Gourmet Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Casserole Recipe Main Dish
Gourmet pizza pasta casserole
A gourmet pizza pasta casserole recipe that makes an excellent main dish for entertaining. The recipe uses pepperoni and Provolone cheese, along with a rich sauce, to create a savory yet straightforward main dish. Both pizza and pasta dishes have broad appeal, and the recipe combines aspects of these two favorites. This dish is excellent for casual entertaining with a touch of gourmet style. The dish consists of three main components: the sauce, the pasta, and the cheese toppings. Much of the pepperoni is minced and puréed into the sauce. Pepperoni slices are added on top for added flavor and to achieve a pizza-like appearance. Using a round quiche dish also contributes to the pizza-like appearance and provides a unique gourmet presentation.
Key ingredients for Pepperoni Pizza Pasta include fermented anchovy sauce (Colatura di alici), Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, Cellentani pasta, passata (tomato puree), mozzarella cheese, sharp provolone cheese, and pepperoni.
Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Sauce
Several ingredients are combined with Italian Passata, or tomato puree, to create a rich, savory, and gourmet sauce. The savory profile is made using a combination of umami-boosting ingredients, primarily including browned tomato paste, fermented anchovy oil, and Parmesan cheese. If you are not familiar with Italian fermented anchovy sauce (Colatura di alici), you can read more about it on my gourmet Focaccia recipe page. The red wine helps emulsify the puréed pepperoni into the sauce, adding to the overall flavor profile.
Ingredients for Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Sauce
2 cups Passata, tomato puree
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cloves of fresh, crushed garlic or two frozen garlic cubes
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp fermented anchovy sauce (Colatura di alici)
2 oz pepperoni, minced
1 tbsp red wine
2 oz shaved Parmesan cheese
Instructions for Pizza Pasta Sauce
To prepare the sauce, start by heating olive oil in a saucepan over medium to high heat. Add the tomato paste and brown it for about 2 minutes. Next, reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic. Sauté the garlic for an additional 2 minutes.
After that, incorporate the fermented anchovy sauce, oregano, and basil. Sauté this mixture for another 1 to 2 minutes, then let it cool.
In a food processor, begin by adding the Passata (tomato puree) and red wine. Then, add the minced pepperoni, the cooled sautéed mixture, and the shaved Parmesan cheese. Shaving the cheese into thin ribbons with a vegetable peeler will help it puree more smoothly with the other ingredients. To facilitate better blending in the food processor, place the dry ingredients—minced pepperoni and shaved Parmesan—on top of the liquid ingredients.
First, run the food processor in chop mode for about 30 seconds. Then switch to puree mode and blend for 1 to 2 minutes.
The finished Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Sauce.
The Pasta Type for Pizza Pasta Casserole
Cellentani pasta is a good choice for holding sauce, with an interesting and appealing appearance. The Cellentani style pasta is corkscrew-shaped, with small ribs along its body. This pasta shape is also known as Cavatappi.
Pasta Prep Ingredients
3 cups (265 grams), Cellentani Pasta
12 cups (3 liters) of water
1 tbsp salt
Cooking the Pasta
After boiling the pasta according to either of the cooking schedules below, strain the pasta using a colander and allow it to cool slightly. The pasta needs to be added to boiling water and the water brought back up to a boil for the specified time.
For preparing and cooking the dish the same day, the Cellentani Pasta should be slightly undercooked; boil for 10 minutes.
For pre-making the dish and overnight refrigeration, with cooking the dish the next day, the Cellentani Pasta is best undercooked; boil for 8 minutes.
The Cheese and Pepperoni for Topping the Pizza Pasta
The best cheese blend for an added gourmet savory flavor is sharp provolone blended with mozzarella. This combination of the classic mozzarella along with the tang of sharp provolone allows the pizza pasta dish to stand out. You can read more about this cheese blend on my page for Pizza Topping Cheese.
The Ingredients For Pizza Pasta Toppings
4 oz sharp provolone cheese, grated, or shredded
4 oz mozzarella cheese, grated or shredded
2 oz pepperoni, sliced
Preparing The Baking Dish
The best dish to use is an 11-inch round quiche dish. This presents the pizza pasta in the round form typical of a classic pizza. You don't want your casserole to stick to the dish, especially when entertaining casually, where guests may serve themselves. You want the casserole to easily scoop from the dish, and not have guests struggle to get their serving. You can avoid the casserole sticking by using a light coating of vegetable shortening, followed by a well-dispersed coating of the seasoned Italian breadcrumbs.
Ingredients To Prepare The Baking Dish
1 tsp vegetable shortening
1/3 cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
Coating The Baking Dish
The best technique for lightly spreading the coating of vegetable shortening on the dish is to run hot water into the dish for about 30-60 seconds, then quickly dry it with a dish towel. This is followed by a light coating of vegetable shortening while the dish is still warm. Warming the dish allows the shortening to be applied and spread in a light layer much easier than on a cold dish.
For the seasoned breadcrumbs, the best way to evenly disperse the crumbs is to add the 1/3 cup into the dish, then cover it tightly with cling wrap. Wrapping the cling wrap over and around the dish to create a tight and secure covering. You then shake and rotate the dish to evenly coat and adhere the crumbs into the shortening layer.
The coated quiche dish for the Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Casserole.
The Cellentani pasta mixed with sauce in the baking dish for the pizza pasta casserole.
Bring All The Pizza Pasta Components Together
Mix the pasta and sauce well in a bowl.
Scoop the pasta with sauce into the dish and gently spread it evenly and level throughout the dish.
Layer the 4 oz of shredded sharp provolone first, followed by the 4 oz of shredded mozzarella cheese for the top layer.
Top with the 2 oz of sliced pepperoni.
If you are making a head for cooking the following day, wrap it tightly with cling wrap and refrigerate immediately. This works well for entertaining guests the following evening.
The Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Casserole ready to bake.
Baking The Pizza Pasta
For the same day, bake on the middle rack of your preheated oven at 375°F. The cooking time will be 30 minutes.
Place your baking dish on a rimmed sheet pan for easier handling and to catch any spills that may occur during baking.
To prevent the toppings from cooking too fast and over-browning. Tent the baking dish with aluminum foil, being careful not to have it touching the toppings, as they may stick. Leave the foil tent covering the dish for the first 20 minutes of baking.
After removing the foil tent, bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the desired level of browning is achieved and the internal temperature meets or exceeds 175°F.
For next-day baking, the most straightforward approach is to remove the cling wrap and microwave the Pizza Pasta Casserole on the high-power setting for 5 minutes immediately after removing it from the refrigerator. Then, follow the baking directions above, including the use of a foil tent.
The baked gourmet pepperoni pizza pasta casserole.
Alternate Bakeware
If you want to pre-cut square portions and plate the pizza pasta for your guests, you can make this casserole in a rectangular 9 x 13 inch ceramic baking dish. The area of a 9 x 13 ceramic baking dish is slightly larger than that of an 11-inch round quiche dish.
