Transform your pizza night with this easy Pizza Casserole! Pasta, ground beef, pepperoni, a simple homemade marinara sauce and loads of mozzarella cheese make this casserole a winning dish!
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Why We Love This Pizza Casserole
- Easy recipe with simple ingredients and very little prep needed.
- This is a great recipe to customize with all your favorite pizza toppings!
- A crowd pleasing casserole.
- Freezer friendly, make an extra and freeze it for later.
- It makes a perfect make ahead meal. You can make the morning of, or a few days before and just pop it in the oven on the night you want to enjoy it.
- One of the best family friendly dinners out there! The whole family will love this great casserole!
- A great way to cure any pizza craving.
Pizza Casserole Ingredients
- Rigatoni Pasta
- Ground Beef
- Onion
- Olive Oil
- Garlic
- Crushed Tomatoes
- White Sugar
- Dried Oregano
- Salt
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Pasta Water
- Pepperoni Slices
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Substitution Suggestions:
- Rigatoni Pasta: You can use any medium cut pasta for this casserole. Elbow macaroni, rotini, farfalle, cavatappi or penne pasta are all good options.
- Ground Beef: Feel free to use Italian sausage or a mix of both beef and sausage. For a lighter version you can use ground turkey.
- Onion: Not a fan of onions, you can leave them out and just add some onion powder to the sauce.
- Crushed Tomatoes, Sugar, Oregano, Salt, Red Pepper Flakes: If you like you can substitute this with a jar of store bought marinara, pasta sauce or pizza sauce.
- Pasta Water: If you forget to reserve the pasta water, no worries, just use tap water.
- Pepperoni Slices: Add all your favorite pizza toppings. You can add some chopped green peppers or red peppers, sliced black olives, sliced mushrooms, sliced Canadian bacon, or cooked crumbled bacon. You can even top it with some sliced banana peppers. All these are delicious add ins or substitutions.
- Mozzarella Cheese: you can use your favorite shredded cheese, but mozzarella is a classic with pizza.
How to Make Pizza Casserole with Pasta
- First get a big pot of water boiling so you can cook your pasta to al dente or a minute less than al dente. The pasta will continue to cook in the oven so cooking to al dente will help it stay firm and not get all mushy. No one likes mushy pasta.
- Then grease a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a deep sided large skillet, brown ground beef and chopped onions over medium heat until the beef is no longer pink. Drain any grease.
- Next add the olive oil and minced garlic. Sauté until the garlic is really fragrant, about a minute or so.
- Then add the crushed tomatoes, sugar, dried oregano, salt and red chili flakes.
- Let simmer over low heat until the pasta is done cooking.
- When the pasta is done, reserve ½ cup of the pasta water and then drain the pasta.
- Remove skillet from heat and add the pasta water, cooked pasta, and most of the pepperoni slices to the sauce. I like to save some slices for the top of the casserole. Stir it all together really well.
- Spread the mixture into prepared baking dish. Top with any remaining pepperoni slices.
- Then evenly sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top.
- Bake casserole uncovered for 25-30 minutes until bubbly and cheese is fully melted.
- Let rest about 10 minutes and then serve with grated parmesan cheese and extra red chili flakes.
What to Serve with Pizza Casserole
My favorite thing to serve with a pasta casserole is a simple green salad or roasted vegetable and a piece of yummy garlic bread. Here are some of my family's favorites:
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Easy Garlic Bread
- Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower
- Homemade Garlic Breadsticks
- Garlic Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Make Ahead Instructions
This is a great recipe to make ahead or freeze. Prepare the pizza casserole, cover it tightly, and store it in the fridge up to 3 days. On the night you want to serve it let the pizza casserole come to room temperature while the oven preheats. Bake according to recipe directions, adding a few minutes of baking time depending on how cold the casserole is when put in the oven.
I almost always make two casseroles when I make this recipe. One for dinner and one for the freezer for later. I like to make the freezer one in an aluminum foil pan. Makes clean up a breeze and doesn't hog one of my casserole dishes in the freezer. Simply double the recipe and make two. Tightly cover the extra casserole with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Label, date and freeze.
When ready to enjoy the casserole, thaw it overnight in the fridge. While the oven is preheating, let the lasagna come to room temperature. Then bake according to recipe directions adding a few minutes to the bake time. You can also bake this from frozen: bake covered for 1 hour, then uncover and bake for another 30 minutes or until completely warmed through.
Storing Pizza Casserole
Store any leftover casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or covered in a low oven.
Tips for Pepperoni Pizza Casserole
- Cook the pasta to al dente, no longer. It will get mushy in the oven if it's cooked longer than to al dente.
- Shred your own mozzarella cheese. It will melt a lot easier.
- Don't be afraid to make it your own. Add your favorite toppings and enjoy this easy and delicious casserole.
More Yummy Casserole Recipes:
- Baked Rigatoni Casserole
- Tator Tot Hotdish
- Tuna Noodle Casserole
- Homemade Lasagna
- Cheesy Spaghetti Bake
- Homemade Shepherd's Pie
- Chicken Spaghetti Bake
- Baked Penne Casserole
- Mexican Lasagna
Or visit all my casserole recipes HERE!
Pizza Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound rigatoni pasta
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- pinch red pepper flakes
- ½ cup pasta water
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 5 ounces pepperoni slices
Instructions
- First get a big pot of water boiling so you can cook your pasta to al dente or minute less than al dente.
- Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a deep sided large skillet, brown ground beef and chopped onions over medium heat until the beef is no longer pink. Drain any grease.
- Next add the olive oil and minced garlic. Sauté until the garlic is really fragrant, about a minute or so.
- Then add the crushed tomatoes, sugar, dried oregano, salt and red chili flakes. Let simmer over low heat until the pasta is done cooking.
- When the pasta is done, reserve ½ cup of the pasta water and then drain the pasta.
- Remove skillet from heat and add the pasta water, cooked pasta, and most of the pepperoni slices to the sauce. I like to save some slices for the top of the casserole. Stir it all together really well.
- Spread the mixture into prepared baking dish. Top with any remaining pepperoni slices, and evenly sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top.
- Bake casserole uncovered for 25-30 minutes until bubbly and cheese is fully melted. Let rest about 10 minutes and then serve with grated parmesan cheese and extra red chili flakes.
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