Easy Three Meat Pasta Bake

I don't usually posts recipes for main courses because. . .well . . . I don't like to cook! Baking is definitely more "my thing." I think it's because baking usually entails throwing a bunch of ingredients into a bowl, mixing it up, and pouring it into a pan. Cooking involves washing vegetables, slicing and dicing, digging in the fridge for the sour cream in the back, and using 2-3 pans for many meals. Oh, and let's not forget the standing by the stove to stir!

My husband is not a chef either - and probably because he is a perfectionist. We have come to the conclusion that if he made dinner, we probably would end up ordering pizza if things didn't turn out perfectly OR we would not be eating until 9 pm.

Fortunately, neither my husband or children are picky and they all like healthy foods. As a matter of fact, after we had only been married a short time, he asked for brussel sprouts. I had never eaten them, never mind made them, so I looked in my trusty Fanny Farmer cookbook. I think my mother-in-law gave it to me (it's had some wear and tear). I used it the first few years we were married to learn how to make pot roast, meatloaf, ham, and all those other things I never ate growing up.

I would say 95% of the time I try a new recipe, it's NOT from reading the recipe. I'll eat something I like (at a restaurant or friends) and just try to copy it. Isn't it more fun that way anyway?!?

OK, so enough blabbering. Here's a simple dinner that feeds 6. Serve it with salad and garlic bread, and everyone will be happy!

Three Meat Pasta Bake Ingredients:

1 box pasta

1 lb each of ground beef and ground sausage

20 slices of pepperoni

1 1/2 jars/cans of tomato sauce

8 oz mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Make 1 box of any type pasta (I used shells this time) and drain

Cook beef and sausage and drain

Add 1/2 jar of tomato sauce to each pan

Pour 1/2 the pasta in a 8x11 pan, then sprinkle on about 1/4 of the mozzarella cheese

I then add about another 1/2 jar of tomato sauce.Next, add all the ground meat, then pour on the remaining pasta. Arrange a layer of pepperoni on the top, then sprinkle on the rest of the mozzarella cheese

Bake it for just 15 min or so to let the cheese melt (when I've made 1/2 as much, I just put my 8x8 pan in the microwave to melt the cheese)

Here is a pic of it before adding the last bit of mozzarella and then after it's baked. . .cheesy goodness!