Easy, family-friendly meals don’t get much easier than this Easy Cheesy Pizza Pasta Casserole recipe. When I'm super busy and need a quick, easy meal that I know the whole family will love - this is a go-to dish!
A big “Thank you!” to Ragu for sponsoring today’s post and inspiring me pass on my family traditions. It's really easy to make comfort-food recipes with the NEW Ragu Homestyle pasta sauce and a few simple ingredients.
This has been one of those weeks where the hubby and I really just wanted to stick our head in the sand and not come out again. His truck had busted tires and burned up brakes. My truck had a blown-out spark plug. Our oven malfunctioned. One of my kids had a nasty virus. It seemed like we'd get over one hurdle and immediately slam into another.
By the time Friday night rolled around, I wanted nothing less than to get in my pajamas, watch a chick-flick and forget the rest of the world existed. Except as usual... my kids were hungry. Do any of you ever wonder why they have to eat every.single.day?? Jeez - give Mommy a break!
But seriously - they did have to eat, and after the week I had, I wanted something easy, homey, comforting and... easy. Did I say that already? I wasn't in the mood for anything fussy - and I didn't want any complaining from the kids. This cheesy, pizza-y recipe met all of the above requirements.
Be sure to visit Ragu to see all of the new Ragu Homestyle Sauce flavors and get more recipes! Now - onto the recipe...
Easy Cheesy Pizza Pasta Casserole
Let me show you how to pull this together! Here's what you'll need:
- 1 pound dry pasta
- 1 jar NEW Ragu Homestyle pasta sauce, Thick & Hearty Four Cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup chopped mushrooms
- 6 oz. pepperoni slices, cut up
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
Once you have everything ready, start by boiling and draining one pound of pasta (according to package directions). I usually cook it "al dente" since it will be baked later - that prevents it from being mushy.
My kids love Rotini (or as my youngest calls it... plows... as in tractor plows... haha!), but any of your favorite pasta shapes will work! Tip from my bestie who lives in Italy... generously salt your pasta water. It makes a world of difference in the final outcome - promise!
In a large bowl, add in the Ragu Thick & Hearty Four Cheese Homestyle pasta sauce, 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, and chopped pepperoni.
Stir that all together really well, them pour it into a 3 quart casserole dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray!
Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese then add the parmesan on top too! Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes, then enjoy!! My big 'ole family scarfed down about 90% of this within just a few minutes... we didn't even have leftovers the next day!
Click HERE to visit Ragu, then come back and tell me which recipe is YOUR favorite!
Here's the printable recipe for you:
PrintRecipe
Easy Cheesy Pizza Pasta Casserole with Ragu Homestyle Sauce
- Total Time: 42 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
This easy, cheesy Pizza Pasta Casserole is sure to be a hit with your whole family!
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry pasta
- 1 jar NEW Ragu Homestyle pasta sauce, Thick & Hearty Four Cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup chopped mushrooms
- 6 oz. pepperoni slices, cut up
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cook pasta according to package directions to al dente. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl, stir together the cooked pasta, the Ragu pasta sauce, 1 ½ cups of mozzarella cheese, the mushrooms and the pepperoni.
- Spread the pasta mixture into the baking dish, then top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
- Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 12 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
mary
This sounds like my kind of weeknight meal! I have never heard rotini called tractor plows; how cute! All of the Ragu recipes sound great but I would try the shrimp fra diavolo.
sahana
Looks delicious. Thank you for sharing with us at #HomeMattersParty. We would love to have again next week.
Emily
I'm all about the casseroles, and this one is going on my must-make list.