This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Everyone loves pizza and my hot and bubbly pizza casserole has all the flavors of pizza in one simple dish. Your kids will love the classic pizza ingredients, and you will love it for all the veggies.
Melty mozzarella, nutty parmesan, and spicy pepperoni top saucy penne pasta mixed with onions, bell pepper, Italian sausage, and mushrooms. Just like a supreme pizza, this hearty creation will be an often-requested dinner.
If you love ooey-gooey, cheesy, baked Italian casseroles, I hope you’ll try our ravioli lasagna, lasagna casserole (aka, shortcut lasagna!) stuffed shells, or our reader favorite for more than 5 years, baked ziti with ricotta!
PIZZA CASSEROLE INGREDIENTS
- Penne: This tube-shaped pasta perfectly holds the pizza sauce. Gemelli would be good too.
- Salt + Black Pepper
- Italian Sausage: You can buy this in bulk or with casings. Ground beef can be used instead of sausage.
- Onion: Brown onions become sweet and nutty when cooked.
- Green Bell Pepper: I prefer green, but red bell peppers are a sweeter option.
- Italian Seasoning: This mix of spices adds so much to the sauce.
- Rosemary: A little more rosemary to balance flavors.
- Red Pepper Flakes: This is optional, just like when you order take-out and they give you those little packets or red pepper flakes.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic makes an appearance!
- Pizza Sauce: This is the base of the sauce. Use your favorite brand.
- Mushrooms: I use canned mushrooms, but fresh white or cremini can be used.
- Olives: Black olives are a traditional item for pizza, but all of these items are optional.
- Mozzarella Cheese: This cheese melts so nicely and is an expected cheese on pizza. Whole milk low-moisture block cheese melts best.
- Basil: I use fresh basil which adds so much brightness to the sauce. Stack the leaves, roll them, and julienne.
- Parmesan Cheese: Shredded parmesan is a nutty and salty cheese that we all crave.
- Pepperoni: Sliced pepperoni is a spicy salami that is a classic topping for pizza. No topping is more popular than this savory sausage.
TIPS
- Baking Dish: Use a 9×13 baking dish and spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Cleaning up will be quick and easy.
- Cooking Pasta: Make sure to cook the pasta al dente (two minutes less than the package suggests) The pasta will be baked, so we don’t want overcooked pasta.
STORING + FREEZING + MAKE-AHEAD
- How Long Can You Keep This in The Fridge? Once cooked and cooled, your pepperoni pizza casserole will last up to four days in the fridge. But be sure you store your leftovers in airtight containers! This dish warms up nicely in the microwave oven.
- Can You Freeze This? Yes! The best way is to freeze this casserole before baking.
- Wrap tightly in plastic, then foil. When ready to cook, fully thaw then bake as directed.
- When desired, thaw completely then bake at 350ºF (177ºC) and bake as directed, adding the cheeses and pepperoni per Step 8.
- It may take a little more time since the dish will be cold when you pop it in the oven. And, you may want to add a little pizza sauce since the pasta will soak up liquid while stored.
- Make-Ahead: My pizza pasta casserole is best right out of the oven but can be made ahead. Cook the pasta ahead of time and keep separately. Cook the meat and vegetables and chill.
- About an hour before dinnertime, assemble and bake per instructions (starting at Step 6). It may take longer in the oven though, so add about 15 minutes or so to the baking time, when starting with a cold uncooked casserole.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.
SERVING RECOMMENDATIONS
This pizza bake casserole is delicious served with roasted green beans, honey glazed carrots or brown sugar glazed carrots, simple roasted peppers, southern style green beans, or my favorite, Southern collard greens.
If you’re in the mood for something crisp and fresh to pair with this casserole, we like to serve it with either our strawberry spinach salad or strawberry salad (both are unique and have their own homemade, easy dressings. We also like this casserole with KFC coleslaw, Portillo’s chopped salad (so deliciously amazing!), Mediterranean salad, pizza salad, or our 1905 salad. Truly, all these salad recipes are “must make” recipes! Save them if you don’t make them now, you won’t be sorry. ♥
We, of course, need a bread side! We love Olive Garden bread sticks, pizza pinwheels, practically no knead bread, or our famous garlic breadwith this yummy casserole.
