Pizza Casserole Recipe – An Easy, 30 Minute Meal!

When it comes to easy, family friendly dinner recipes, it is hard to beat this Pizza Casserole recipe. Pasta coated in pizza sauce and then topped with all of your favorite pizza toppings.

Best part of all, it can be made and on the table, ready to eat in just 30 minutes! It is a great recipe to make on a busy weeknight when you don’t have much time to spend in the kitchen.

However, because we have a weekly ‘pizza night’ in our house, it has also a great alternative for dinner when we are looking for something different than a traditional pizza.

Individualize The Casserole Your Way

However, because everyone enjoys their own favorite toppings on a traditional pizza, you can customize this baked pizza casserole with the ingredients that you love.

For instance, my family loves sausage on pizza. Therefore, I use a combination of hamburger and sausage when I make this recipe.

And if I am making this for just the adults in the family, I will use spicy ground sausage. However, if there will be kids that will be enjoying it with us, then I will either use a mild sausage or only ground beef.

I have even gone so far to split the casserole in two smaller baking pans to customize each dish with various toppings, just to make everyone happy.

Therefore, feel free to customize the ingredients to what you and your family and/or guests prefer. Some suggested toppings: diced mushrooms, sweet bell peppers, hot banana pepper rings, black olives.

Best Type Of Pasta To Use In Casseroles

When making a casserole, the best types of pasta are those that can hold up well to baking and absorb flavors without becoming mushy. Here are some great choices when making pizza casserole:

1. Rotini: The spiral shape of rotini helps it trap sauce and ingredients, making every bite flavorful.
2. Ziti: A tubular pasta that holds sauces well and maintains its shape during baking.
3. Penne: Similar to ziti but with ridges, penne is sturdy and can capture thick sauces inside and outside the tube.
4. Fusilli: Another spiral-shaped pasta that works well in casseroles, similar to rotini but often larger. This one is for the pasta lovers.
5. Rigatoni: A larger tube-shaped pasta that is short, but is excellent for baked dishes as it holds up well.
6. Elbow Macaroni: Commonly used in mac and cheese casseroles, its small, curved shape allows it to mix well with all types of sauces.
7. Farfalle (Bow Ties): Adds a fun shape to casseroles that kids love and it also holds up well under baking.

Each one of these types of short pasta provide a good balance of texture and ability to soak up sauces while maintaining their shape. Choose whichever on that you prefer (and have on hand) for this casserole recipe.

Baked Pizza Casserole Recipe

*Specific measurements and complete recipe instructions are located in a printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. However, be sure to continue to read the tips and tricks to making this recipe below.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups rotini noodles, cooked
• 1/2 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 pound of sausage, mild or hot
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup sliced pepperoni
• 16 ounces pizza sauce
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 4 tablespoons milk (any variety)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Popular Ingredient Variations

This pizza casserole recipe can easily be adapted to include your favorite pizza toppings. You can add mushrooms, olives, banana peppers, or anything else that you like.

If you want to make it a little healthier, how about substituting ground chicken instead of the beef.

Looking for a vegetarian option? Simply omit the meat or use plant based crumbles and add additional vegetable toppings.

This casserole can also be adapted for those eating with a vegan lifestyle by using plant based cheese and milk substitute.

INSTRUCTIONS

The first step in making this baked pizza casserole is to boil the noodles. You want them to cook until they are al’ dente so that they hold up during the baking process.

If you cook them too long, they will turn to mush when combined with the other ingredients.

As the noodles are boiling, brown the ground beef and sausage. Do this in a large skillet placed over medium-high heat.

Once the meat is half way brown, add the diced onions, green bell peppers and garlic. Continue to cook until the meat is no longer pink.

Drain the excess fat in the skillet and place the mixture in a large mixing bowl. Then stir in the pepperoni, pizza sauce, dried Italian seasoning, milk and 1/2 cup of the shredded Mozzarella cheese.

Then, when the noodles are cooked, drain and add them to the bowl with the other ingredients. Stir the mixture until well incorporated.

Now transfer the pizza casserole into an 8″ x 8″ inch casserole dish. If you aren’t sure of the dimensions of your bakeware, use a 2 quart baking dish.

Place the casserole in a preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes. Then carefully remove the casserole from the oven and top with the remaining cheese.

Place the baking dish back into the oven and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sides of the casserole are bubbly.

Remove the dish from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy! Mary

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My Other Favorite ‘Pizza Night’ Recipes

• Homemade Pizza Rolls
• Garlic Toast Pizza
• Grilled Pizza
• Air Fryer Calzones
• Margherita Flatbread
• Reuben Pizza
• Air Fryer English Muffin Pizzas
• Bubble Up Pizza Casserole
• Air Fryer French Bread Pizza
• Homemade Pizza Hot Pockets
• Barbecue Chicken Pizza
• Air Fryer Pizza Sticks
• Pizza Muffin Bites
• Instant Pot Pizza Casserole

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