Yummy One Dish Magic

Now that the days are cooler (although upper 70s to lower 80s isn’t exactly “cold”), I am getting things done around the house. The fall cleaning and organizing in particular. My guys never know what they might come home to find.

Recently I took everything out of the pantry and commercial kitchen racks. Then I rearranged the entire nook area. I tried the pantry next to the fridge. That didn’t work because the pantry stuck out further than the fridge. So I pulled the fridge out away from the wall, but that didn’t work because I couldn’t open the dishwasher all the way. I ended up putting everything back the way it was, with the exception of the rack and pantry – those I switched. I needed to organize the pantry anyway, so it wasn’t a total waste of time.

On days like this, I really want to keep dinner as simple as possible. A one dish casserole was the perfect choice. It takes a bit longer when you use uncooked pasta in the casserole, but that’s also two less pans to wash (one for boiling, the other for draining). With the exception of a big mixing bowl, the only other dish to clean was the casserole dish. The receipt actually said to mix everything together in the casserole dish, but it seemed to me there wasn’t the room needed to truly combine all the ingredients.

All I know is that I got a lot of fall organizing accomplished and still put a nice dinner on the table at the end of the day. Enjoy!

One-Dish Meatball Pepperoni Pasta Bake
16 oz Ronini Pasta
2 (24 oz) jars Spicy Marinara Sauce
1 (15 oz) can Diced Tomatoes
1 cup Pepperoni Slices
16 oz frozen cooked Italian-Style Meatballs
1 cup Water
1 cup Beef Stock
2 cups shredded Italian Cheese Blend

Heat oven to 350-degrees. Spray a 13-inch by 9-inch (3-quart) casserole dish with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl mix pasta, Marinara sauce and diced tomatoes with juices. Stir in pepperoni and frozen meat balls. Add water and beef stock. Mix well. Pour into baking dish. With a spoon, make sure all the pasta is submerged in liquid, cover with foil.

Place in the heated oven to bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until pasta is tender. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese. Continue to bake for about 10 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Serve with a simple toss salad and enjoy.

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