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The time you get to spend with your favorite little man is truly the most special, so you should absolutely always make him Grandson's Favorite Bake every chance you get! You know just how much he loves a gooey slice of pepperoni pizza, and this casserole version features bouncy cavatappi for a simple, cheesy way to make him smile. Ah, being a grandparent is just the best! Spoil him just like you love to do with your Grandson's Favorite Bake!
The time you get to spend with your favorite little man is truly the most special, so you should absolutely always make him Grandson's Favorite Bake every chance you get! You know just how much he loves a gooey slice of pepperoni pizza, and this casserole version features bouncy cavatappi for a simple, cheesy way to make him smile. Ah, being a grandparent is just the best! Spoil him just like you love to do with your Grandson's Favorite Bake!
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided, plus more, to taste, for greasing the baking dish
- 12 ounces cavatappi pasta
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt divided
- 1 (1-pound) package Italian sausage casings removed
- 1 (8-ounce) package cremini mushrooms stemmed and sliced
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 3 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 green bell pepper chopped into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1/3 cup pepperoni slices
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Use the extra oil to grease a 13x9-inch glass baking dish.
- In a large pot of boiling water, add the cavatappi and 2 tablespoons of the salt and cook to al dente, according to the package directions. Drain the pasta.
- While the cavatappi is cooking, in a large skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of the oil.
- Add the sausage to the heated oil and cook, while crumbling, until it is no longer pink, about 4-5 minutes.
- Pour the cooked sausage into a medium bowl, leaving as much of the grease in the skillet as possible.
- In the same skillet over medium heat, add the mushrooms, 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil, and 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining salt and cook, tossing occasionally, until the mushrooms are browned, about 5-6 minutes. Pour them into the bowl with the cooked sausage.
- In the same skillet over medium heat, add the onions, the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining salt, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of the oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened, about 4-5 minutes.
- Stir the tomato sauce, the diced tomatoes plus their juices, the oregano, the basil, the red pepper flakes, and the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt into the onion mixture.
- Transfer 2 cups of the sauce from the skillet and set it aside.
- Fold the cooked sausage, the cooked mushrooms, the cooked cavatappi, and the green peppers into the remaining sauce in the skillet and cook, while stirring, until it is heated through, about 1-2 minutes.
- Evenly pour 1/2 of the cavatappi mixture into the prepared baking dish and evenly sprinkle with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese.
- Evenly pour the remaining cavatappi mixture over the mozzarella cheese layer, then evenly cover with the reserved pasta sauce.
- Cover the baking dish with foil then bake the cavatappi mixture until it is hot and bubbling around the edges, about 20 minutes.
- Discard the foil and evenly sprinkle the cavatappi bake with the remaining mozzarella cheese and the pepperoni slices.
- Bake the pepperoni bake until the cheese is melted and the pepperoni slices are browned, about 15-20 minutes.
- Serve.
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