Warm Pepperoni Pasta Food

QUICK PEPPERONI PASTA

Steps:

• Cook and drain pasta; set aside, keeping warm.
• In a large skillet melt margarine; sauté mushrooms and pepperoni. Drain off fat.
• Stir in spinach till wilted, about 1 minute.
• Add pasta, basil and lemon juice with 1/2 of the cheese.
• Toss together and serve sprinkled with remaining cheese.

PEPPERONI PASTA WITH LEMON AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook, according to package directions, until about 2 minutes shy of al dente so that the pasta can finish cooking in the sauce. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
• While the pasta is cooking, in a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium. Add pepperoni and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisped and brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
• If the pan looks dry, drizzle in a little more oil. Add garlic, fennel seeds, red-pepper flakes (if using) and a large pinch of salt, and cook until garlic is lightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook until it darkens, about 1 minute.
• Add the drained pasta, lemon zest and 3/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to the skillet. Stir until the pasta is al dente and well coated with the sauce. Add more pasta water, if needed, until the sauce is glossy and the pasta is cooked to taste.
• Cut the zested lemon in half and squeeze some juice into the pasta. Stir in herbs and taste, adding more lemon juice and salt, if needed. Cut the remaining half lemon into wedges and serve it alongside the pasta, which should be garnished with more herbs and a drizzle of oil, and sprinkled with Parmesan, if you like.

PEPPERONI PIZZA PASTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and set aside.
• While the pasta cooks, add the olive oil to a large heavy-bottomed pot set over medium-low heat. Once the oil is warm, add the onions, bell peppers and a pinch each of salt and pepper and cook, stirring constantly, until the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, breaking apart the sausage with a spatula, until browned and cooked throughout, about 10 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to low, add the tomato sauce then add the cooked pasta and 1/2 cup of the pepperoni to the pot; stir to combine.
• Transfer half of the pasta to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, top with half of the mozzarella, then top with the remaining pasta, followed by the remaining mozzarella, then the remaining 1/4 cup pepperoni.
• Bake the pasta until the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. Remove the baked pasta from the oven and serve.