Vacation Preparation Casserole

Penne pasta with red sauce, Italian sausage, pepperoni, olives and mozzarella cheese. Make this fast and easy casserole in your Instant Pot or in the oven.

Vacation Preparation Casserole

It’s always nice to be on vacation. But getting ready for vacation can be ultra stressful. Packing and cleaning and tying up loose ends at work and with schedules. The week before I go on vacation I like to make dinners that are ultra easy and don’t require a lot of time or effort. That way I can focus my attention on the things that have to get done (like laundry and packing).

This recipe is one of those easy recipes that you can make when you’re too busy to make dinner. It’s super yummy too! My family all agreed we should make it again soon. It’s like pizza and penne together in one dish. The Italian sausage adds tons of flavor. You can make this right now in the Instant Pot or you can prep it right now and bake it tomorrow in the oven.

Ingredients/Substitution Ideas

• Ground Italian sausage–or a pound of regular breakfast sausage with 1 tsp basil, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp parsley, ½ tsp onion powder, ½ tsp rosemary, ½ tsp pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes stirred into it.
• Diced onion–I like to use frozen diced onions for convenience
• Beef broth–or water and Better than Bouillon Beef Base
• Penne pasta–or farfalle or cavatappi or macaroni
• Spaghetti sauce–use your favorite brand
• Sliced olives–if you don’t like olives just leave them out
• Sliced pepperonis–or turkey pepperonis
• Garlic powder
• Italian seasoning
• Spinach–frozen is okay
• Parmesan cheese
• Mozzarella cheese–or pizza blend

Steps

Instant Pot Instructions:

1. Brown sausage and onions: Turn Instant Pot to sauté setting. When display says HOT add in the sausage and break it up. Add in the onions. Brown sausage for about 5 minutes. If there is excess grease drain it off. 
2. Deglaze the pot: Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off sauté setting.
3. Dump in ingredients: Sprinkle in the penne pasta evenly. Dump spaghetti sauce, olives, pepperoni, garlic powder and Italian seasoning on top. Do not stir.
4. Pressure cook: Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5-10 minutes. Move valve to venting and remove lid.
5. Stir well. Stir in the cheeses and spinach.
6. Serve: Scoop onto plates and serve.

Overnight Oven Instructions:

1. Brown sausage and onions: Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add in the sausage and onions and brown for about 5-10 minutes. Drain excess grease.
2. Stir together ingredients in a baking dish: In a 9×13 inch pan mix broth, spaghetti sauce, sausage, uncooked pasta, olives, pepperoni, garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Make sure that the pasta is completely covered with sauce. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight. 
3. Bake: When ready to bake heat oven to 350 degrees F. Stir casserole and recover with foil. Bake 60-75 minutes or until bubbly. 
4. Add cheese: Uncover and stir. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 5 more minutes. Serve and enjoy.

Notes/Tips

• Serve with a side salad and Olive Garden Italian dressing and garlic bread.
• I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. you can also make this in your 8 quart pot. You can halve the recipe in the 3 quart pot.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Other recipes you can make with leftover pepperoni are Instant Pot Sausage Pepperoni Spinach Ravioli and Instant Pot Pepperoni Pizza Meatloaf.

More Pizza Inspired Recipes…

• Instant Pot Prize Winning Pizza Mac and Cheese—pepperoni pizza meets macaroni and cheese for a winning combination. Everyone will say, “more please!”
• Instant Pot Pizza Soup–Love pizza? Try this soup that tastes like the real deal (minus the crispy crust).
• Instant Pot Crustless Pizza–-pizza flavors without all the calories! Add your favorite pizza toppings to customize to your family’s preferences. This recipe can be low carb.

Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.

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*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.