This pizza casserole is pasta simmered in tomato sauce with pepperoni, sausage, olives and bell peppers, then topped with cheese and baked to golden brown perfection. A family friendly dinner option that always gets rave reviews!
My kids will eat anything that’s pizza flavored; some of their favorites include pizza stuffed shells, pizza muffins and this hearty pizza casserole.
You can never go wrong with pizza, it’s a classic flavor combination for good reason. This baked pizza casserole combines tender pasta with all those great pizza flavors for a unique and delicious meal.
This is one of my family’s favorite casseroles. If your friends and family love casseroles too, you should try my Dorito casserole, cheeseburger pie, million dollar spaghetti casserole and baked rigatoni pasta.
Pizza Casserole Ingredients
When you make this pizza casserole make sure you have olive oil, Italian sausage, onion, green bell pepper, mushrooms, mini pepperoni, black olives, garlic, marinara sauce, water, pasta, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt and black pepper.
How Do You Make Pizza Casserole?
The first step to make this pizza casserole recipe is to place some sausage in a large pot with olive oil and cook it up. Next, add green bell pepper, sliced mushrooms and onions to the pot and cook them until tender. Add pepperoni to the pot along with black olives and garlic and cook them for a minute. Next add marinara sauce, water, pasta, salt and pepper. Simmer the everything together until the pasta gets tender. Pour the pasta into a prepared baking dish. Next add a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese and some more pepperoni. Then bake the dish until the cheese melts and browns. Finally, remove the casserole from the oven, add a sprinkle of fresh parsley and enjoy.
Tips For The Perfect Casserole
- Can’t find mini pepperoni at your store? You can use chopped regular sized pepperoni instead.
- Any short pasta shape will work. I used corkscrew pasta, but other great options include rotini, penne, rigatoni or farfalle.
- Choose your favorite brand of marinara sauce for this pizza casserole. I typically use Newman’s Own or Rao’s brand which are my family’s preferences.
- The pasta cooks in marina sauce and water absorbing moisture so there is no need to drain your pasta.
- Skip the store bought pre-shredded cheese and grate your own cheese. The bags of shredded cheese often contain preservatives and anti caking agents and do not melt smoothly.
Quick Tip
Make sure you use a large pot for this pizza casserole. The pasta will expand considerably as it cooks and you want to make sure you have enough room for it all!
Recipe FAQs
Pizza casserole stays fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, and can you can freeze it for 2 months. Reheat your baked pasta in the oven in a covered dish or warm individual portions in the microwave.
You serve the same kinds of side dishes with pizza casserole as you would with pizza. I like to serve appetizers like garlic knots or fried calamari and salads like Italian salad or antipasto salad.
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Pizza Casserole Flavor Variations
This pizza casserole is great as-is, but you can add other ingredients to customize it to your taste.
- Fillings: I used toppings that you would find on a traditional supreme pizza. You can mix and match your favorite pizza toppings with options such as diced chicken, Canadian bacon, salami, spinach, roasted red bell peppers, artichoke hearts and bacon.
- Sauce: While I use a traditional marinara spaghetti sauce, you could use an equal amount of pizza sauce, or even a pesto or Alfredo sauce for a different flavor profile.
- Cheese: Mix things up by swapping out the mozzarella with other Italian cheese options such as provolone cheese, fontina cheese or asiago cheese. Feel free to grate some parmesan cheese over the top.
- Spicy: Try adding some red pepper flakes to your pasta for a little heat.
- Meat: You can use turkey or pork Italian sausage. I use mild sausage, but feel free to use hot if you like a little extra spice. You could also use ground beef or ground turkey if you prefer.
This pizza casserole has it all! It’s quick, doesn’t dirty up a ton of dishes, and has savory flavors that both kids and adults adore. Make pizza casserole for dinner tonight and watch the rave reviews come in!
More Pizza Inspired Recipes
Easy Mini Pizzas
15 mins
Pizza Dip with Pepperoni
25 mins
Chicken Alfredo Pizza
25 mins
Pizza Stuffed Chicken
40 mins
Mexican Pizza
30 mins
Pizza Casserole Video
Love This Recipe?
Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Pizza Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 lb mild Italian sausage casings removed
- 1/2 cup onion finely diced
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper diced
- 1 cup mushrooms sliced
- 3/4 cup mini pepperoni divided use
- 1/2 cup black olives sliced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 24 ounce jar marinara sauce
- 3 1/4 cups water
- salt and pepper to taste
- 12 ounces short pasta such as corkscrew, rotini or penne
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large, deep pot over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook for 4-5 minutes, breaking up the meat with a spatula, until browned.
- Add the onion, green bell pepper and mushrooms to the pot. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
- Add 1/2 cup of the pepperoni, olives and the garlic, and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the marinara sauce, water, salt, pepper and pasta to the pot and bring to a simmer.
- Cover the pot and cook over low heat for 12-14 minutes or until pasta is tender.
- While the pasta is simmering, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Coat a 3 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
- After the pasta is finished cooking, pour the mixture into the baking dish.
- Sprinkle the cheese over the top and arrange the remaining 1/4 cup of pepperoni on the cheese.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Notes
- Can’t find mini pepperoni at your store? You can use chopped regular sized pepperoni instead.
- Any short pasta shape will work. I used corkscrew pasta, but other great options include rotini, penne, rigatoni or farfalle.
- Make sure you use a large pot for this pizza casserole. The pasta will expand considerably as it cooks and you want to make sure you have enough room for it all!
Very good, will make again. It’s really a pasta dish. I wouldn’t call it a casserole. It makes a lot so I may cut it in half for two of us.
What a wonderful recipe! The kids loved the small pepperoni on top!
Delicious recipe! We just loved it! Thanks
How long would I need to cook that past for in the pot and in the oven for h to w past to come out Al Dente? Or does the pasta have to be tender this recipe? Also can I used homemade marinara sauce for this recipe?
Oh my goodness this looks so delicious and so yummy! My family and I are going to love this recipe! I can’t wait to make this! So excited!
Delicious recipe! I love those tiny little pepperonis – I use them in so many different things! Nice and easy – perfect weeknight dinner!
This is one of my favorite recipes and it’s easy too so thank you!!
I so wish we were having this for dinner instead of fish. Ugh. I’m bookmarking this for next week!
This is such a fun casserole with so many great flavors! My kid would love this.
Such an incredibly delicious casserole! My kids would love this!
This pizza casserole looks amazing!! I can’t wait to try it! 🙂
This pizza casserole is pasta looks incredibly delicious!
What a great, hearty dish for any night of the week! I love the little mini pepperoni!
This looks like my kind of dish! I cannot wait to make this it looks so tasty!