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Want an easy, crowd-pleasing dish? Then add this Easy Pizza Pasta Bake Recipe to your weeknight rotation. This cheesy casserole dish will have them coming back for seconds, for sure!
Today’s recipe is an adaptation of a sweet friend, Daidri’s recipe. She brought this casserole to our family a while back when my mother-in-law passed away. Friendships are such blessings, and taking a warm casserole to a friend in need is such a thoughtful and supportive way to show love.
For More bakes and casseroles perfect for busy weeknights or gifting to family, friends, and neighbors, try my Stuffed Pizza Chicken Bake, fun Taco Spaghetti Bake, and the ultimate comfort food, my Chicken And Dumplings Casserole.
Ingredient Notes
How to Make Pizza Pasta Bake
✱ Be sure to see the recipe card below for exact ingredients and full recipe instructions!
Step 1 | Preheat and prep
First, preheat the oven to 350°F and cook the pasta al dente according to the package directions.
Step 2 | Cook ground beef and sausage
Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the sausage and beef, breaking up the crumbles with a spatula. Then add the onion and green bell peppers and cook for about 5 minutes until browned. Drain any fat and add the garlic, salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings. Then, cook the meat mixture for an additional 2 minutes.
Step 3 | Add sauce, broth, and pasta
Next, add the pasta sauce, pizza sauce, beef broth, or water to the cooked ground beef until well mixed.
Then, pour in cooked and drained pasta, stirring until combined.
Step 4 | Prep the casserole dish and assemble
Get ready to bake by lightly spraying a 9 x 13 dish with cooking spray. Pour in the pasta mixture and distribute evenly in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top, and line 36 tasty pepperonis on top of the cheese!
Step 5 | Bake and enjoy!
Lastly, lightly spray foil with cooking spray and cover it to bake for 20 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake for 10 -15 more minutes until the recipe is bubbly and the cheese is melted and golden brown. Serve and enjoy your delicious pizza casserole!
Tips
- Boil in Salted Water– Don’t forget to cook your noodles in salted water for the best flavor.
- Toasty Topping– If the pizza bake isn’t as brown as you would like, turn on the broiler and bake another minute or two for an extra toasted topping. Just keep an eye on it.
Pizza Noodle Bake Variations and Substitutions
- Favorite Pizza Toppings: Add in mushrooms, black olives, tomatoes, basil, spinach, anchovies, and sun-dried tomatoes. Pick your favorites!
- Swap the Protein: Make this fun pizza bake with your favorite pizza proteins, like chicken, bacon, or ham!
- Italian Sausage: If you don’t want to use bulk sausage, you cook the Italian sauce in slices or larger crumbles. Omit the ground beef and use a whole pound of sausage for more Italian flavor.
- Pepperoni Super Fan: you can always mix in extra pepperoni slices into the pasta for even more pepperoni flavor.
- Yummy Cheeses: You can use any combination of your favorite cheeses, such as nutty parmesan cheese, sharp cheddar, fluffy ricotta, or melty fontina.
- Substitute the Pasta: Use whatever you have on hand or choose your favorite pasta, such as penne pasta, fusilli, Cavatappi, rigatoni, farfalle (bowtie pasta), egg noodles, or macaroni. I usually use a medium-cut past for this dish but certainly, you can use any noodle type like spaghetti, fettuccine, or linguine too. For a healthy twist, use whole wheat pasta.
- If preferred, swap the Italian seasoning with a similar blend of fresh herbs– Yum!
One Pan Pizza Casserole
Get started by cooking this in a large deep cast iron skillet or ovenproof pan, so you can cook it right in the pan you mix it together in. I prefer to cook the pasta separately and add it so technically that makes it two pans. However, you can add extra water or beef broth to the sauce and simmer the pasta until cooked through (about 12 to 14 minutes).
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Recipe FAQs
If you ask a true Italian food fan, you may get a different answer, but sure! You can use pizza sauce for spaghetti sauce. Pizza sauce has a thicker consistency with more concentrated flavors, while marinara sauce is a simpler tomato sauce, usually lighter and smoother. This recipe uses a combination of sauces for the best flavor.
Use your favorite! Classic pepperoni, mini pepperonis, plant-based pepperoni, or turkey pepperoni all work great for this versatile recipe.
Sure. Store the delicious pizza pasta bake in an airtight container and freeze for a couple of months to thaw in the fridge overnight and serve the following day.
Storage & Freezer Instructions
Storage: Keep your pizza pasta casserole leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to four days. Then, reheat the recipe in a saucepan over medium heat or the oven until heated through.
Freezer Instructions: This pizza pasta casserole recipe is ideal for meal prepping. All you have to do is pre-cook the pasta and meat sauce and layer the dish—don’t pre-bake it. Here are a few of my tips for freezing.
