I was looking for something to make for dinner and came up with this.
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1/2 cup onion chopped
- 1/2 cup green peppers chopped
- 1 4 oz can mushrooms drained
- 1 14.5 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1-1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese part skim
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella
- 1 16 oz package pasta use any type
- 1/2 pound italian sausage mild, sweet or hot
- 1/2 1/2 pound package pepperoni chopped
- Carbohydrate 75.4929379758729 g
- Cholesterol 319.987730668792 mg
- Fat 86.9428873632254 g
- Fiber 0.262433338840803 g
- Protein 87.7041844691716 g
- Saturated Fat 50.4489160424775 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (909g)
- Sodium 1811.52644570825 mg
- Sugar 75.2305046370321 g
- Trans Fat 4.52236329702168 g
- Calories 1430 calories
Step-by-step
- Prepare pasta according to package directions.
- Meanwhile brown Italian sausage, pepperoni, and vegetables in a skillet over medium high heat. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and seasonings and simmer.
- Mix cooked pasta with ricotta and 1 cup mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Coat the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish with enough sauce to cover the surface of the dish. Put pasta and cheese mixture on top of the sauce ad the pasta then top with the remaining meat sauce; cover with shredded mozzarella and bake for 25-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
Standard ingredient lists omit the critical thermodynamic reality of casseroles: pasta continues absorbing moisture from surrounding sauce throughout the baking process, transforming al dente strands into overcooked starch unless water content is carefully managed. Undercooking the pasta by two full minutes on the stovetop preserves its structural integrity against the boiling environment of a 350 degree oven. Browning the Italian sausage and chopped vegetables over medium-high heat drives off excess surface water before it can dilute the canned tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, ensuring a concentrated fond develops in the bottom of the skillet. When layering the components in a 13x9 baking dish, distributing the ricotta and mozzarella directly into the warm pasta creates an internal thermal binder that stabilizes the starch matrix before the heavy blanket of remaining mozzarella goes on top. Preserved ingredients like canned mushrooms and jarred seasonings bring predictable moisture levels and concentrated flavor compounds, whereas fresh vegetables release water unpredictably during baking and require prior sautéing to avoid watery pockets. Finally, baking uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes allows excess surface evaporation to occur while the mozzarella achieves a golden-brown polymerization.
