Description
Pizza Pasta Casserole combines everything you love about pizza—savory sauce, melty cheese, and classic toppings—with hearty pasta in one cheesy, comforting bake. Perfect for family dinners, picky eaters, or potlucks, this easy-to-make casserole delivers all the pizza flavor without the dough.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 12 oz penne or rotini pasta
- 1 lb ground beef or Italian sausage
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (24 oz) jar pizza or marinara sauce
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup sliced pepperoni
- Optional: diced green bell peppers, black olives, mushrooms
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish
- Cook pasta in salted water until just al dente. Drain and set aside
- In a skillet, cook ground beef or sausage with diced onion and garlic until browned. Drain excess grease
- Stir in pizza sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes
- In the baking dish, mix cooked pasta with meat sauce and half of the mozzarella cheese
- Top with remaining mozzarella, Parmesan, pepperoni, and any optional toppings
- Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden
- Let cool for 5 minutes before serving
Notes
- Swap pepperoni for cooked sausage or keep it vegetarian with extra veggies
- Use gluten-free pasta if needed
- Great for making ahead—assemble and refrigerate, then bake when ready
- Freeze leftovers in individual portions for quick lunches
Nutrition
- Calories: 560
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 780mg
- Fat: 28g
- Saturated Fat: 13g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0.5g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 32g
- Cholesterol: 90mg
