Slow-Cooker Pizza Casserole

2019. The year Chloe turns seven. The year Jayden turns four. The year I turn twenty-seven. The year Kevin and Crystal get married. The year the community program grows. The year Terrence is in my life for a full calendar year. The year everything I've built becomes the foundation for whatever comes next.

Terrence is officially my boyfriend. I said the word out loud for the first time this week — to Tanisha, on the phone, at 10 PM, in the kitchen. "My boyfriend." Tanisha screamed. I said, "It's just a word." She said, "Sarah Mitchell, you haven't used that word since 2014. It is NOT just a word." She's right. It's not just a word. It's a door I opened. The last time I opened this door, Marcus walked through and then walked out. This time, Terrence walked through and he's still here. Still standing. Still making pancakes on Christmas morning. Still buying orange blankets. Still.

At work, Dr. Patel asked me to take on a mentoring role — training a new hygienist who starts in February. She said, "You have a way of making people feel safe. The new hire needs that." Safe. I make people feel safe. The girl who grew up in an unsafe house, who was left by unsafe men, who rebuilt everything from an unsafe starting point — I make people feel safe. That's the most important thing anyone has ever said about me. More important than "exceptional." More important than "natural hands." Safe. I am a safe place for people. That is my purpose.

Chloe asked me if Terrence is her "new daddy." I said, "No, baby. Terrence is my friend who cares about us." She said, "But he makes pancakes." I said, "Friends can make pancakes." She said, "Oliver's mom's boyfriend doesn't make pancakes." I said, "Every family is different." She said, "I know. But I'm glad we got the pancake one." The pancake one. Terrence is the pancake one. That's his title now. First Cornbread Man, now the Pancake One. My children name people by the food they make. This is Earline's true legacy — a family that defines people by what they cook.

I made a slow cooker pot roast on the first Sunday of 2019 — the first meal of the new year, the kind of meal that says: this is who we are. We are pot roast people. We are Mitchell women with cast iron and cornbread and a man who stirs the peas and a daughter who reads at a third-grade level and a son who wraps himself in orange and a mother who makes cakes for every number. We are this. Whatever 2019 brings, we start it with pot roast. We start it together.

The pot roast I made that first Sunday set the tone for everything — slow-cooked, unhurried, the kind of meal you don’t rush. When I want to carry that same energy into a weeknight, this Slow-Cooker Pizza Casserole is the one I reach for: it goes in the pot in the morning and fills the whole apartment by the time the kids get home. It’s not the same as pot roast, but it has the same spirit — something warm waiting, something that says we planned for you.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 4 hrs | Total Time: 4 hrs 20 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1/2 lb bulk Italian sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jar (24 oz) marinara or pizza sauce
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
3 cups uncooked rotini pasta
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup mini pepperoni slices, divided
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Brown the meat. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef, sausage, onion, and bell pepper together, breaking up the meat, until no longer pink, about 8–10 minutes. Drain excess fat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Build the base. Transfer the meat mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker. Stir in the marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper until combined.
Slow cook. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 hours or HIGH for 1 hour 30 minutes, until sauce is bubbling and flavors have melded.
Add the pasta. Stir in the uncooked rotini. Cover and cook on HIGH for an additional 30–45 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until pasta is tender.
Top and melt. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups mozzarella and 3/4 cup pepperoni over the top. Cover and cook on HIGH for 10–15 more minutes until the cheese is fully melted.
Serve. Ladle into bowls and top each serving with the remaining mozzarella and pepperoni. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Slow-Cooker Pizza Casserole — The First Meal of the New Year