HOW TO MAKE PIZZA CASSEROLE
- Cook and crumble the sausage until there’s no longer any pink. Set aside.
- Saute the onions and bell pepper. Add the herbs, seasonings, and spices.
- To the empty pasta pot, add cooked pasta, browned Italian sausage, cooked vegetables, pizza sauce, mushrooms, olive, 2 cups of mozzarella, and basil. Stir.
- Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Cover with foil and bake.
- Remove from oven and discard foil. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over the top. Return to oven and bake, uncovered.
- Serve.
MORE PASTA CASSEROLES
- Baked Ziti With Meat
- Meatless Baked Ziti
- Buffalo Chicken Lasagna
- Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
- Crack Chicken Spaghetti Bake
- Baked Spaghetti
- TikTok Spaghetti
TRIED THIS RECIPE?
💌 Want more cozy comfort food? Subscribe to my FREE newsletter and get delicious new recipes sent straight to your inbox. 💌
If you enjoyed this recipe, please take a moment to leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating and a quick comment — It helps the other cooks in our community, and I love hearing from you!
Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today — happy cooking, friends! ❤️ Kathleen
Pizza Casserole
Ingredients
- 12 ounces mini penne
- salt and black pepper
- 1 pound Italian sausage casing removed
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 1 medium green bell pepper, seed + ribs removed + chopped
- 3 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 3 (14-ounce) jars pizza sauce
- 1 can sliced mushrooms, rinsed and well drained
- 3 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded + DIVIDED
- 1/2 cup, fresh basil, julienned (optional)
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- 15 slices sliced pepperoni
- 1 (2.25-ounce) can sliced olives, rinsed and well drained + DIVIDED
Instructions
- Arrange an oven rack to the lower third position. Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Spray a 9X13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spray one side of aluminum foil, cut long enough to cover the baking dish, with nonstick cooking spray. Set both aside.
- Cook pasta (12 ounces) according to box instructions with 2 tablespoons salt added to the water. Dry pasta pot.
- In a 12-inch skillet, cook and crumble the sausage (1 pound) until there's no longer any pink. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Leave drippings in the skillet.
- Add the onion (1 cup) and green pepper (1) to the sausage drippings and sauté, over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and the onion is translucent, about 7-9 minutes.
- Add Italian seasoning (3 teaspoons), dried rosemary (1 teaspoon), 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, red pepper flakes (1/2 teaspoon), garlic (1 tablespoon), and continue to sauté, stirring often to garlic doesn't burn, until fragrant, about 1-2 minute.
- To the empty pasta pot, add cooked pasta, browned Italian sausage, cooked vegetables, pizza sauce (3 jars), mushrooms (1 can), olive, 2 cups of mozzarella, and basil (1/2 cup). Stir until evenly combined and pasta is evenly coated with sauce.
- Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. cover with foil, nonstick spray side down. Bake in preheated oven, on arranged shelf for 35 minutes.
- Remove from oven and discard foil. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over top of casserole then sprinkle remaining. Arrange pepperoni slices (15 slices) decoratively on top of mozzarella. Arrange the second can of olives on top of the olives over the pepperoni. Sprinkle 1/2 parmesan on the very top.
- Return to oven and bake, uncovered, until casserole is bubbly and cheese is melted and golden brown, about 16-20 minutes.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Baking Dish: Use a 9x13 baking dish and spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Cleaning up will be quick and easy.
- Cooking Pasta: Make sure to cook the pasta al dente (two minutes less than the package suggests) The pasta will be baked, so we don’t want overcooked pasta.
Nutrition
On your phone? Check the web story here.
I followed the recipe to the t!! This is soooo good.
Yaaay! That’s so awesome, Sammy 🙂 Thanks for the positive feedback and 5 star rating!!