Baked Spaghetti with Sausage and Pepperoni

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I made baked spaghetti the other night, and it was so good that I just had to share. I typically make baked spaghetti when we have leftover spaghetti. I love leftovers, and my motto is cook once and eat twice. We pretty much have leftovers two to three times a week. Unlike my family, I could eat the same thing for a week as long as it was still good. But after about day two the boys are ready to revolt. In an effort to keep the peace, I try to change things up a bit whenever I repurpose a meal.

For baked spaghetti, I usually make a double batch of pasta and sauce and save half for the following day. To transform the simple pasta dish into something hearty and crowd-pleasing, I just add sausage, pepperoni, and cheese. Everyone is happy, and I didn’t spend a lot of time at the stove two evenings in a row.

Let me know when you make this recipe. Take a picture and hashtag it #QUEENCITYKITCHEN. I can’t wait to see what you post!

Baked Spaghetti
Makes 8 servings

Kosher salt
1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
½ pound deli-sliced pepperoni, quartered
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons sugar
1½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon coarse-ground pepper
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 1/2 pounds spaghetti
2 cups shredded mozzarella
2 cup shredded provolone
½ cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish.

Heat a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.

While the water comes to a boil, prepare the sauce. Add the sausage to a large skillet and cook over medium heat until the meat in no longer pink, about 8 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl with the pepperoni. Pour off the fat from the pan.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the skillet. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook one additional minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, butter, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, partially covered, until thickened, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in 2 tablespoons parsley.

Meanwhile, prepare the spaghetti. Cook the pasta al dente, according to package instructions, about 8 minutes. Drain and return the spaghetti to the pot along with the sausage and pepperoni.

Toss the pasta with half of the sauce to coat.

Spread 1 cup of the remaining sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Place half of the pasta in an even layer in the dish. Cover with half of the remaining sauce and sprinkle with half of the mozzarella and half of the provolone. Repeat with the remaining spaghetti, sauce, mozzarella and provolone. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top.

Bake until the cheese melts and the sauce bubbles, about 30 minutes. Allow the spaghetti to rest for 10 minutes. Garnish with 1 tablespoon parsley and serve with Parmesan cheese.

 

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