Pizza Pasta Casserole is meat lover's dream come true! Loaded with pepperoni, sausage, ham, and bacon, this casserole is hearty and filling. Follow this pizza pasta casserole recipe and see just how easy it is to make. The whole family will love it!
Even the pickiest of eaters in your family are going to enjoy this tasty easy pasta casserole recipe. And, the best part is that this recipe is so simple that you can switch it around to meet your family's taste preferences.
Easy Pizza Pasta Casserole
This cheesy Pizza Pasta Casserole is a complete meal all by itself. The best part about it is that you can customize this pizza pasta casserole to your liking. If you want to add some veggies, go ahead! If you want to add more meat, go ahead! This is a great recipe to use up leftovers, too.
If you want a delicious easy to make ahead dinner recipe you need to try this ground beef pepperoni pizza casserole. You won't regret it.
Ingredients
This ingredient list may seem a little longer to you but I promise this pizza pasta casserole is worth every bite I promise.
- pasta
- pepperoni
- bacon
- ground beef
- ground pork
- Italian sausage
- ham
- diced tomatoes
- Italian seasoning
- salt
- pepper
- onions
- peppers
- mushrooms
- garlic
- parmesan cheese
- mozzarella cheese
- crispy fried onions
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
These steps may seem long, but I've broken them down into very simple steps for you to follow. I promise this dish is worth the effort.
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 a paper towel.
Add ½ of the bacon to a large bowl with ground meat in it.
Sauté onions, mushrooms, and peppers until tender. Add some butter if needed in the pan. Dump in a large bowl as well.
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and add to a 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 the contents of the bowl into your prepared pan as evenly as possible.
Sprinkle the remaining half of bacon and crispy fried onions all over the meat and pasta mixture.
Next. sprinkle remaining shredded cheese all over the top of the crispy fried onions.
Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.
Lastly, place pepperoni slices across the 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!
Substitutions
Don't have the correct ingredients on hand? Or want to change something up? Here are some helpful tips for you to change this Supreme Pizza Pasta Casserole.
- Ham - Don't have ham on hand? You can use Canadian bacon instead.
- Sausage - if you like a lower fat casserole use turkey sausage.
- Pasta - change up the pasta shapes and use your favorite.
Variations
Want to personalize this Pizza Pasta Casserole recipe? Here are some of my tried and true tips for changing up this recipe.
- Spicy - use spicy Italian sausage and spicy pepperoni for a spicy casserole.
- Vegetables - Switch up the vegetables to whatever your family prefers.
- Cottage Cheese - If you love pizza pasta casserole with cottage cheese, add some in for a creamy texture.
If you love recipes like this, you may also enjoy this Braided Pizza Bread. For another delicious dinner recipe option, try our Philly Cheesesteak Pasta recipe.
Equipment
You only need a few kitchen tools to help you make this cheesy casserole recipe.
- 13 x 9 cake or casserole pan
- saucepan
- large skillet
Storage
Store leftover pizza pasta casserole in the fridge tightly covered with plastic wrap for up to three days.
Tips
Here are my best tips to help you make this casserole recipe.
- Cook the bacon until it is almost crisp for the best flavor.
- Spread the mixture into the pan as evenly as possible to ensure even baking.
- Turn up the oven to broil for a few minutes at the end to get a nice crispy top on your casserole.
More Pizza Recipes
Do you like pizza recipes? Here are some recipes you may also like to try
FAQ
Do you have questions about Pizza Pasta Casserole? Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about this recipe.
How do I reheat?
To reheat, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place pizza pasta casserole on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.
Can I freeze?
Yes, to freeze, prepare casserole according to the recipe but do not bake. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze. When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the fridge and bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.
Can I double?
Yes, you can easily double this recipe. Just two casserole pans.
Meat Lovers Pizza Pasta Casserole
Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.
Meat Lovers Pizza Pasta Casserole Video
Meat Lovers Pizza Pasta Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup pasta uncooked, any kind
- 50 slices pepperoni
- 1 cup bacon chopped, more or less to taste
- ½ pound ground beef
- ½ pound ground pork
- ½ pound ground sausage or 2 large sausages
- 1 cup ham chopped
- 28 ounces canned tomatoes diced
- 32 ounces 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 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.
- Lightly-coat a 13 x 9 inch pan 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 put 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.
- Put contents of the bowl into prepared pan and spread 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!
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