen it on Pinterest, you've heard of its amazingness, you might have even pinned it with the intention of someday making this behemoth of a casserole. But I done went and did the damn thing. And let me tell you, it was no disappointment.
Yes, kids ... we're talking about Pizza Casserole. Chock full of noodles, meat, tomato sauce, and a enough cheese to cover your dairy intake for the next few days, it is an absolutely delicious, indulgent, and gigantic dish.
The original recipe that caused a Pinterest uproar can be found on the Blog For Mamas. This is a slight adaption from that recipe, only in that I added stuff that the Hubby and I enjoy on our pizzas (mainly veggies). That is what makes this recipe so great - its ability to be messed with and tweaked to please your particular palate (gosh, I love alliteration).
*Note: This recipe makes enough to feed a small army. Seeing as how there are only two big people and one munchkin in our family, we had leftovers for days. In the future, I plan on cutting this recipe waaay back. But, for the first go 'round (and because I'm a fatty), I decided to just make the whole thing.
Start out with the following:
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 lb italian sausage
Saute all this yummy stuff up in some EVOO with plenty of salt & pepper.
Once its all browned and delicious, set it on a plate lined with some paper towels to drain all the grease out.
This is the rest of the stuff you'll need:
One bag No Yolks extra-wide egg noodles (cooked)
About half a package of pepperonis
One big jar of your favorite pasta sauce (or, even better, homemade)
Lots of cheese. I used whatever I had on hand - the sliced provolone really added a kick you can't get with just plain ol'e shredded mozzerella
Line a large Pyrex (or other) casserole with about 1/3 of your sauce.
Next, layer on half the cooked egg noodles. This is kinda like layering a lasagne, but don't freak out if you accidentally layer out of order. Its all going to meld together anyway.
Next comes about half your meat mixture, then another 1/3 of the sauce.
Next comes a bunch of cheese, the other half of the noodles and meat.
Finish it off with the rest of the sauce, then some more cheese (I warned you of the dairy decadence) and a lovely pepperoni grid. You can add way more pepperoni, if you'd like. I also gave the very top a healthy dose of parmesan.. What the heck, right?
Cover the whole thing with foil and bake at 350 for 30 min. Take the foil off and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Ain't she purdy? And oh, man, does she taste good! We ate on this for days, with the hubby giving it a chubby "two thumbs up". Again, I will never make this much of it, unless of course my parents and siblings are coming over. In that case, I may triple the recipe.
I actually made this recipe over the Holidays, and have since then decided to cook dishes that lean a little more on the lighter side. I can't wait to share some of them with you -- keep checking back for more!
