BoWilliams.com pasta pie!

Back when there was a Madison Square Mall and a restaurant called Mozzarella’s therein, it was mine and Melanie’s favorite spot. I used to love the New York pasta pie there. (And wow, we’re going seriously back in time, because even though the mall’s only been gone a couple of years, Melanie and I moved to Viet Huong in 2003.)

I’ve drifted from it a bit, ditching the penne in the Mozzarella’s version for an angel hair “crust,” and omitting the mushrooms and black olives in the interest of domestic tranquility. This still takes me back pretty convincingly, and it’s very popular at our house.

You will need:

1 lb. angel hair pasta
8 oz. Italian sausage (2 links from the Publix fresh package is perfect, or ground is fine)
1 1b. ground round
1 22-24-oz. jar marinara sauce
1 large bell pepper, diced
1 medium white onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 eggs, beaten
1 6-7-oz. package shredded Parmesan cheese
1 8-oz. package shredded mozzarella cheese
1 6-oz. package sliced pepperoni

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and allow to cool.
Cook sausage, drain, and set aside to cool. If you used links, cut them into quarter-slices.
Brown ground round, drain, and return to skillet.
Add marinara, bell pepper, onion, garlic, and sausage. Bring to slight boil over medium heat, then reduce to low.
Preheat oven to 350º.
In a large mixing bowl, combine (cooled!) pasta, eggs, and Parmesan cheese, and mix thoroughly.
Give your 9 x 13 dish a little spritz of Pam, and pour the pasta mixture into it. Build up the sides a bit to form the pie “crust,” and smooth the middle to uniform depth.
Pour the skillet mixture into the middle of the dish and smooth.
Sprinkle about a quarter of the mozzarella over the top of the dish evenly.
Tile the portion inside the crust with pepperoni.
Distribute the rest of the mozzarella over the top of the dish evenly.
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned.
Remove and allow to rest for five minutes before serving.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Of course, this is just Casserole 101 in a lot of ways. It’s a forgiving and versatile framework that will likely happily tolerate whatever variations you want to throw at it. I mentioned above that I leave out mushrooms and black olives because I’m the only one at my house who likes them in there. Don’t like Italian sausage? Take it out. Don’t like pepperoni? Leave it off. Want to add diced tomatoes? Go for it. Spinach? Shoot, yeah.

Enjoy!

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