Italian Sausage Casserole

As I thought about what I should make for dinner on Valentine's Day this year, I realized that my blog would be celebrating it's 1 year anniversary!  My first posts were about the meals I made a year ago on Valentines Day.  One of the easiest ways to make a Valentine's themed main dish is to make a pasta dish with a red sauce, making sure the sauce shines through a heart-shaped hole in the mozzarella cheese.

This year I decided to try a new recipe from my February/March 2013 issue of Simple and Delicious.  My guys are always up for any dish that has pepperoni and pasta.  This dish got all 8's on the Melnarik rating scale.

To begin, I began cooking the penne according to the package directions and preheated my oven to 350ºF.  Then, in a Dutch oven I combined the Italian sausage, chopped onions and bell peppers, and sliced mushrooms.  I cooked this mixture over medium heat until the sausage was browned and the vegetables were tender, breaking up the sausage as it cooked.  I then drained off the fat.

I added the pepperoni and continued to cook on medium until the pepperoni was heated through.

Then, I added the spaghetti sauce mix, stirring to thoroughly combine.

To that, I added the tomato paste, making sure it was fully incorporated.

Next, I added the water, garlic salt and olive oil, again, stirring to combine.  In the future, I would add the garlic salt at the same time as the spaghetti mix.  It just makes sense to me to add all the dry ingredients at the same time and by adding it directly to the meat, the heat of the pan will sear them to the meat.

Finally, once the penne was fully cooked, I drained it and added it to the sauce.  I mixed it until all of the pasta was covered in the sauce.

I then transferred the mixture to my baking dishes.  In this case, I was feeding my oldest son before he left for class, so I used one small casserole dish for him and a larger one for the rest of the family.  Pictured here is the small one I put together for him.  The entire recipe should fit in a 9- x 13-inch baking dish.  I placed a metal (important that it's metal as it will go into the oven!) heart-shaped cookie cutter in the center of the casserole.

Next, I added the shredded mozzarella cheese, making sure it touched the outside of the cookie cutter.  This ensures a perfectly shaped heart once the cookie cutter is removed.

Of course, in my larger casserole dish I had to use a larger cookie cutter.

I put the casserole in the oven and baked it at 350ºF for 25 minutes.  When I removed it from the oven, I took a sharp paring knife and cut around the outside of the cookie cutter and, using a paper towel to protect my fingers from the heat, I removed the cookie cutter.  I paired this dish with a Savory Biscuit Bubble Bread (see post below) that I baked in a heart-shaped pan.  It's just a simple way to show my family that I love them on Valentine's Day!  Enjoy!

Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza Pasta

1 (14.5 oz) package uncooked penne

1 pkg. (1 lb.) Italian sausage

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1 medium green pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 pkg. (3 ½ oz.) sliced pepperoni

3 ½ cups water

2 cans (6 oz. each) tomato paste

2 envelopes thick and zesty spaghetti sauce mix

¼ cup olive oil

½ teaspoon garlic salt

2 cups (8 oz.) shredded part-skin mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Cook penne according to package directions.  Meanwhile, cook the sausage, mushrooms, pepper and onion in a Dutch oven over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender; drain.  Add pepperoni and cook until heated through.  Stir in water, tomato paste, spaghetti sauce mix, oil and garlic salt.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 4 – 5 minutes or until heated through.  Drain pasta; sir into sausage mixture.  Transfer to a greased 9- x 13-inch baking dish.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake uncovered, at 350ºF for 25 – 30 minutes or until bubbly.