i found a new recipe!!!! :)

i found this pizza casserole recipe on pinterest yesterday & it had to try it.  here is the link to the recipe but here is what i did to make it gluten free.  :)  oh & btw, it was a hit!!!  except hopp didn't care much for it because it had spaghetti noodles.  she just ate the cheese & pepperonis.  :)

Pizza Casserole

Ingredients:

bag of Gluten Free Noodles {i used heb's gluten free fusilli pasta}

1 can of Prego smooth & simple sauce {or any tomato/spaghetti/pizza sauce you prefer}

3 cups shredded cheese {1pkg (2cps) should be enough but i like lots of cheese}  :)

1lb hamburger meat

1 package pepperonis

Preheat oven to 350

Brown the meat, & drain

Boil noodles until soft. Drain.

        

Layer ingredients ½ ingredients at a time in order***

tomato sauce                                       

noodles

cheese

***(as a side note, i don't think you really would need to layer the sauce & noodles, i think if you just mix them this would save a minute or two.  so to break it down, all you would need to do is mix sauce & noodles, layer ½ cheese & then all the hamburger meat & then ½ cheese & then add all the peps you want on top)

then add pepperonis

bake for 30 minutes

her instructions say:  Now cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes - Remove the foil & bake for another 15 minutes  (i didn't have foil so i just baked for 30 minutes.  now, i think you should bake for 20 & then add the top layer of cheese & peps at the last 10 minutes of baking (unless you do my side note this step is unnecessary.  but if you have foil i think you can leave everything layered as she wrote it.  i really, really, really, think the last 15 minutes are a waste.  actually you can probably get away with baking for only 15 minutes if you heat up the sauce first!  i will try that next time.  the only reason you need to bake any of this is because you want the cheese melty & the ingredients hot.)

Once it's done baking, take it out & let it sit for 10 or 15 minutes.

{This is to cool it off AND to let everything settle together. If you don't let it sit, it will just fall apart on your fork!}  (i agree with this statement so actually if you have everything heated up & bake for 15, wait 15 & it's good to go in 30 after putting in oven!)

ENJOY!

this made a huge 11x13 pan full of casserole.  we have an 8x8 pan leftover, q loved it so much she wants it again tonight.  we will probably not all eat it tonight but we will pick at it throughout the week.  :)  i would highly suggest this recipe!!!  now i just need to check other recipes but i totally think you can pull it off in the crock pot!  also, i think next time i will double this batch & then freeze them before baking into 4 different smaller pans so it will be ready for coming weeks!  :)

this is the pasta i used, it's really good & then they have a penne version & a spaghetti version as well.  i haven't had the penne but the spaghetti kind is good too.

i had a really good gf lunch too, i made a turkey bacon, cheese, mayo grilled sandwich from the udi's gf white bread.  omg!  so good.  i buy the oscar meyer lower sodium turkey bacon.  i have been buying that for a while instead of regular bacon as we significantly cut jason's sodium down due to heart issues.  i was very leary of turkey bacon but O-M-G, turkey bacon is the bomb-biggity!!!  :)  worth the switch!  however you have to watch sodium in turkey items.  the sausage is way higher in sodium than the regular beef sausage but this bacon i buy is lower in fat & sodium than regular bacon.  :)  makes me a happy mama!