Hawaiian Pizza Casserole

It's a Friday night, you're hungry, tired, in a chick flick marathon mood... and you want pizza. Like, really bad... but you don't want to pay for it or have to go pick it up.
Options, options....
You could make one homemade! But that takes a lot of time, not to mention the work of letting the dough rise and then flattening it out... Either way, it's a time commitment and you want to get back to that TV screen.
So, you look around the kitchen and find the next best thing...
And thus, Pizza Casserole was born.

Seriously though, I grew up in California and casseroles were not a thing. Then I married a Utah boy and suddenly they're thrown into the menu as a food staple.

The more I make casseroles, the more I'm decently okay with them. They're quick, easy, and still taste good. My only problem is not knowing what to serve as a side dish because all the more obvious options were just thrown into a 13 by 9...

Back on topic, this particular casserole was an invention of a college friend of mine (thanks Lindsey!). Once she enlightened us on this quick meal, we've been making it ever since. What I love about it is that it's super fast, easy, and still something my two year old wants to eat.

First, boil enough noodles to fit into a 13" by 9" baking dish. Any kind will do. I usually use rotini but I'm sure you could make this into a lasagna if you really wanted to get creative.

When the noodles are soft, drain them and place them in a bowl. Add a 15 oz can of spaghetti sauce (we use a sauce without large tomato chunks but you can really use whatever) and about a cup of mozzarella cheese. At this point you can decide what type of "pizza" you want to make. We always go for pineapple and ham, but pepperoni or even combination would work just as well.

After you add the pizza toppings and combine it all together, pour it into the baking dish and spread more cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and just starting to get a golden color to it.

Pull it out of the oven, let it cool for a few minutes, and serve.

Now back to that chick flick...
Or Thomas the Train Engine.
Whoever got to that remote first... lol.