Pizza Casserole Recipe by Jen
This Pizza Casserole Recipe has all the comforting flavors of your favorite pie, combining penne pasta, gooey mozzarella, pepperoni, and savory ground beef with a rich pizza sauce. Feel free to add toppings or swap ingredients to suit what you have. It’s a feel-good feast that everyone will love!
All the Goodness of Pizza in a Bubbling Casserole
I found this recipe thanks to my friend Jen, a sweet and dedicated mother I connected with through Southern Plate. I first started talking to her while writing my book, and we ended up having one of the most fun phone calls! She shared this pizza casserole with me, and my family has been hooked ever since.
You get all the cheesy, saucy goodness of pizza in a hearty, bubbling casserole, with hardly any fuss at all. Jen’s recipe also includes double meat – anytime there’s double meat in a recipe, I’m all over it. Just boil up your pasta, toss everything together in a baking dish, and let that oven do the work for you.
This is also one of those recipes you can truly make your own: swap in your favorite fixin’s, use whatever meat you have on hand, or load it up with veggies. The whole family can dig in, and I promise you, there will be nothing but happy faces around the table!
For another delicious take on pizza casserole, take a peek at my Easy Pizza Pasta Casserole with Pepperoni!
Pizza Casserole Recipe Ingredients
- Penne Pasta
- Pepperoni
- Two jars of pizza sauce (I used a generic brand to keep things budget-friendly)
- Ground Beef (make sure this is already cooked & ready to go!)
- Mozzarella
Switch It Up!
- Go supreme: Add diced bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and black olives.
- BBQ chicken: Use BBQ sauce instead of pizza sauce, shredded chicken instead of beef, and top with red onion.
- White pizza: Ditch the red sauce for an Alfredo base. It’s great with chicken and spinach.
- Veggie overload: Skip the meat and pile on the mushrooms, spinach, roasted red peppers, and olives.
- Hawaiian style: Swap the beef for ham and toss in some pineapple chunks.
How to Make A Pizza Casserole Recipe Step by Step
1. Cook the Pasta
Start by cooking your pasta according to package directions.
When it is done, drain off the water and just leave it in the pot. We can mix it all up in there without dirtying up another dish.
2. Add the Pepperoni & Pizza Sauce
Next, add in your pepperoni and pizza sauce.
Note: In this step, you can also add in the seasonings Jen uses at this point (see recipe below), but I was pressed for time and left them out. But it was still wonderful!
3. Add the Ground Beef
Now add in your ground beef. Give that a big old stir until it’s all good and mixed up, and spray a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray.
Note: If you’re like me, at this point you are thinking “There is no way all of this is going to fit into a 9×13 pan….“ But it does. That’ll teach us to have faith in Sister Jen!
4. Top with Cheese & Bake
Finally, top that with your cheese, then bake at 350°F for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly.
Dig in!
Thanks again, Jen!
Top Tips for This Pizza Casserole Recipe
- Don’t overcook your pasta! Since it’s going back in the oven, it will continue to cook, and you don’t want it to get mushy. Just cook it to al dente.
- Salt your pasta water really well for extra flavor.
- Let it sit for about 5 minutes after you pull it out of the oven. This helps it set up and makes it easier to serve.
Storage Directions
You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you want to keep it longer, pop it in the freezer, where it will last for up to 3 months.
You May Also Like These Pizza Recipes:
- Quick Homemade Pizza Sauce
- Taco Pizza Fast, Fresh, Delicious!
- Pizza Rolls! Who wants the weekend off from cooking??
- Deep Dish Pizza
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef browned and drained
- 1 Box of Penne pasta
- 2 Jars of pizza sauce
- ½ Onion or more if you like onion
- 1 tsp. garlic powder*
- 2 tsp. season salt* more or less to taste
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese or more if you love cheese
- 1 Pack of sliced pepperoni
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Prepare pasta according to directions, drain water and set aside.
- Mix pasta, sauces, hamburger and 1 cup of the pepperoni together and put into a lightly greased 9 x 13 baking pan.
- Put more pepperoni on top if you want to do it like Jen does, or overlook this step like I did and just stir it all up in there.
- Cover with cheese (as much as you like) and bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling.
Notes
Nutrition
I LOVE this recipe. It is so good that you can’t sit still and eat it.
Thank you for such a delicious easy recipe.
I am so glad you liked it Claudia!!!
I made the recipe last night for my super bowl party last night,
I left off the pepperoni, mainly because I forgot it at the store.(lol) but it was a hit.
LOL, so glad it was a hit!!
Since discovering this casserole on your site, Christy, I’ve made it several times and my family loves it! Good stuff. Bless you Jen Hauler!
My family loves it too Josey!!! So glad you liked it!!
JEN JEN….I CAN TOTALLY RELATE!!
When I first met Christy….she told someone standing close by…”she always calls me Christy Jordan from southernplate.com..she never says this is Christy…it’s this is Christy Jordan from southernplate.com” LOL…& if they didn’t know the blog I pulled it up or wrote down the website for them to remember!! Love when I find someone who I can totally relate. 😉 mmmm recipe looks like a must try! THANKS!
Anyone try freezing this? Before or after baking? Really would love to know!
I’m gonna make this but instead of baking it put it in serving size microwave freezer containers and freeze. I live alone and pretty well keep Marie Callender in business, but I love to find recipes that I can do myself then just pop in the microwave.
Did you try freezing, Margaret? Did it freeze ok? My family loves this recipe and would love to make two; one to freeze for us another time.
I just made two batches of this… One for me and one for a friend who just had a baby…. We all loved it! Thanks for sharing!