Supreme Pizza Pasta Bake

Several years ago, while at staying at our family's cabin with some friends, we had Pizza Pasta Bake for dinner. It was penne pasta, pasta sauce, cheese, topped with pepperoni. It was really good! Over the last couple years, I've experimented on this basic recipe and come up with this latest version...
Supreme Pizza Pasta Bake. I've tried to scale back on the fat and use a whole wheat pasta and turkey sausage and pepperoni, to get this healthier. Hope you enjoy!

Supreme Pizza Pasta Bake

1 lb whole wheat pasta (penne or elbow macaroni)
2 links mild turkey Italian sausage (Jennie-O and Johnsonville make these)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup sliced black olives
1 cup sliced button mushrooms
1/2 c diced yellow onion
1 green bell pepper, diced
8 oz package turkey pepperoni
1 cup part skim mozzarella cheese, grated
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce (or make homemade...link here)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bring 10 cups of water to a boil and add 1 TBSP salt to water. Cook pasta according to package directions to al dente (about 10 minutes). While pasta is cooking, in a non-stick skillet over medium heat, cook the turkey sausage all the way through, About 10 minutes, turning often. Once sausage is cooked through, remove it from pan and let it rest. At this point, pasta should be done. Drain the pasta, add the pasta back into the pot it was cooked in,  and set it aside for assembly. In the same skillet the sausage was cooked in, add 1 TBSP olive oil, garlic, olives, mushrooms, onions, and peppers. Saute the vegetables over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Chop the cooked sausage into bit sized pieces and add to the cooked pasta. Add the sautéed vegetables to the pasta and sausage. Pour in marinara sauce and stir till all ingredients are coated. Pour the pasta into a greased 9X13 pan. Top the pasta with the shredded cheese and pepperoni. Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Serve hot with garlic bread or salad.