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Incredible Cavatini for a Crowd


Incredible Cavatini for a Crowd
(Among Friends: Keeping Good Company)
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. medium or mild ground pork sausage
1 onion, chopped
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 (3 1/2 oz.) pkg. pepperoni slices, chopped
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes with roasted garlic
1 (28 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce
1 (16 oz.) jar mild salsa
1 (16 oz.) pkg. shell macaroni, cooked & drained
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 cups (16 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
~~~~~
Cook the ground beef, sausage and onion together until meat is done. Add sliced mushrooms and saute until mushrooms are limp. Drain well; set aside
Combine the pepperoni, diced tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, salsa and cooked pasta with meat. Spoon half of the mixture into 2 lightly greased (11 x 7 x 1 1/2") baking dishes; sprinkle with half the Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Top with remaining pasta mixture. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes, then top with remaining cheeses and bake 5 minutes longer.


~This recipe will serve 12-15 people or it can be prepared in 3 separate casserole dishes, freezing the extra 2 dishes before baking. To serve the frozen dishes: thaw in the refrigerator the day before, then let stand at room temperature 30 minutes and bake as directed above.
This is such a great recipe! And tonight I used ground turkey instead of beef and it was very good.

Comments

Lisa said…
This sounds great! I love the idea of making a big batch and freezing the rest.

Have you noticed that you can get a 1 lb. chub of ground turkey for
$1.83 at Walmart? That's cheaper than ground chuck. The funny thing is, if you go to the turkey area of the meat section, they have one brand that is alot more expensive. The chub is Jennie-O brand and I found it in the big open freezer in the middle of the aisle across from the meat section.
Thanks for the tip on the turkey, Lisa! I think I may go get some of that.
Betsy Brock said…
Yum! I make something very similar to this. I don't have a recipe, but just throw the stuff together. Now I know what to call it!
Kayren said…
I missed this one the other day when it posted, and it sounds yummy. Some of the Pizza Hut restaurants have a cavatini, and this sounds like it may be a lot like it. I'm going to have to try it out.

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