Copycat Pizza Hut Meaty Marinara Pasta

I don’t know what happened. I can’t explain it. It was the day after Thanksgiving, it’s not like I was starving, not by any means. But after the first bite of this copycat Pizza Hut meaty marinara pasta I was suddenly very hungry. I could not get enough of it. It’s just flat-out delicious and it hit the spot on a cool November day. I’d make this dish again and again, exactly like it’s written.

Copycat Pizza Hut Meaty Marinara Pasta

The sauce in this copycat of Pizza Hut’s meaty marinara pasta is absolutely delicious. I’d definitely use it over spaghetti or in lasagna. And you have to have the cheese, and you have to get it just a bit browned. Oh… me yes! It is so good! I flashed back to the days of the Pizza Hut buffets where you’d find this great dish, pizza slices and crispy yummy salads!

I highly recommend that you shred or grate your own cheese at home. Don’t buy the pre-shredded or pre-grated stuff. It has stuff added to it to keep it from sticking together. That ‘stuff’ affects how the cheese melts. Shred it yourself and use the real stuff.

Also try my copycat Pizza Hut Pan Pizza.

Copycat Pizza Hut Meaty Marinara Pasta
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4 from 18 votes

Copycat Pizza Hut Meaty Marinara Pasta

I'd make this dish again and again, exactly like it's written.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword copycat, pasta
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings 8
Calories 486kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place the ground beef in a medium sized bowl.
  • Add the flour, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, 1/4 the pepper, and all of the fennel seed. Using your hands, mix well.
  • Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the beef mixture and cook, breaking it up, until cooked through. Remove the beef to a paper towel-lined plate.
  • Remove any excess grease from the pan. Add the oil. Reduce heat to medium-low.
  • Add the onion and cook for 1 minute.
  • Add the garlic and stir, continuing to cook until the onion is just starting to soften.
  • Add the tomato sauce, crushed tomato, Parmesan, basil, sugar, oregano and the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper.
  • Increase heat to medium, stirring often, until the sauce starts to bubble.
  • Stir in the ground beef mixture and reduce the heat to medium-low so the sauce simmers. Let cook 30-45 minutes, stirring often, until thickened.
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 15 minutes, stirring often.
  • Drain the pasta.
  • Spray a 9" x 13" baking dish with non-stick spray.
  • Add half of the pasta and spread it out evenly. Top with half of the sauce, spreading it out evenly also.
  • Add remaining pasta, again spreading it out evenly. Add the last of the sauce and and spread out evenly.
  • Preheat your oven broiler to high.
  • Sprinkle cheese over top of the dish, getting it from edge-to-edge.
  • Place the dish under the broiler and broil for 2-4 minutes, keeping an eye on it, until the cheese just starts to brown.
  • Remove and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 486kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 655mg | Potassium: 333mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 258IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 211mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Italian Meat Sauce

This is my go-to meat sauce for all things Italian. I use it (with some variations) in lasagna, on pasta, in calzones, on buns for sandwiches… you name it. It uses the simplest of ingredients, goes together easy, and makes the house smell wonderful.

Lasagna

This makes a pretty big batch of Italian meat sauce, but since it has so many uses you won’t have any problems using it up. Just follow the recipe section below for adding in the ingredients for each way you can use this sauce. You want a thicker sauce for some dishes, and a thinner sauce with vegetables for others.

Lasagna
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5 from 1 vote

Italian Meat Sauce

This is my go-to meat sauce for all things Italian. I use it (with some variations) in lasagna, on pasta, in calzones, on buns for sandwiches… you name it. It uses the simplest of ingredients, goes together easy, and makes the house smell wonderful.
Course Sauce
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Italian, sauce, spaghetti
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 315kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

For the meat

  • 2 pounds ground meat for lasagna I use 1 pound Italian sausage and 1 pound ground beef, but for other uses I use 2 pounds Italian sausage
  • 1 large white onion diced
  • 2-4 cloves garlic minced

For calzones, pasta and sandwiches, add:

  • 1 red bell pepper chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper chopped
  • 8 ounces mushrooms sliced

For the sauce (use half the amounts below if using for lasagna)

Instructions

  • Crumble the meat(s) into a large pot or Dutch oven and brown over medium high heat. Drain fat if desired.
  • Add the onion and cook until softened. If making the sauce for something other than lasagna, also add in the peppers and mushrooms.
  • Add the garlic and cook another minute.
  • Add in all of the sauce ingredients.
  • Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, 1-2 hours.
  • Continue cooking with lid off for another hour, adding a bit more water if the sauce is too thick.

Nutrition

Calories: 315kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 86mg | Potassium: 494mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 531IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutritional values are approximate.