Pasta Pizzaz Recipes

PIZZA PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF.
• To make the sauce, sweat the onions, garlic and oregano in a few tablespoons of olive oil until soft and translucent.
• Add the tomatoes, basil (I use a medium bunch that I can remove from the sauce once cooked) and seasoning and allow to simmer for 5 minutes until slightly reduced. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
• Slice 3/4 of the pepperoni/salami (reserving a few slices for presentation).
• Add the cooked pasta (and stir in some of the reserved pasta cooking water). Add the sliced salami to the pasta with the sliced basil.
• Transfer half of the pasta to an oven-proof dish, add half of the cheese then the remainder of the pasta and cheese. Top with the rest of the pepperoni/salami and place in the oven to bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
• Remove from the oven, top with more basil and serve.

PASTA PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. , In a large cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms, green pepper and onion; saute until tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm. Increase heat to medium-high. In same skillet, heat remaining oil. Spread pasta evenly in skillet to form a crust. Cook until lightly browned, 5-7 minutes., Turn crust onto a large plate. Reduce heat to medium; slide crust back into skillet. Top with pizza sauce, sauteed vegetables and olives; sprinkle with cheese and Italian seasoning. Bake until cheese is melted, 10-12 minutes.

PASTA PIZZA

Steps:

• Put a pizza stone in the oven (or an upside-down baking pan) and preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• Lay a large square of parchment paper on a work surface with the pizza dough on top. Pull and stretch the dough into a 14-inch round; poke the dough a few times with a fork. Use a pizza peel or a flat cookie sheet to transfer the parchment paper with the dough to the oven. Bake until pale golden, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Remove the pizza from the oven, drizzle with the olive oil and spread the tomato sauce on top, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Sprinkle with the mozzarella, then distribute the ham, pineapple and tortellini evenly all around. Return to the oven and bake until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted, 8 to 10 minutes more.
• Top the pizza with the torn basil, grated Parmesan and red pepper flakes. Cut into slices and serve immediately.

PIZZA DI SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat eggs, milk and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Add leftover spaghetti and combine well.
• In a large 10-inch non-stick skillet, heat extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add spaghetti and egg mixture, spreading evenly and pressing down in pan. Cook until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Carefully invert onto plate, add a little more oil to the pan, and slide mixure back into skillet and cook the other side for 6 minutes. Turn out onto serving platter and cut into wedges and serve warm.
• In a large pot, bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil. When water comes to a boil, add pasta, stirring constantly for the first minute to help prevent spaghetti from sticking together. Cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• In a large saute pan, heat oil. When almost smoking, add olives and red pepper flakes. Saute for 3 minutes over medium high heat. Reduce heat to low and carefully pour in tomato sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Drain pasta in a colander, reserving 1/4 cup pasta water. Add pasta to the sauce and toss to coat completely. Add pasta water if you need to thin out the sauce a bit. Plate pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and basil.
• In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.
• Add 1/2 the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
• If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

PERFECT PASTA PIZZA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Cook spaghetti in large saucepan as directed on package. Meanwhile, brown meat in skillet.
• Drain spaghetti; return to pan. Add egg and milk; toss to coat. Spread onto bottom of 12-inch pizza pan sprayed with cooking spray. Stir tomato sauce and dressing mix into meat; spread over spaghetti. Top with cheese.
• Bake 20 to 25 min. or until crust is set and cheese is melted.

PEPPERONI PIZZAZZ

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, combine 2-1/2 cups spaghetti sauce, pepperoni, mushrooms, green pepper, onion, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes in a bowl. Drain pasta; add to sauce mixture and mix well. , Transfer to a greased 3-qt. baking dish. Combine tomato sauce and remaining spaghetti sauce; pour over top. , Cover and bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Freeze option: Cool unbaked casserole; cover and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake casserole as directed, increasing time as necessary to heat through and for a thermometer inserted in center to read 165°.

PASTA PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat broiler.
• Cook ditali al dente in boiling, salted water according to package directions. Drain well.
• Meanwhile, in a 12-inch heavy skillet, heat butter and olive oil. Saute scallion and garlic until golden. Add drained dital to pan and turn to coat well. Cook for another 3 minutes until pasta is golden also.
• Add salt, peppers, and oregano and stir to combine. Add drained olives and drained mushrooms.
• Pour in spaghetti sauce and stir until well combined.
• Tranfer to a shallow baking pan (such as a jelly roll pan) and spread out into an even layer. Evenly distrubute shredded mozzarella over the top.
• Watching carefully, broil for about 5 minutes, until cheese is melted and nicely browned. To serve, use spatula.

PIZZA PASTA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and pasta. , Transfer to 2 greased 13x9-in. baking dishes. Sprinkle with cheese. Arrange pepperoni over the top. , Bake, uncovered, 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Freeze option: Cool unbaked casseroles; cover and freeze up to 3 months. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake as directed, increasing time to 35-40 minutes or until heated through and a thermometer inserted in center reads 165°.,

PIZZA PASTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef with onion until beef is brown. Drain. Combine beef mixture with spaghetti sauce, pepperoni and cooked pasta and pour into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with mozzarella.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, until cheese is melted and golden.

PASTA/PIZZA SAUCE

Steps:

• In large skillet, saute garlic in oil until golden. Add tomato paste, sugar, oregano, basil, water, cheese and wine. Season with salt and pepper and simmer 10 minutes over medium-low heat.