Cheesy, saucy pasta with all the best pizza toppings is a kid favorite.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Total Time35 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8servings
Calories: 677kcal
Ingredients
16ouncespenne pasta noodles
1lbhot breakfast sausage
1tablespoon light flavor olive oil
1large green bell pepper, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4medium red onion, sliced thin
4garlic cloves, minced
10ouncesmushrooms, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
48ouncescanned spaghetti sauce (choose your favorite)or 2 batches of 5-minute marinara sauce
1teaspoonItalian seasoning
1/2teaspoonred pepper flakes, adjust to taste
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, adjust to taste
1/2 teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper, adjust to taste
3-4ouncessliced pepperoni
16ounces freshly shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cook the pasta according to package directions, to a slightly chewy "al dente" firmness. (Take care not to overcook the pasta on the stove top, as it will cook an additional amount of time in the oven.) Drain the pasta.
While the pasta is cooking, cook and crumble the sausage in a very large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Transfer the cooked sausage to a medium size bowl and return the skillet to the stove. Drizzle the oil into the skillet along with any remaining grease from the sausage. Add the peppers, onions, and garlic to the hot skillet.
Cook the vegetables, stirring frequently, over medium high heat. When the peppers are almost tender, about 3-4 minutes, add the mushrooms and continue cooking for an additional 3 minutes, until the mushrooms have browned and softened. Transfer the cooked vegetables to the bowl with a sausage.
Turn off the heat under the skillet and add the sauce to the skillet, along with the Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and remove about 1 1/2 cups of the sauce, setting it aside for the moment.
Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and stir well to mix throughout. Add the sausage and vegetables to the pasta mixture, reserving a small amount for topping the pasta. Stir in most of the pepperoni slices, reserving a few for topping the pasta.
Add half the shredded cheese to the pasta and stir to mix throughout. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the pasta and scatter the remaining toppings over the cheese.
Place the skillet in the oven for 15 minutes, until the cheese has melted completely. Serve immediately. Enjoy!