Dinner doesn’t get much better than this One Pot Cheesy Pizza Pasta Bake which is easy to make comfort food that is oh-so-delicious .

Traditions are intensely personal and make us who we are. They help us learn about ourselves and connect us across generations. My husband and I both feel that family meal time is sacred and we’ve started building our own traditions around the family dinner table that we hope our kids will continue to carry on when they eventually start their own families. Every Friday night during dinner we have a tradition where we say something we love or a good memory about each person at the table, including ourselves. It has become a weekly ritual that our kids look forward to. For our last Friday night dinner, I was craving pizza but was too lazy to pick one up. Who’s too lazy for that? I wanted the wonderful taste of pizza, but was in the mood to be a bit more creative. I always have pizza ingredients on hand because we eat it so often, so this pasta ended up being a no brainer.

I also knew that I didn’t want to have a ton of dishes, so I figured out how to make the whole thing in one pot. Making a one pot pasta meal is actually quite genius because all you have to do is add all the ingredients you would if you had cooked the pasta separately, but instead you just throw the uncooked pasta in the pot along with everything else and some additional water. Voila!

Even without the melted cheese, this pasta would have been amazing. I mean, how can you go wrong with pasta, sauce, seasoned meats and fresh basil. But once you make it more pizza-like, it turned into something that was beyond amazing.

Nothing quite melts like mozzarella, right? Just look at that melty, saucy, cheesy goodness!

The leftovers tasted even better! You’ll definitely want to try this recipe out for your next family dinner. What sort of traditions do you share with your family?

Ingredients

13 ounces spicy italian sausage removed from casing
1 small onion diced
1/2 red bell pepper diced
2 cloves garlic minced
3-4 ounces pepperoni divided
1/4 cup artichoke hearts
1/4 cup fresh basil
1 14 ounce jar pasta sauce
1 1/2 cups water
8 ounces pasta
8 ounces mozzarella grated
1/4 cup sliced black olives

Instructions

In dutch oven over medium high heat, cook sausage with onion and pepper until meat is slightly browned, 10-15 minutes. Add garlic and half the pepperoni, stir, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Add artichoke hearts, basil, pasta sauce, water, and pasta. Stir well and cover. Cook over medium high heat for 7-10 minutes until pasta is tender. While pasta is cooking, preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
When pasta is cooked, cover with shredded mozzarella as well as remaining pepperoni and olives. Bake in preheated oven for 5-10 minutes until cheese has fully melted.

Questions about the nutrition information?Check out my Nutrition Disclaimer