Italian Hot Dish
My husband had a poor perception of healthy food until he tried this beefy casserole. The combination of pasta, oregano, mushrooms and green peppers makes it a favorite healthy pasta recipe in our house. —Theresa Smith, Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Reviews
I have not made this yet, but I will give it four stars because it looks like something I would make. Having said that, knowing my cooking habits, I can tell you right up front that I would season this differently. I wouldn't bother with onion and garlic powder; I would simply increase the amount of fresh onion and garlic. Also, instead of 1 teaspoon of oregano, I would use a tablespoon of Italian herb seasoning. Nevertheless, I have a very good idea that my husband and I would like this. A good basic recipe that lends itself nicely to variations
I was weary about making this, so I took the advice of other reviewers. I browned pork sausage with green pepper, two garlic cloves and onion. Afterwards, I drained the fat and added tomato sauce, pepperoni, two basil leaves, parsley, black pepper and a half teaspoon of oregano. Simmered 10 minutes. Added rigatoni. Mixed. Covered with various cheeses I wanted to finish. Then, I covered and baked for 20 minutes at 350°. Once done, I uncovered and baked another 10 minutes. Lots of flavor and quite spicy from the pepperoni.
As soon as I saw “hot dish” I knew it had to be a recipe from Wisconsin!! LOL
I made this tonight with changes. My daughter doesn't like mushrooms so I left them out. I also saw no need to use 3 different pans to make one dish. So I cooked the meat, green pepper and onion then added the tomato sauce and an equal amount of water. Brought that to a boil, added the pasta and spices and cooked it down until the water was absorbed. Added cheese to the top and it was done. It did need more spice. If I make it again I will add some pepperoni slices since I always seem to have some in my kitchen.
I fail to see why everyone complains about carbs. If this is the centrepiece of your meal, don't have bread and/or corn as side dishes. It kills me when people eat pasta with garlic bread and then complain about their carb consumption. I couldn't give this five stars because I didn't follow the recipe exactly. I used fresh onions and garlic, and I used more mushrooms. I also put a bit of the meat sauce on the bottom of the baking dish before adding the pasta. And finally, I added much more seasoning. Nevertheless, it's a good basic recipe.
Carbs, carbs & more carbs how is this healthy?
Why do we need to bake it for 35 minutes after it’s already cooked through? I added water in the summer stage to the tomato sauce to keep it from drying out.
First time I made this I made exactly as written. I made it a 2nd. time with some changes because I thought it needed more flavor. I used mild Italian sausage instead of ground beef, added some chopped pepperoni and sliced black olives. I did not put this in the oven. After browning the sausage and onion and green pepper I added the spices and tomato sauce. Simmered for about 20 minutes; covered. Added the pepperoni and olives, stirred. About 10 minutes before serving I added the cooked bow ties. It was more to our liking. My wife said the pepperoni made it a lot better. I agree, also the Italian sausage in place of the ground beef. This is a keeper for us.
Great! Will make again. Easy directions. Used fresh onion, chopped but did not use onion powder.
I made this for dinner tonight but I used Italian sausage instead of hamburger and my husband and I both agree that it def gave more flavor either the sausage. It was very good will make again.