The Sauce

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 small green pepper, sliced
• 8 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 lb sweet or spicy Italian sausage
  

  Seasonings:

• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp dry Italian seasoning
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• salt & black pepper to taste
  

  Mix-Ins:

• 1 [14.5 oz] can Italian seasoned diced tomatoes
• 1 [6 oz] can tomato paste
• 1 [24 oz] jar prepared pasta sauce [I used Bertolli 5 cheese]
• 2 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley
  

  Cheese:

• 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 2/3 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
  

  Pasta:

• 8-10 oz uncooked thin spaghetti
• 25 slices of pepperoni quartered [plus add’l for the top]

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.  On the stove top, in a medium sized pot, saute the diced onion, sliced green pepper and mushrooms in a couple of drizzles of olive oil until the onions turn translucent.  Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Add the ground beef and Italian sausage. Cook until no pink remains in the ground meats. Drain any excess fat from the pan, then add the minced garlic, Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, sugar and red pepper flakes. To this add the canned tomatoes and the tomato paste. Increase the heat slightly so the tomato paste will break down and combine with the other ingredients. Taste and adjust the salt and black pepper if needed.

Next, stir in the pasta sauce and 2 tablespoons of chopped Italian parsley. Reduce the heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes. Stir in the quartered pepperoni at the end of cooking and just before assembling. Remove the sauce from the heat. The sauce can be made in advance and refrigerated until you’re ready to assemble the baked spaghetti.

Next, stir in the pasta sauce and 2 tablespoons of chopped Italian parsley. Reduce the heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes. Stir in the quartered pepperoni at the end of cooking and just before assembling. Remove the sauce from the heat. The sauce can be made in advance and refrigerated until you’re ready to assemble the baked spaghetti.
While the pasta sauce is simmering, cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water per the instructions on the box until al dente. Do not overcook. Drain well.

To assemble: Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into the bottom of the baking dish and cover with 1/2 of the cooked spaghetti. Ladle another 1/3 of pasta sauce over the spaghetti, then sprinkle 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese, and 1/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese on top
Repeat, with the remaining spaghetti, then the final 1/3 of pasta sauce and a layer of sliced pepperoni. Finish with one cup of shredded mozzarella cheese and 1/3 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Serve hot. Yield: 6-8 servings