Easy Cheesy Meat Lovers Pizza Pasta Casserole or Bake with pepperoni, ground beef, pork, sausage, spaghetti, elbow macaroni or rigatoni in a pasta sauce!
Pepperoni Pizza Casserole
This Meat Lovers Pizza Pasta Casserole, (Pizza Pasta for short) is so hard to resist, I can’t put my fork down. It is a combination of your favorite pizza toppings with pasta, all in one pan!
This dish calls for a combination of delicious ingredients and is definitely a meat lovers dream!
Does anyone else out there order a meat lovers pizza? We have on many occasions and that is exactly what this meat lovers pizza casserole reminds me of, but it’s even better.
As they say, there’s nothing like homemade and this pizza pasta dish is no exception.
There are so many options when making this Pepperoni Pizza Casserole that it’s never made the same way twice. I never get a single complaint when I make it and why would I?
This recipe calls for a variety of our favorite meat toppings which includes pepperoni, ground beef, bacon, ground pork, ground sausage, pancetta or ham.
Once you add the vegetables, combined with garlic, seasonings, different types of cheeses, topped with crispy fried onions, this makes for an unforgettable dish indeed!
It is the ultimate in comfort food and is so delicious. Don’t take my word for it. See for yourself!
Cheesy Pizza Pasta Bake
Deciding what cheeses to use in this Cheesy Pizza Pasta Bake can be a challenge depending on what flavor and texture you’re looking for. There are a variety to choose from.
Besides the standard cheddar, colby or Monterey jack and mozzarella cheeses, you can use Feta, Gouda, Gruyere, Goat cheese, Havarti and Romano. If you have several of these cheeses on hand, you can mix them together.
My son enjoys making sandwiches from leftovers and, believe it or not, has used this Cheesy Pizza Pasta bake between two slices of bread. Now that may look and sound strange. But you would be surprised at how tasty it is. Have a look at the photo below.
Is it not appealing to the eye? I would have to say yes.
I thought it was odd at first, but I was completely blown away at how good this meat lovers pizza casserole tasted! So much so, I toasted a bun with some melted cheese and ate one myself.
I hope someone out there tries this pizza pasta sandwich as I would love to hear about it in the comments.
To prevent the bun from getting soggy, (and there’s nothing worse than a soggy sandwich), I highly recommend you toast the bun first. Add the cheese, then put it under the broiler to melt it.
Patrick prefers this Pizza Pasta sandwich over his favorite pizza as it includes the best parts of the pizza only better.
The toppings are inside the sandwich instead of being on top of a pizza which makes for a really juicy sandwich. It is different but definitely worth a try.
We include a wide variety of meat, so that each bite pepperoni pasta casserole tastes different from the last.
Pepperoni Pizza Pasta
Adding a variety of vegetables to this Pepperoni Pizza Pasta dish gives it a healthy flair and there are so many to choose from.
I don’t know about you but I hate throwing out food and there has been many a time when I’ve tossed out vegetables that have been sitting in my fridge for a while because I forgot about them or didn’t know what to do with them.
Now is a good opportunity to clean out your fridge.
I usually top this pasta dish with onions, mushrooms and sweet peppers, but you can literally use just about any vegetable you can think of and it’s almost impossible to go wrong.
Here is a sample list of other vegetables you can use as toppings:
- Broccoli
- Brussel sprouts
- Cabbage
- Celery
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Corn
- Mushrooms (other than white) – portobello, cremini, shiitake, oyster, porcini
- Olives (black, green, kalamata)
- Peas
- Spinach
- Zucchini
I would recommend you saute the cabbage, celery, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower first in butter or 1-2 tablespoons of oil for 3 to 5 minutes.
It takes more time but you can also roast the broccoli and cauliflower as it gives it a different flavor.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Cut it up into florets, toss with oil and add ½ teaspoon of salt. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and cook for another 30 minutes.
To please the vegetarian in your family, skip the pepperoni and add vegetarian meat crumble. It is made with soy-textured vegetable protein, looks and tastes just like hamburger.
You will be amazed at the results and your family will fall in love with this Pepperoni Pizza Pasta recipe.
Pizza Casserole with Elbow Macaroni, Rigatoni or Spaghetti
If pizza is your thing and you’re a lover of pasta, this combination, makes for a great casserole.
So many different pastas to choose from, so little time!
The most common pastas I’ve used in this pepperoni pizza pasta are elbow macaroni, rigatoni and spaghetti. But don’t forget about penne, shells, fettuccine, rotini, angel hair or even egg noodles! I have used them all and they taste great.
