Recipe Background
School Night Casserole is a comforting blend of pasta and meats with bubbling cheese.
School Night Casserole brings comfort to the table. The combination of hearty pasta, beef, and sausage creates a satisfying foundation, while the trio of sauces—spaghetti, salsa, and Italian diced tomatoes—infuses familiar flavors with a touch of brightness. Sliced mushrooms add an earthy note, mingling perfectly with the green pepper and onion for a robust taste that feels like home.
As it bakes, a wonderful aroma fills the kitchen—a savory promise of the cozy meal ahead. The bubbling cheese on top forms a golden crust, inviting you to dig in while the dish is still too hot to resist. Here’s a tip: let the casserole stand for about five minutes after baking. This makes serving cleaner and allows the dish to settle, keeping those layers intact.
When it’s time to share, the casserole draws people in. The stringy mozzarella, the sharpness of Swiss, and the nutty parmesan make every bite a harmonious blend of textures. It's not just a dish; it’s a shared experience, perfect for weeknights with family or friends. Simple to prepare, this dish reassures with its dependable warmth and balances familiar comfort with just a hint of indulgence.
Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) package of penne pasta
- 1 pound of ground beef
- 1 pound bulk Italian pork sausage
- 1 3/4 cups fresh mushrooms sliced
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 medium green pepper chopped
- 2 (14.5-ounce) cans of Italian diced tomatoes
- 1 (23.5-ounce) jar of Italian sausage and garlic spaghetti sauce
- 1 (16-ounce) jar of chunky mild salsa
- 1 (8-ounce) package of sliced pepperoni chopped
- 1 cup Swiss cheese shredded and divided
- 4 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese shredded and divided
- 1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese shredded and divided
- 1 (24-ounce) jar of 3-cheese spaghetti sauce
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease two 9x13-inch baking dishes.
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
- In a dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook the beef, sausage, mushrooms, onion, and green pepper, breaking the meat into crumbles, until the meat is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes.
- Drain the fat from the dutch oven.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the meat mixture.
- Stir the tomatoes, the sausage and garlic spaghetti sauce, the salsa, and the pepperoni into the meat mixture.
- Divide the mixture between the prepared baking dishes.
- Sprinkle each dish with 1/4 of the Swiss cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella, and 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese.
- Evenly spread the 3-cheese spaghetti sauce on top of each of the casseroles.
- Sprinkle the remaining Swiss, mozzarella, and parmesan evenly over the top of both of the casseroles.
- Cover the casseroles and bake until bubbly, about 25 minutes.
- Uncover and bake until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.
- Serve hot.
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