- Cover the bottom of your baking dish with tin foil so you can easily lift the casserole out of the pan once frozen and transfer it to a bag or different storage container if needed. You can also make it in a freezer-safe disposable pan that can be baked- like an aluminum pan.
- Be sure the assembled casserole is completely cooled. Place saran wrap directly over the top of the casserole so it touches the top layer. Then cover that with aluminum foil and freeze for 1 to 2 months.
- To cook from frozen, remove the saran wrap, lightly spray the inside of the foil, and place it back on. Add an additional 10-15 minutes to the baking times and temperatures, and cook until the casserole is warmed through and bubbly.
What to Serve with Baked Pizza Pasta
Serve the pepperoni pizza pasta bake with bread, like my Cheesy Green Chile Bread or Air Fryer Texas Toast Garlic Bread. Or go lighter with a salad, like this Watermelon Arugula And Feta Salad, perfect for summer. If you’re serving a crowd, check out one of my favorite salads, the family-style Columbia Restaurant’s 1905 Salad.
More Creative and Fun Pizza Recipes
- Strawberry Pizza Recipe
- Pizza Sloppy Joes
- No-Rise Pizza Dough Recipe
- Homemade Pizzas And A Movie Night
- Philly Cheese Steak Pizza
Delicious Pasta Recipes to Try
- Creamy Spicy Sausage Pasta Recipe (quick easy and not too spicy)
- Easy Baked Ziti
- Jambalaya Cajun Pasta
- Million Dollar Baked Spaghetti
- Taco Spaghetti Casserole
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Pizza Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 12 ounces uncooked medium pasta, rotini, cavatappi, penne, egg noodles (about 4 cups)
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided [2 tsp for cooking pasta and 1 tsp (or to taste) for sauce]
- 1 lb. ground beef or bulk Italian sausage , or half of each
- ¼ cup diced yellow or sweet onion
- ¼ cup diced green pepper
- 2 – 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 24 ounce pasta or marinara sauce, (I used Bertolli Vineyard)
- 13.5 ounce jar of pizza sauce, (I used DelGrosso pizza sauce)
- ½ cup beef broth or water
- 2 – 3 cups mozzarella cheese or a mixture of mozzarella and provolone
- 36 pepperoni slices
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Cook pasta according to al dente package directions. Drain.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, over medium-high heat, brown sausage, and beef, breaking up the crumbles with a spatula. Then add in onion and bell pepper, and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Drain any fat. Add in garlic, salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings, and cook for an additional 2 minutes
- Add marinara (pasta) sauce, pizza sauce, beef broth, or water to the cooked ground beef until well-mixed.
- Pour in cooked pasta and stir until combined.
- Lightly spray a 9 X 13 dish with cooking spray. Pour in pasta mixture and distribute even in the dish.
- Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top and then line 36 pepperonis on top of the cheese.
- Lightly spray foil with cooking spray and cover; bake for 20 minutes covered. Remove foil and bake 10 -15 until bubbly and cheese is melted and golden brown.
- Serve and enjoy.
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Notes
- Boil in Salted Water– Don’t forget to cook your noodles in salted water for the best flavor.
- Toasty Topping– If the pizza bake isn’t as brown as you would like, turn on the broiler and bake another minute or two for an extra toasted topping. Just keep an eye on it.
Nutrition Information
Nutritional Disclaimer
Soulfully Made is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
©️Soulfully Made
I modified the recipe by adding 6oz of small cauliflower florets for half the pasta 5 minutes before the pasta was done. Instead of ground meat, I sautéed 8 oz baby bellas and 10 oz thawed frozen chopped spinach with sauces. I kept the pepperoni. Sadly, it’s too hot to bake here, I froze individual ramekins. I prefer my cheese freshly grates, so I will add it when I bake. I ate some unbaked for lunch, it was delicious!
So yummy!😋
Really easy recipe & lots of flavor.
Thanks for sharing!😊
Thank you so much, Lisa! I am so happy you enjoyed them!
I doubled the recipe using the pizza toppings I like on a homemade pizza. I used 2 lb Jimmy Dean original sausage, onion, green pepper, layering pepperoni with cheese. EVERYONE loved it….BIG HIT!!!!.
Now that sounds delicious! I love how adaptable this one is. Throw in what you love and you have such an easy and delicious meal! So happy it was a big hit with your family! That is just what I love to hear! <3
Can this Pizza Noodle Casserole be frozen after cooking?
I have not tried it. But I have frozen my baked spaghetti and it turned out well. I think this should freeze well. I would remove from freezer to refrigerator 24 hours before reheating. Preheat oven and cook covered loosely with foil.
This sounds so yummy! I have to make this one night very soon! Wish I still had kids at home cause I know they would love this!