Easy Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Bake (AKA Pepperoni Pizza Casserole) is a delicious and simple dinner your family will love! This pizza pasta bake is made with pepperoni slices, ground Italian sausage, tomato pasta sauce, rotini noodles, and topped with gooey mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
But one of my favorite recipes to make for a busy weeknight is this delicious Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Bake – aka Pizza Casserole.
This Easy Pepperoni Pizza Casserole is made with rotini noodles, tomato sauce, and features a delicious blend of ground sausage seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasonings.
Topped with your favorite pizza toppings to include diced pepperoni, gooey mozzarella cheese, and shredded Parmesan, your whole family will love this delicious Pizza Casserole dish!
If you want to learn how to make this Easy Pepperon Pizza Casserole, then keep reading below and check out my full step by step video tutorial over here.
Just like all of my simple casserole recipes, this Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Bake is so easy to make and tastes delicious!
Below, I’ve included some of my best cooking tips for making pizza casserole, as well as ideas for adding more flavor to this delicious pizza pasta bake.
Cooking Tips For Pizza Pasta Bake (Pepperoni Pizza Casserole)
Use your favorite sauce
You can use any kind of tomato pasta sauce, spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, or marinara sauce for this recipe.
I would simply recommend using something you love since the flavor really comes through in this pizza pasta bake.
If your family isn’t picky, feel free to add some veggies to make it healthier and more filling.
Mushrooms, onions, zucchini, olives, green bell peppers, and chopped spinach are all great choices.
Use freshly shredded cheese
I know sometimes we’re all in a rush and pre-shredded cheeses are convenient, but freshly shredded cheese isn’t coated in nasty preservatives and tastes exponentially better!
Our family’s favorite cheeses for this dish is whole milk mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
Switch up the meat
Ground sausage is great in pizza casserole because it gives it an authentic pepperoni and sausage pizza flavor, but feel free to swap out the meat.
Ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken, or chopped ham are all delicious options!
Switch up the pasta
I love using rotini, but macaroni noodles, penne, corkscrew, or other short-cut kinds of pasta work great too.
Make it spicier
If you want to add a kick, feel free to sub hot ground sausage for mild ground sausage or use a combination of each.
You can also add some red pepper flakes to your meat sauce.
What to serve with pizza casserole:
This pizza pasta bake goes great with just about anything, but our family loves eating it with a side salad, corn, and my delicious Homemade Cheddar Garlic Biscuits.
More Pizza Casserole/Pizza Pasta Bake Flavor Ideas:
Meatlover’s – Made with half ground beef, half ground sausage, pepperoni, ham, and bacon – this meatlover’s pizza pasta bake is meaty and delicious!
Beef Bacon and Onion – Made with ground beef, chopped crispy bacon, and sautéed onions, this pizza pasta bake is simply divine.
Veggie Delight – Go meatless and load up on delicious veggies including peppers, onions, mushrooms, olives, and more!
Ham & Pineapple – Sub ground beef for ground sausage, chopped ham for pepperoni, and add delicious diced pineapple. You can also switch out the mozzarella cheese for swiss, if desired.
Chicken Alfredo – Sub the sausage and pepperoni for diced cooked chicken and swap out the tomato sauce for a creamy alfredo sauce. Top with your favorite cheeses and herbs.
Pizza Casserole (Pizza Pasta Bake) FAQ’s
What is pizza pasta bake?
Pizza pasta bake (aka pizza casserole) is an easy oven baked casserole made with cooked pasta noodles, your favorite tomato pasta sauce, and pizza toppings to include pepperoni, cooked ground sausage, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning herbs.
This recipe is great because you can easily switch up the pizza toppings, noodles, and sauce to make it something your family will love.
Can I use pizza sauce instead of tomato sauce?
Yes, you can use pizza sauce in this recipe.
That said, pizza sauce is a bit more concentrated than spaghetti sauces and marinara sauces, and it will need to be diluted with some water.
Whenever you add in your pizza sauce with your cooked meat, simply add in a little bit of water to thin the sauce out.
Which pizza sauce is best?
If you’re going to use pizza sauce instead of tomato sauce, I’d recommend a high quality sauce like Rao’s or Mezzetta.
They’re both made with great quality ingredients and taste similar to homemade pizza sauce.
Which spaghetti sauce (pasta sauce) is your favorite?
Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese, diced pepperoni that has been quartered, and top with sprinkled parmesan cheese and additional Italian seasoning, if desired.
Bake the pizza casserole uncovered in the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the top is a light, golden brown.
Pepperoni Pizza Casserole Recipe and Video Tutorial
Try my delicious pepperoni pizza pasta bake for an easy dinner! This pizza casserole has pepperoni, sausage, and gooey cheese the whole family will love!
Ingredients
UnitsScale
1lb ground Italian sausage (or ground beef)
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning (plus additional on top)
1 24oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 8oz package of spiral rotini pasta, cooked and drained
2cups freshly shredded mozzarella cheese (or 1 8 oz package)
1/4cup shredded parmesan cheese
Pepperoni Slices (18-20, cut into quarters)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and in a large skillet cook the ground Italian sausage (or ground beef) over medium heat until fully cooked. Drain the meat and place back in the skillet. Season with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning, and top with spaghetti sauce. Stir until combined and remove from heat.
While the ground sausage is cooking, boil the rotini noodles in a pot according to package directions. Once fully cooked, drain the pasta and add to the ground sausage mixture. Stir until evenly combined.
Next, transfer the noodles and ground sausage mixture to a greased 13 x 9 baking dish. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese, diced pepperoni that has been cut into quarters, and top with shredded parmesan cheese. If desired, add an additional sprinkling of Italian seasoning.
Bake the pizza casserole uncovered in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the top is a light, golden brown.
Let cool for 10 minutes and then enjoy!
Notes
Chopped veggies such as spinach, mushrooms, and onion can easily be added to this pizza casserole.
This casserole can be easily doubled if you want to make one casserole to eat and one to freeze. To use a frozen casserole, simply thaw in the refrigerator overnight, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through.
Keywords: pizza pasta bake, pizza pasta, pizza casserole, easy pizza casserole, pepperoni pizza, italian pasta, easy dinner, pepperoni pizza casserole, pepperoni pizza pasta bake
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Hope you enjoyed today’s recipe for my Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Bake (Easy Pizza Casserole).
This delicious pepperoni pizza pasta is perfect for an easy weeknight dinner or great for making for potluck dinners.
Would your family love this pizza casserole? Let me know in the comments below!
