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This pizza casserole recipe is a family-favorite baked pasta dish! It’s so simple to make, satisfying, and will please even the pickiest of eaters. Add some garlic bread and salad to make a comforting meal everyone will love!
Pasta recipes are so quick to throw together, add some tomato sauce or cream, and you have dinner ready pretty fast. Here are my standby pasta recipes for dinner in a cinch: Baked Ziti, Creamy Parmesan Garlic Angel Hair Pasta, and Olive Garden Alfredo.
Pizza Casserole With Pasta
This pizza pasta recipe is a treasured recipe passed down from my Mennonite friends. When our family was going through something, a good friend of mine surprised me with a meal by bringing over this pepperoni pizza casserole topped with traditional pizza toppings (mozzarella cheese and pepperoni) and homemade garlic bread.
It was so comforting, delicious, and we baked it for dinner when we needed it ready for supper.
It’s meals like these that are easy enough to make, share, or bring for a friend who needs a meal. This pizza casserole recipe is a total shocker on how it’s prepared, maybe even to the point where you can doubt the process, but trust me, it works every time!
Needless to say, I had to create a recipe because the Mennonites just dump this pizza casserole together using no measurements (gasp). However, I finally nailed it down to the accurate proportions so anyone can make this at home.
Mise en Place
Equipment:
Ingredients for Pizza Casserole:
To make a healthier version, use whole wheat pasta with homemade marinara, block cheese, and uncured natural pepperoni. Although this is a ground beef pizza casserole, you can omit this ingredient to make a simpler baked pizza casserole.
- Pasta-I like rotini or fusilli pasta as it soaks up the pizza sauce nicely. Any twist pasta or tubed-shaped pasta like penne will work for this pizza casserole.
- Pasta Sauce- Homemade marinara sauce is delicious, and you can control the ingredients by making your own. I like to use pizza sauce off my shelf that I canned myself, but use your favorite flavored tomato sauce.
- Seasonings- and spices like seasoned salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and Italian seasoning make this a very flavorful dish! Most pasta sauces are flavored, but spices add extra savory flavor, like the pizzeria!
- Mozzarella cheese- use a block of cheese and grate it yourself to get that perfect gooey cheese melt. If you really want to know how to make gooey, melted cheese, bake your casserole covered (even when you broil it) so that it doesn’t dry out.
- Pepperoni slices- I like to use uncured pepperoni without any added nitrates. Use thinner pepperoni slices if you want your pepperonis to curl up.
- Velveeta cheese- I make my own homemade velveeta cheese, or you can use a block of cheddar, and if you’re more spontaneous, make a cheese sauce with a roux. Velveeta adds extra creaminess.
How To Make Pizza Casserole:
See my printable recipe card below for a full step-by-step photo tutorial.
- Cook the rotini pasta and ground beef in water. You literally dump all those ingredients into a deep pan, boil, then cover with a lid and simmer for 11-15 minutes. It’s so easy!
- When most of the water evaporated, turn off the pan, uncover, add all the seasonings, and velveeta cheese. Stir together until combined and just until the Velveeta starts melting.
- Add the pasta sauce and lightly toss to coat the pasta. Avoid over-mixing the pasta so it doesn’t turn into mush; it’s also important not to overcook the pasta.
- Transfer the cooked pasta into a 13×9 baking dish. Grate an 8-oz block of cheese and top it over the pasta. Then finish topping the pizza casserole with pepperoni slices. You can bake this right away or refrigerate, or freeze until needed.
- Bake pizza casserole at 350°F for 35-40 minutes covered with foil. For the last 10 minutes, bake uncovered or under the broil setting. I like to use heavy-duty aluminum foil and broil it covered so the cheese steams and doesn’t dry out.
- Serve with a side of salad and garlic bread made from Homemade Italian Bread.
More Kid-Friendly Recipes:
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Pizza Casserole
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground beef , (85% lean and 15% fat)
- 16 oz rotini pasta , (uncooked)
- 4 cups water
- 3 cups pasta sauce
- 8 oz Homemade Velveeta cheese, (or make a cheddar cheese sauce)
- 8 oz Mozzarella cheese , (shredded with a box grater)
- 24 pepperoni slices, (uncured pepperoni with no added nitrates)
Pizza Seasonings:
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp seasoning salt, (Lawry's Brand)
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
Directions:
- In a deep non-stick skillet, add the rotini pasta, raw ground beef, and 4 cups of water. Cover and bring the mixture to a rolling boil.
- Once the pasta is boiling, briefly break up the beef using a meat chopper (it will separate easily). Cover and simmer the pasta over medium heat for 11-15 minutes. You want most of the liquid to evaporate and be al dente. If it's too watery, simmer the mixture uncovered for the last few minutes.
- Turn off the pan. Add all of the seasonings (1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp seasoning salt, 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, and 1/2 tsp pepper) and Velveeta cheese. Stir to coat the mixture just until the Velveeta starts to melt.
- Add the pasta sauce and lightly toss (don't overmix).
- Transfer the pasta mixture into a 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese** and top with pepperoni slices.
- Bake pizza casserole covered at 350°F for 35-40 minutes. Then bake uncovered for 5-10 more minutes. Serve.
Notes
- To prevent the cheese from drying out, broil the casserole covered with heavy-duty foil. This creates steam and makes a gooey cheese pull.
- Make-ahead instructions: If not baking right away, transfer the mixture to a 13x9 baking dish. Cool before adding the shredded **mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. Then assemble and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 3 days.
- Freezer instructions: assemble casserole in a disposable 13x9 pan. Cover with heavy-duty aluminium foil and label and date the casserole with a Sharpie. Freeze for up to 3 months. Be sure to cool the pasta mixture before adding toppings or freezing.
- To substitute Velveeta cheese, make a homemade cheese sauce. It makes the pasta creamier.
Nutrition (per serving)
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