Pizza Casserole and Cheesy Garlic Bread

I love pizza, but there are no to-die-for pizzeria's around us, so coming up with favorite alternatives has been on the top of our cooking list. While last night I did not attempt to make homemade pizza, I prepared something equally as great. I made a pizza casserole that takes all the great things we love on pizza and combines them with egg noodles to form a wonderfully tasting baked pizza casserole.

Here is what you will need:

• 2 1/2 cups uncooked eggs noodles
• 1/2 pound lean ground beef
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup chorizo
• 16 ounces pizza sauce
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup shredded quesadilla cheese

In reality, this dish can be tweaked in any way you like it. It is supposed to reflect what you love on a pizza. For instance, Nick and I will probably give chopped ham a try next time, instead of chorizo, and pineapple to make a Hawaiian style dish. Another type of pizza we really like is taco pizza. I may add some taco sauce, Mexican seasoning and more ground beef one time. Then add some lettuce, cheese and sour cream towards the end and voila a perfect taco-style pizza casserole. Also, most people like mozzarella cheese on their pizza, therefore use that cheese in this dish. We did not use it because I am not a huge fan of it, therefore I substituted quesadilla cheese , which was fabulous! 


Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 F
• Cook noodles according to package directions
• In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef, garlic and green bell pepper. Drain excess fat
• Stir in noodles, chorizo, pizza sauce and milk, then mix well
• Pour this mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish
• Bake for 20 minutes, top with cheese, then bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes

Just to add a special touch, I made some quick garlic cheesy bread! Who does not love to have pizza and cheesy bread? We had some english muffins that were sitting around waiting to be finished off. I melted some butter, added garlic and onion powder and a pinch of salt. Then I brushed the melted mixture onto each muffin, topped each with some cheese and a dash of basil and broiled it for a couple of minutes. In no time it was warm, soft cheesy garlic bread!

I hope you all enjoy this awesome dish!


Until next time, happy [pizza] casserolin'! 

Comments

[Kelly]

Thanks so much for sharing this with me! I think this might be a winner tonight, looks delish!! :)

[Cooking With Mel]

No Problem Kellly! I'm glad that I could help. This is one of my favorites! I hope you guys enjoy it as much as Nick & I do! :)