Pizza casserole is a deliciously easy alternative to a pizza or calzone with pasta instead of dough.
Family meal? Potluck? Game night? Birthday party? Anything a pizza can do, this casserole can do too. It’s the perfect combination of a supreme pizza and a cheese-loaded casserole layered with pasta.
Supreme Pizza Casserole
- A pizza casserole recipe is a crowd-pleaser for any occasion and can be made ahead of time!
- This dish is budget friendly and a great way to stretch your ingredients.
- The ingredients in this recipe add supreme flavor to a pizza pasta bake but use any combination of toppings you’d like.
- Make it low carb by switching out pasta for cauliflower florets or strips of zucchini.
Ingredients
- PASTA: Use any medium pasta including penne, rotini, or shells. You can even make this into a pizza flavored baked spaghetti.
- SAUCE: Marinara sauce, pizza sauce, and a handful of seasonings are the base for this rich and hearty casserole. But feel free to add more or less of the oregano or Italian seasoning.
- MEAT: Start with a base of ground beef or Italian sausage and add in your favorites like pepperoni or even bacon.
- MIX-INS: Add layers of favorite veggies like sliced mushrooms, bell peppers, chopped spinach, or tomatoes.
How to Make Pizza Casserole
Make this cheesy & filling pizza casserole!
- Cook pasta (as per the recipe below).
- Brown meat with onion & garlic. Simmer with remaining sauce ingredients.
- Combine sauce and pasta in a baking dish and top with cheese and additional toppings.
- Bake until browned and bubbly.
Serve with a tossed salad or caesar salad and some garlic breadsticks to round out the meal.
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.
Tips for Pizza Casserole
- Cook the pasta al dente, it will cook more in the oven.
- If your toppings are moist, be sure to cook them (like mushrooms or pineapple).
- If you don’t like chunks of tomato in your casserole, swap the diced tomato with crushed tomato and simmer to thicken an extra 5 minutes.
- To make ahead, prep this casserole ahead, cover in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
Leftovers
Leftovers taste better the next day! Keep leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat portions in the microwave or on the stovetop. Freeze cooled portions in aluminum foil and plastic wrap with the date labeled on the outside for up to 4 weeks.
More Cheesy Casseroles
- Cheeseburger Casserole – so hearty & filling
- Tater Tot Casserole – comfort food classic
- Cheesy Ham Casserole – kid-friendly
- Broccoli and Cheese Casserole – a vegetarian dish
- Cheesy Chicken & Potato Casserole – perfect for a crowd
Did your family love this Pizza Casserole? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Supreme Pizza Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ounces 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 oven to 425°F.
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well.
- While pasta is cooking, brown ground beef, onion, and garlic in a pan. Season with salt and pepper and drain fat.
- Stir in vegetable toppings (if using), cook an additional 3-4 minutes or until tender. Add drained tomatoes, oregano, Italian seasoning, pizza sauce, and marinara sauce. Simmer 5 minutes.
- Toss pasta with the sauce.
- Spread into a greased 9×13 pan and top with the Mozza & cheddar blend and half of the pepperoni (and additional pepperoni slices if desired). Then top with parmesan cheese.
- Bake 15-20 minutes uncovered or until cheese is browned.
Notes
If adding vegetables that need to be cooked (such as mushrooms or 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, olives, artichokes etc) can be added with 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.
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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!