Dive into a slice of pizza casserole, it’s comfort food perfected!
This dish combines pasta with your favorite pizza toppings in a pizza sauce inspired marinara. It’s all topped off with lots of cheese and baked until browned and bubbly.
Prepare it in a snap for a filling weeknight dinner for a fun new take on pizza night!
A New Family Favorite
- This pizza casserole recipe is a budget-friendly crowd-pleaser.
- In this family favorite, a supreme pizza meets our favorite baked pasta recipe.
- Hearty, healthy, and filling, pizza casserole can be customized with your favorite pizza toppings, anything goes!
- This recipe can be prepared ahead of time and it reheats well for easy weeknight meals.
Ingredients in Pizza Casserole
Pasta – I like penne pasta but choose any medium sized pasta (like rotini, farfalle, or shells). Holes and ridges grab the sauce and this size holds up well to baking. You can use cooked spaghetti too if it’s what you have on hand.
Sauce – A combination of marinara and pizza sauce add flavor and give this recipe its signature pizza flavor! Make them homemade or use ready-made from the store.
Meat – Italian sausage packs a punch of flavor, ground turkey Italian sausage works just as well. Don’t skip the pepperoni slices (or turkey pepperoni) on top for a classic pizza flavor.
Pizza Toppings – Add lots of mozzarella cheese and whatever you love on pizza. Try sliced mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, or olives.
Cut the Carbs
Make this into a low-carb pizza casserole by replacing the pasta for roasted cauliflower. Deliciously easy!
How to Make Pizza Casserole
- Cook and drain pasta.
- Saute meat with onion & garlic. Add veggie toppings (if using) and remaining sauce ingredients. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Toss pasta with meat sauce and spread in a baking dish. Top with cheese and half of the pepperoni slices and parmesan cheese.
- Bake (per recipe below) until the top is browned. Serve hot.
Can You Make Ahead?
Assemble the pizza casserole up to a day ahead, cover it with plastic wrap, and keep it in the refrigerator until it’s ready to bake.
Storing Pizza Casserole
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat portions in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- Freeze cooled portions in plastic wrap and aluminum for up to 4 weeks. Freeze a whole unbaked or baked supreme casserole by lining a casserole dish with parchment paper before assembling the casserole (this makes it easy to remove once frozen so the dish can be used elsewhere).
- Wrap the frozen casserole in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze it for up to a month. Thaw in the refrigerator before baking.
More Cheesy Casseroles
Did your family love this Pizza Casserole? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Supreme Pizza Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ounces penne or medium pasta
- ½ pound Italian sausage or lean ground beef
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups pizza toppings see notes
- 14 ounces diced tomatoes drained
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 14 ounces pizza sauce
- 2 cups marinara sauce or pasta sauce
- 3 cups mozzarella and cheddar blend shredded
- 1 cup pepperoni slices divided
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- In a large pot, cook the pasta according to package instructions, then drain thoroughly.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown the Italian sausage with onion and minced garlic over medium-high heat. Drain any excess fat.
- Add your choice of pizza toppings (see notes) and cook for 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
- Add drained tomatoes, oregano, Italian seasoning, pizza sauce, and marinara sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce and half of the pepperoni slices. Pour the mixture into a greased 9×13 pan.
- Top with the mozzarella cheddar blend, the remaining pepperoni and parmesan cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 18 to 22 minutes or until the cheese is browned.
Notes
If adding vegetables that need to be cooked (such as mushrooms or green bell peppers) add them to the beef and cook a few minutes before adding sauce.
Toppings that don’t need to be cooked (like ham, pepperoni, black olives, artichokes etc) can be added to the pasta sauce. Additional pepperoni and toppings can be sprinkled on top with the cheese to make it crispy.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Casserole, Dinner, Entree, Main Course, Pizza
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Like our recipes?
Follow us on Pinterest!
Could you please tell me the weights of the cheeses. Recipe looks great!!
3 cups mozzarella and cheddar blend is 12 ounces. Enjoy Ron!
Could I use ground pork instead?
That should work just fine Renee! If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
I made this very delicious dish last week using Rigatoni. My wife and daughter enjoyed it very much. They both stated that if I were to make it, but leave out the noodles, that it would make a great dip for tortilla chips. I’m going to do that as a side item for my retirement party in September.
Ooo, that is a great idea, David! Thanks for sharing.
Why does it say at the top of the recipe Cook Time 40 min.,but the recipe instructions themselves say cook 15-20 min.?
We account for a little bit of extra time browning the meat and cooking the pasta. The baking time is correct at 15-20 minutes.
Absolutely delicious. This is my new favorite recipe. Thank you for sharing❤️
So happy you enjoyed it, Eva!
Can this be cooked in a crockpot?
Definitely Luke! To cook in a Crock-Pot, place cooked pasta on the bottom of an oiled crockpot. Layer sauce, vegetable toppings, cooked and seasoned ground beef until the sauce is the top layer. Cover with blended cheese and cook on low for 2 hours or on high for 1 hour. Enjoy!
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Lovin’ this recipe! To me, Pizza in ANY form is nature’s PERFECT food. Thank you.
I couldn’t agree more, Angelina!
How to make this pizza casserole without meat?
Hi Mary, you could use a meat-free Italian sausage substitute or leave it out and choose your favorite meat-free pizza toppings to add in! Enjoy!