Wednesday Eats and Treats: Cavatini for a Crowd

Cavatini for a Crowd

This recipe makes two 13 x 9 pans full of pasta. I made one to eat tonight and froze the other one for another meal. We served this with salad and garlic bread. My teen boys kept going back for more and more and more.

Chopped ham, chicken and ground beef are mixed into spaghetti sauce with sauteed onions, green peppers and mushrooms. Layer to bake with pasta and cheeses.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup butter 1 onion, chopped 1 green bell pepper, chopped 2 (4.5 ounce) cans sliced mushrooms, drained 2 pounds lean ground beef or Italian sausage 2 (24 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce 4 ounces chopped ham

1/2 cup cooked and cubed chicken 3 ounces sliced pepperoni sausage 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes salt to taste ground black pepper to taste 1 pound shaped pasta (wagon wheels, twists, etc.) 2 pounds mozzarella cheese, shredded 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a small skillet, saute onions, green peppers, and mushrooms in butter or margarine. Set aside.
2.	Brown hamburger in a large skillet over medium heat. Drain. Mix in tomato sauce, pasta sauce, chopped ham, chopped chicken or turkey, pepperoni, salt, and red and black pepper. Add vegetable saute to hamburger mixture.
3.	Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
4.	Spread a little sauce over the bottom of two 9 x 13 inch pans. In each pan, place a layer of pasta, a layer of mozarella cheese, a hamburger sauce layer, a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, and another layer of mozarella cheese. Repeat layers. Cover pans.
5.	Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes. If you want your cheese soft instead of crusty, cover with foil while baking and take off for the last 5-10 minutes of cooking. (Adapted from Cavatini I recipe at allrecipes.com)