Pizza Pasta Bake

Although I love to bake, I do not have time to make an extravagant meal every day. While in college I juggled two jobs and a full course load leaving little time for cooking. Eating well is very important to me and in order to continue to eat well, I learned to make ONE large, healthy meal that would feed me for the week.  I will forewarn you - if you do not like leftovers this meal plan is not for you. But if you enjoy leftovers and do not mind re-heating food, then this plan will save you tons of time!

As I have transitioned into my internship it is more important than ever to continue to eat well and this Pizza Pasta Bake is a simple, creative, tasty meal that will feed you over a week! I actually made this meal before my boyfriend came into town, and he ate half of the Pizza Pasta Bake in one day! Yikes! I guess it's good....

I initially found this recipe from The Country Cook, but I decided to lighten it up and slightly alter the recipe. Feel free to check out the original recipe using the link above. 

Pizza Pasta Bake
Servings: 20 (1.5 cup servings)
Preparation time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced
2 tsp garlic
1 large (29 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
6 oz. tomato paste
4 oz. canned mushrooms
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Red Pepper (use more if you like spicy!)
1 pound fusili or penne pasta
Turkey Pepperoni
1 1/2 cups part skim mozzarella cheese, divided use
7 oz. Turkey Pepperoni

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta and set aside.
2. In a large pot, saute onion and garlic 3-5 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, red pepper, and mushrooms. Turn to medium/low heat and simmer 5-10 minutes.
3. Slice pepperoni in half, leaving 30 for the top of the bake, set those aside. 
4. Mix cooked pasta, sauce, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, and Turkey Pepperoni. Stir well. Spray a large non stick baking pan. Pour in pasta mixture. 
5. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and top with pepperoni slices. Cover with aluminum foil (I spray mine with Pam so the cheese does not stick)
6. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove foil and bake another 5-10 minutes or until cheese begins to brown. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve!

Option: I saute spinach and add this into my serving of pasta. This adds extra B-vitamins, iron and minerals!

Nutritional Information:
1 serving (1.5 cups)
Calories: 140
Fat (g): 4
Protein (g): 10
Carbohydrate (g): 18
Fiber (g): 4
Sodium (mg): 500