Baked Ziti with Pepperoni and Meatballs

A couple days ago, a friend of mine messaged me on Facebook and asked if I had any quick and delicious casserole recipes. I was quick to respond, "Not really. My husband was traumatized after the number of tuna and chicken casseroles as a kid, so now he won't eat them." A day passed, and I thought, "You know... If I'm referring to myself as the On-Call cook, I'd better be ready to hand out recipes that people need." So, I whipped this up. I've done something similar to it before, so I didn't use a recipe this time. Friend, who know who you are, I hope this fits the bill. :)

Baked Ziti with Pepperoni and Meatballs:
ziti pasta (enough for your family)
Spaghetti sauce (I made my own, but bottled will work fine)
Meatballs (you can make them or buy frozen ones)
Mozzarella cheese
pepperoni
Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350.

Bake the ziti according to package instructions. While it is cooking, put the spaghetti sauce in a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Add the meatballs so they can thaw while cooking in the sauce. Once the pasta is done, drain it. Put the drained pasta in the dish you will be baking it in. Add the sauce. Some people like a lot of sauce. Others like a little sauce. Put as much as your family likes in with the pasta. Stir to mix it well.

You will have something like this. It would be just delicious as is, but everyone knows that cheese makes everything better. So- sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top to cover it all. Sprinkle pepperoni on top of that. I used mini pepperoni, but any size will work just fine. You can add olives or red onions if you'd like. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top of everything.

Bake that bad boy for 25-30 minutes. If the cheese on top starts to brown, cover it with foil.

When it's done, it'll look like this:

There you are. That's as close to a casserole as I get. :) You can add a loaf of French Bread and a salad to make a complete meal. I hope you and your family likes it!