Pepperonipasta Recipes

PEPPERONI PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Cook pasta in generously-salted water until al dente according to package instructions.
• While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, until it is cooked and translucent. Add the garlic and oregano and cook for 1 minute more, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant. Remove from heat.
• Once the pasta is finished cooking, drain the water and return the pasta back to the pot. Stir in the garlic/onion mixture, the marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, Mozzarella (reserve a small handful of the cheese for the topping), Parmesan and pepperonis. Mix until well-blended.
• Transfer the pasta to a greased baking dish, and then sprinkle the remaining Mozzarella cheese on top. Bake uncovered for about 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starts to brown around the edges.
• Serve immediately.

PEPPERONI PASTA

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Add the spaghetti sauce, mushrooms and pepperoni. , In a greased 13x9-in. baking dish, layer with half the pasta and meat mixtures. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup each mozzarella and provolone cheeses. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. , Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 30-35 minutes or until heated through. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

CREAMY SPINACH AND PEPPERONI BAKED PASTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Add both cans of the tomatoes and 1 cup of water. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer rapidly, uncovered, until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the ricotta and season with salt and pepper.
• While the sauce simmers, heat the remaining tablespoon oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the pepperoni and cook, stirring occasionally, until it just starts to crisp, about 4 minutes. Add the spinach and stir, breaking up the clumps, just to warm. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Cook the rigatoni in the salted boiling water until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain the pasta and add it to the bowl.
• Add the tomato sauce, half each of the Asiago and pecorino to the bowl and stir well to combine. Transfer the pasta to a 3- to 4-quart baking dish and top with the remaining Asiago and pecorino. Bake, uncovered, until browned, about 15 minutes. Let the pasta rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

PEPPERONI CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium casserole dish.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place pasta in the pot, cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain.
• In a skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage until evenly brown.
• In the prepared casserole dish, mix the cooked pasta, sausage, and pasta sauce. In a bowl, mix the cottage cheese, olives, and mozzarella cheese. Spoon the cheese mixture over the sausage and pasta mixture. Top with pepperoni slices.
• Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until bubbly and lightly browned.

PEPPERONI PASTA WITH LEMON AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook, according to package directions, until about 2 minutes shy of al dente so that the pasta can finish cooking in the sauce. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
• While the pasta is cooking, in a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium. Add pepperoni and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisped and brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
• If the pan looks dry, drizzle in a little more oil. Add garlic, fennel seeds, red-pepper flakes (if using) and a large pinch of salt, and cook until garlic is lightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook until it darkens, about 1 minute.
• Add the drained pasta, lemon zest and 3/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to the skillet. Stir until the pasta is al dente and well coated with the sauce. Add more pasta water, if needed, until the sauce is glossy and the pasta is cooked to taste.
• Cut the zested lemon in half and squeeze some juice into the pasta. Stir in herbs and taste, adding more lemon juice and salt, if needed. Cut the remaining half lemon into wedges and serve it alongside the pasta, which should be garnished with more herbs and a drizzle of oil, and sprinkled with Parmesan, if you like.

PEPPERONI 'N' TOMATO PASTA

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, saute the onion, green pepper and mushrooms in oil until tender. , Stir in the tomato sauce, tomatoes, bay leaves, sugar and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Stir in pepperoni. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. , Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and place in a large serving bowl. Discard bay leaves from sauce; stir in Parmesan cheese. Pour over pasta; toss to coat. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

MIKE ISABELLA'S PEPPERONI SAUCE (FOR PASTA)

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, until the oil shimmers.
• Add the onion and garlic; cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until they are golden and fragrant.
• Stir in the pepperoni; cook for about 5 minutes, until fragrant and evenly coated, then add the toasted fennel seed and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute, stirring.
• Add the tomatoes and their juices (to taste), the broth and the bay leaf; stir to incorporate.
• Once the mixture starts to bubble at the edges, cover and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• The pepperoni slices will be soft, with a deeper color.
• Remove from the heat.
• Working in batches as needed, transfer to a food processor or a high-powered blender (including the bay leaf); puree until smooth.
• The sauce is ready to use. Or cool, cover and refrigerate or freeze.
• NOTE: Toast the fennel seed in a small dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the skillet often to keep the seeds from burning. They will become fragrant and slightly darker in color. This only takes a couple of minutes.
• He also recomends using San Marzano tomatoes for this recipe.

QUICK PEPPERONI PASTA

Steps:

• Cook and drain pasta; set aside, keeping warm.
• In a large skillet melt margarine; sauté mushrooms and pepperoni. Drain off fat.
• Stir in spinach till wilted, about 1 minute.
• Add pasta, basil and lemon juice with 1/2 of the cheese.
• Toss together and serve sprinkled with remaining cheese.

PEPPERONI PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, zucchini, basil, and egg; season with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Spread 1 cup marinara in a 9-by-13-inch broiler-proof baking dish. Fill each shell with 1 heaping tablespoon ricotta mixture and arrange in an even layer in dish. Top with remaining 2 cups marinara, then pepperoni and mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake until sauce is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Heat broiler, remove foil, and broil until cheese is browned in spots, about 3 minutes. Top with additional basil and serve.