Cooktop Cove: Pizza toppings, pasta, and cheese cook together in the slow cooker for a delicious two-in-one dish
By Kate Elliott
Pizza casserole will be a huge hit around any dinner table for adults and kids alike. Cooked pasta is combined with all the traditional pizza flavors including pepperoni, pizza sauce, green peppers, onions, and even more if you choose. The recipe below does not require any meat other than the pepperoni, which can be placed into the slow cooker as is. However, if you want to add things like ground beef or sausage, just make sure it's cooked before it's added to the pool. Also remember that this isn't a slow cooker recipe that can be set and forgotten about for the day. It only needs a few hours for the vegetables to get soft and all those flavors to mingle together. It will likely burn if you leave it cooking anymore than that so don't be tempted to let it go any longer. A few hours is also plenty of time to get a salad together to go along with it, slice up some bread, and maybe even enjoy a glass of wine before dinner!
Slow Cooker Pizza Casserole
4
10 minutes
3 hours, 30 minutes
3 hours, 40 minutes
8 ounces rigatoni, or other short tube-like pasta
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup sliced pepperoni
1 onion, small dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green pepper, small dice
3 cups pizza sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and season with 1 tablespoon of salt.
Add pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain.
Place pasta in a greased 6-quart slow cooker.
Add all other ingredients and stir.
Place lid on slow cooker and cook on low for 3 1/2 hours.
Spoon pasta onto serving plates and garnish evenly with Parmesan cheese.