Cavatini
Fantastic Italian pasta dish that's quick, easy, economical and kid-friendly. This one uses ground beef, pepperoni, spaghetti sauce, rotini, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. This is great for company or potlucks.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. 93% to 96% lean ground beef cooked and drained
- 32 oz. jar Prego spaghetti sauce or your favorite spaghetti sauce
- 8 oz. box Rotini noodles cooked and drained (I used gluten free pasta)
- 3 oz. pkg. pepperoni sliced
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese shredded, as needed
- 4 to 6 oz. mozzarella cheese shredded, as desired
Instructions
- Mix cooked beef, pepperoni, noodles and spaghetti sauce.
- Place in a 8x12” baking dish that’s been sprayed with cooking spray.
- Sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese.
- Cover with foil.
- Bake about 30 minutes at 350°, or until mixture is bubbly.
- Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese and heat an additional 5 minutes until cheese is melted.
- Allow casserole to sit out 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
NOTE: You can add ½ chopped green pepper, ½ medium onion, diced, and a 4-oz. can sliced, drained mushrooms if you desire more of that flavor. Or you can buy spaghetti sauces that have those ingredients.
NOTE: Be careful to watch the cheese so it doesn’t dry out or burn on top. About 5 minutes is really all the mozzarella cheese needs to melt sufficiently.
NOTE: I usually double this recipe and spread it into a deep dish lasagna-type baking dish.
NOTE: Many store-bought spaghetti sauce products are down to 24-ounces now. You need a full 32-ounces of spaghetti sauce to make this recipe as the noodles absorb a lot of spaghetti sauce.
NOTE: Gluten free noodles are slightly more fragile than regular noodles so take care not to overcook them. It's better to cook them al dente rather than all the way through.
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
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