Tag Archives: recipe

Pizza Pasta Recipe That Everyone Will Love

Hillshire Pizza Pasta
Thanks to Hillshire Brands for helping me share this recipe by sponsoring this post via the Mom It Forward Blogger Network. All thoughts, opinions and yummmmms are my own.

My kids all have very different taste buds so most dinners range from a solo whine to a full out chorus of complaints.

When I cook something that all 4 will happily eat, bells and whistles sound and fireworks go off.  This meal is one of those rare moments.

Since it is a family favorite in our house, I thought I’d share it with you!

We actually refer to it as Panther Pizza Pasta because it is my go-to dish for the high school football team pasta dinners.  I triple the recipe but always bring home an empty dish!

The beauty of this recipe is that you get the entire food pyramid in one dish!  Plenty of protein from the sausages, beef and pepperoni, bell peppers give you your veggie serving, pasta for grains, dairy is taken care of by the mozzarella and the tomato satisfies the fruit group. Yes, a tomato is botanically a fruit regardless of what the supreme court ruled way back when! 😉  Mushrooms are really none of the above, but they are still good for you.

This is one of those recipes that I usually don’t measure ingredients but I did this time…just for you!  You can use different “toppings” every time you make it – it will seem like a different dish and you’ll never get tired of it!

Pizza Pasta
Author: 
Recipe type: One Dish Dinner
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • 16 ounces Rigatoni
  • 36-48 ounces Spaghetti Sauce*
  • 3 cups Mozzarella Cheese
  • ½ pound Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage
  • ½ pound Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage
  • ½ pound Ground Beef
  • ½ pound Pepperoni Stick
  • 2-3 Bell Peppers
  • 1 pound Mushrooms
  • Other pizza "toppings"
  • 1 Additional cup of Mozzarella Cheese, if desired.
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Cook pasta per directions for al dente.
  3. Dice Peppers and Mushrooms.
  4. Cut half of Smoked Sausage and Pepperoni into small chunks.
  5. Cook Hot Sausage and Ground Beef in a skillet on medium-high until brown.
  6. Add chunks of Pepperoni and Smoked Sausage and add Peppers and Mushrooms.
  7. Cook until Peppers are soft.
  8. Drain.
  9. In a large pot, combine the Rigatoni, Spaghetti Sauce*, Meat/Veggie mixture and 3 cups of Mozzarella Cheese.
  10. Cut other half of Smoked Sausage and Pepperoni into slices.
  11. Put in large casserole dish and top with Mozzarella Cheese and sliced Smoked Sausage and Pepperoni.
  12. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.
  13. *Make it a bit saucier than you think you should...because it dries out some when it bakes.

*You may notice that there is no pepperoni in the photo…because I missed that item on my shopping list.  Oops!  But just goes to show there are many variations for the recipe, right??

Hillshire Ingredient Collage with text

I shopped for my ingredients at Safeway.  Did you know they have eliminated the need for paper coupons with their J4U program?  I always have good intentions when it comes to couponing but I either (1) forget to bring them with me or (2) try to use them after they have expired.  With J4U, you can get eCoupons linked to your Safeway card that will be deducted from your bill.  No paper, no cutting, no organizing! No brainer!

Hillshire coupon

Now go check out these other great recipes in the Hillshire Brands and Safeway Blog Tour! I am definitely making the zombie and mummy ideas for Halloween!

Oppan Costco Style

OMGosh you guys!  I think I must be a viral sensation.  I went to Costco today and like almost EVERY cart had used my pie recipe.  (If you missed my pie recipe yesterday, click here.)  I couldn’t believe it.  That means they ALL read my blog and ran right out to try what I suggested, right?  I am so excited!  I mean, if that many people from just MY Costo read my blog, then just think how many read it across the country!!!

Some people even made their own adjustments to the recipe, substituting Pumpkin or Pecans for the Apples.  Pure genius.  I always suspected my readers are brilliant.

I think I even heard a few singing the following song…

Hey, Bloggy Lady. Op, Op, Op, Oppan Costco Style.

Hey, Bloggy Lady. Op, Op, Op Oppan Costco Style.

Look out Gangnam Style, I think Costco Style is the next big thing.  My pie-in-the-sky is within reach.

Now I just need some cool dance moves.  “Bake the Cake” anyone?

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What’s that you’re saying??  All the people buying pies at Costco had nothing to do with following my recipe??  Or reading my blog??  Oh.

I guess I need to eat humble pie.  Anyone have a recipe??

Photo: imgon.net

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Psssst, you can still vote…

Housewife Heroes finalists (story on second page, Angela M.) https://www.facebook.com/mobileprotection#!/volispirits/app_489717107739723

Circle of Moms (scroll waaaaay down the page, I just joined so am at #97.  Vote so I don’t look so pathetic at the bottom. lol)  http://www.circleofmoms.com/top25/Top-25-Family-Blogs-By-Moms-2012#_

Easy As What???

Confession time:  I have never made a pie.  Ever.  The thought intimidates me.  I mean, check out the recipe at the bottom of this post!  It’s not a recipe, it’s a short novel.  (I put the recipe at the bottom because it is so long, I knew no one would read that far so anything I wrote after the recipe would be pointless.)

Where the heck did the term “easy as pie” come from anyway?  The recipe below says the time to make it is 2 hours and it serves 10-12.  They have it backwards.  It would take me 10-12 hours to make and, in my house, would serve 2.  If I’m lucky.

I like my recipe better.

Put It On The Table Apple Pie Recipe

Difficulty Level:  Easy as Pie Really Easy

Time: 2 hours

Yield: 10-12 boys with enormous appetites

Ingredients:

  • Costco membership card
  • Car
  • $15 cash.  Note:  Substituting credit instead of cash not recommended.  Debit substitution will yield better results, but cash is best.

Directions:

  1. Drive to nearest Costco.
  2. Display your membership card, along with a big smile.
  3. Visit all sample tables.  This is the most time consuming step and should be eliminated if you substituted credit.
  4. Choose apple pie with the least perfect latice crust on top (for believability).
  5. Remove plastic covering and price tag.
  6. Sprinkle face with flour.
  7. Add half-baked excuses when asked for recipe.

We are on dessert duty for Thanksgiving dinner with Jim’s family.  I’d like to be adventuresome and try my hand at pie making (NOT the one below though).  However, I’m pretty sure I will stick to my tried-and-true recipe above.  I have a similar recipe for “Put It On The Table Sheet Cake.”  But I may actually bake one of those because, in comparison to the pie recipe instruction manual, making a cake will be a piece of ca…oh, nevermind.

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