Pasta Pizza Casserole

In our family of 7, there are 5 kids. Any given night of the week if you were to ask them what they would like for dinner, you'd get the answer...."Pizza!" Making my way through the pantry, I decided what could be tastier for the kids than a Pasta with pizza? So, A little of this, a little of that and you have a yumalicious dinner!
Here's what I used (because it's what I have on hand)

1 pound of pasta (Rigatoni is my choice for this recipe, but Penne would be great too)
1 jar/can prepared spaghetti sauce
at least 3 cups shredded cheese (I used mozzarella and cheddar)
1 Tablespoon Oregano
2 tsp. Parsley flakes
2 Tablespoons of Garlic or a few cloves of fresh chopped
1/2 chopped onion
1/2 chopped green pepper
about 50 slices of pepperoni (I sliced mine in half)
1/2 package of smoked sausage (chopped into bite sized pieces)
4 oz. black olives

The great thing about pizza pasta is that the possibilities are endless. Whatever you like on your pizza is what you can add to the pasta.

Cook your pasta to al dente. Drain well. (It doesn't have to be completely cooked because you will bake it in the oven and you shouldn't overcook your pasta.)

In a small pan, saute onion and pepper in a bit of olive oil, add salt and pepper to taste. Add garlic to the veggie mixture to saute lightly. Remove from heat, add oregano and parsley.

In your pasta pot, mix cooked pasta, sauce, meat, and veggies. Add 2 cups cheese and spoon into your baking dish. Top with remaining cheese and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until cheese is nice and bubbly!You could add just about anything you wanted to this yummy dish! Enjoy!

I picked up a loaf of Garlic Tear and Share bread in the bakery of my local market and baked it alongside dinner!