Some work better than others, but, the bottom line is you choose the one you think you will enjoy the most.
Baked Pizza Spaghetti Casserole with Pepperoni, Ground Beef and Sausage
Baked Pizza Spaghetti, Pepperoni, Ground Beef and Sausage Casserole (that’s a mouthful!) makes for a hearty and satisfying dish to say the least.
Renate is my older neighbor and is a self-described meat-lover. She is also not afraid to tell me the truth about whether a recipe is successful or not and I appreciate that.
She has become an official taste tester of all my recipes. So, stay tuned. You’ll be hearing more about my food critic.
Pepperoni, ground beef and sausage are Renate’s favorite meats. Well, when I made her this meat lovers pasta, she raved about it for days.
More often than not I combine all of the meats listed in the recipe which includes pepperoni, ground beef, bacon, ground pork and sausage, ham or pancetta (Italian ham).
The perfect meat lovers pizza pasta bake!
Ingredients for Meat Lovers Pizza Pasta Casserole
- pasta
- pepperoni
- ground beef
- bacon
- ground pork
- ground sausage
- pancetta or ham
- diced tomatoes
- tomato sauce
- Italian seasoning
- salt
- pepper
- onions
- peppers
- mushrooms
- garlic
- parmesan cheese
- shredded cheese
- crispy fried onions
How to make Meat Lovers Pasta Casserole
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat.
Cook ground beef, pork and sausage until no longer pink. Drain and dump into a large bowl.
Fry chopped bacon until cooked, almost crisp. Drain on paper towel.
Add ½ of the bacon to large bowl with ground meat in it.
Sauté onions, mushrooms and peppers until tender.
Add some butter if needed in the pan. Dump in large bowl as well.
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and add to large bowl.
Add tomato sauce, canned, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, ½ cup of cheese, ham or pancetta and half of the pepperoni to that large bowl and stir until combined.
Dump and spread contents of the bowl into your prepared pan as evenly as possible.
Sprinkle remaining half of bacon and crispy fried onions all over the meat and pasta mixture.
Cover with remaining shredded cheese all over top of the crispy fried onions.
Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.
Lastly place pepperoni slices across top of cheeses and bake for 45 minutes.
Then turn the oven up to broil and bake until cheese is brown and pepperoni edges start to darken.
Remove from oven and let stand for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Easy Dinner Bakes and Pasta Dishes to Try
Our Favorite Loaded Pasta Carbonara
Chicken Pasta in Sherry Cream Sauce
Million Dollar Pasta Casserole
Creamy Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff
Simple Skillet Chicken Stroganoff
Cheesy Pizza Spaghetti Casserole
Meat Lovers Pizza Pasta Casserole Video
Meat Lovers Pizza Pasta Casserole
Equipment
- 13 x 9 inch cake pan
- saucepan
- large skillet
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup pasta, uncooked, any kind
- 50 slices pepperoni - approximatey
- 1 cup bacon, chopped more or less to taste
- ½ pound ground beef
- ½ pound ground pork -
- ½ pound ground sausage, honey garlic, casings removed or 2 large sausages
- 1 cup pancetta or ham, chopped
- 1 can (28 oz) canned tomatoes, diced
- 2 jars (26 oz) tomato sauce
- 2 tblsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tblsp salt
- 1 tblsp black pepper
- 1 large onions, sliced
- 1 cup peppers, green, yellow, orange or red, cored, chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms, fresh, sliced
- 2 tblsp garlic, minced
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 2 cups cheese, shredded more or less to taste
- ½ - ¾ cup crispy fried onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare a 13x9 inch pan lightly coated with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat.
- Cook ground beef, pork and sausage until no longer pink. Drain and dump into a large bowl.
- Fry chopped bacon until cooked, almost crisp. Drain on paper towel.
- Add ½ of the bacon to large bowl with ground meat in it.
- Sauté onions, mushrooms and peppers until tender. Add some butter if needed in the pan. Dump in large bowl as well.
- Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and add to large bowl.
- Add tomato sauce, canned, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, ½ cup of cheese, ham or pancetta and half of the pepperoni to that large bowl and stir until combined.
- Dump and spread contents of the bowl into your prepared pan as evenly as possible.
- Sprinkle remaining half of bacon and crispy fried onions all over the meat and pasta mixture.
- Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese all over top of the crispy fried onions.
- Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.
- Lastly place pepperoni slices across top of cheeses.
- Bake for 45 minutes.
- Then turn the oven up to broil and bake until cheese is brown and pepperoni edges start to darken.
- Remove from oven and let stand for at least 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
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