Pizza Pasta

Do you love pizza?  I used to love pizza.  As I've gotten further away from proccessed foods and continually add more and more whole foods into my diet, I've found that my cravings for junk food have slowly been diminishing.  I realized the other night when I came across a recipe for pizza pasta, that I couldn't remember the last time I ate pizza.  And then I was pleasantly surprised to notice that I didn't even have a craving for it. 

But pizza pasta was intriguing.  Of course the recipe called for all kinds of pre-made junk, so I thought to myself.  I could easily create my own version of pizza pasta.  And that is exactly what I did, and let me tell you it turned out to be really good!  So good in fact, I just had to share it with all of you.

Kristi's Pizza Pasta

• 1 package spaghetti noodles (I use brown rice since it is gluten-free)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 28oz diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 can large black olives, sliced
• 1 large green bell pepper, diced
• 8 cremini or white mushrooms, sliced
• 1 small yellow or white onion, diced
• 24 slices organic pepperoni, quartered
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• small bunch of basil leaves, torn
• 2 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into small chunks
• Parmesan for grating

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain well and return to pan, adding a swish of olive oil if desired.
2. In a medium pan over medium heat, sautee onion and mushroom until onion is translucent.  Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano and garlic and cook tomatoes down until saucy about 10 minutes.
3. Add bell pepper and cook for about 3-5 minutes to keep peppers crunchy.  Don't overcook or peppers will be soft.
4. Add pepperoni and olives, cook for a few minutes to heat them up.  They don't need to be "cooked".
5. Add fresh basil and stir.  Once again cook for just a minute or two as basil doesn't need to be cooked, just warmed up.
6. Serve pizza topping over pasta, sprinkle with mozzarella chunks and grate with parmesan cheese.

Pizza Pasta
(C) Kristi Hyllen 2011

So what other toppings do you like on your pizza?