The pot that feeds them now and again at nine
Crisp a cup of halved turkey pepperoni in the pan first. That one step renders the fat out and gives the whole pot the flavor kids are actually asking for when they say pizza.
Serve a modest bowl at 4:50 and cover the rest. A fourteen-year-old walking in at 8:45 after a hard session will eat a second bowl standing at the counter, and you will already be done cooking.
Ingredients
The recipe serves 4 to 6. Plan on about 25 minutes.
- 1 lb rotini or penne
- 1 jar (24 oz) marinara or pizza sauce
- 1 cup turkey pepperoni slices, halved
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
How to Make It
- Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until tender, about 10 minutes, then drain and return it to the pot.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the turkey pepperoni for 2 minutes until the edges curl.
- Stir the marinara, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder into the pasta and warm over low heat.
- Fold in most of the pepperoni and half the mozzarella until the cheese melts into the sauce.
- Top with the remaining mozzarella, Parmesan, and pepperoni, cover for 2 minutes to melt, and serve.
Timing Before Practice
Start about 30 minutes before you leave so the cheesy pasta cools enough to eat.
- T-minus 30: boil the pasta and crisp the pepperoni
- T-minus 15: stir in the sauce and cheese, then plate early eaters
- T-minus 5: water bottles and shoes, no new cooking
Make It Ahead or Save Leftovers
This tastes even better reheated, so make a big pot for leftovers.
- Cook the pasta and sauce ahead and refrigerate together
- Reheat leftovers with a splash of water to loosen the sauce
- Pack a thermos of warm pizza pasta for the next day's lunch
- Serve with: a green salad, garlic bread
Parent Tip
Crisp the pepperoni first; that quick step renders out fat and gives the whole dish real pizza flavor.
Make it fit tonight
Small changes that make this one fit your night
Pepperoni crisped before anything else
Three minutes in a dry pan is the difference between pizza pasta and pasta with meat in it.
Mozzarella stirred in off the heat
Two cups melt through the hot rotini without the sauce breaking or going oily.
Pasta and sauce chilled together
Store them combined and the noodles keep tasting like sauce instead of drying into a clump.
A green salad on the side, not garlic bread
Bread on top of pasta is a lot to carry into warm-ups; save it for a rest night.
A warm thermos for tomorrow's lunch
This reheats better than most pasta, so a filled thermos at 7 a.m. is genuinely good at noon.
Plan the next step
Settle more dinner debates
Collect a few mash-up meals that satisfy two different cravings in a single pot.