Spiral Pepperoni Pizza Bake

So my friend Diana pinned this, and I decided D and I should have it.  We have pizza every Friday night to "carb up" for a long run on Saturday.  Let's try to be a little different.

I knew D was busy, so I decided to prep this.  One thing led to another, and I ended up making the whole thing.  I halved the recipe, and I didn't layer it, because dirtying a third baking dish seemed stupid.

It was rather kid friendly, meaning bland.  It's definitely a "make again" dish, but I would change things.  D thought we could sub the ground beef and pepperoni for sausage and mushroom, as well. Also to cut back on calories, next time, maybe cut back on cheese.  (Blasphemy!)

We had with a Caesar Salad.

Spiral Pepperoni Pizza Bake

Photo by ALB

Prep: 30 min.
Bake: 40 min.
YIELD: 6 servings

Adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients
1/2 package (8 ounces) spiral pasta (used penne and ziti because that's what we had)
1 pounds ground beef (used 90/10)
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt (increase to 1 tsp next time)
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt (increase to 1/2 tsp next time)
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning (increase to 1/2 tsp next time)
1/4 teaspoon pepper (increase to 1/2 tsp next time)
2 Cups Basil and Tomato Pasta Sauce
1 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cups 2% milk
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 package (3-1/2 ounces) sliced pepperoni

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook beef and onion over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until beef is no longer pink, breaking up beef into crumbles; drain. Sprinkle with seasonings. Stir in sauce; remove from heat.

3. In a large bowl, mix eggs, milk and Parmesan cheese. Drain pasta; add to egg mixture and toss to combine. Transfer to a greased 3-qt. baking dish. Top with beef mixture, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni (I added the pasta mixture and pepperoni to the Dutch Oven and stirred, then threw the cheese on top).

4. Bake, covered, 20 minutes. Bake, uncovered, 20-25 minutes longer or until golden brown and heated through. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts (from MyFitnessPal)
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 505; Total Fat: 23 g; Saturated Fat: 11 g; Monounsaturated Fat: 6 g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g; Trans Fat: 1 g; Cholesterol: 129 mg; Sodium: 1151 mg; Potassium: 391 mg; Total Carbohydrate: 43 g; Dietary Fiber: 4 g; Sugars: 9 g; Protein: 37 g