Emma came home from school last Tuesday asking if we could have pizza for dinner again. Instead of ordering out for the third time that week, I remembered this pizza casserole recipe that my neighbor Susan shared at our last potluck. She'd been making it for her family of six for years, and every single person cleaned their plate. After making it twice this month and watching Emma go back for thirds, I finally understood why Susan guards this recipe so closely.
Why You'll Love This Pizza Casserole Recipe
Emma and I have made this recipe at least fifteen times since Susan shared it with us, and here's what we've learned about why it beats regular pizza night every single time. First, it uses ingredients you probably already have sitting in your pantry and fridge - no special trips to the store for weird items you'll never use again. I'm talking basic pasta, cheese, sauce, and whatever pizza toppings your family actually likes. Second, you can throw this whole thing together on a busy Sunday afternoon and literally eat off it for the entire week.
The practical side of me loves that this feeds our family of four for two full dinners, costs about half what pizza delivery would run us, and I can pack the leftovers in Emma's lunch thermos for school. He gets excited about lunch instead of trading his sandwich for someone else's snacks. Last month when his friend Jake came over for dinner, he asked three times if his mom could get the recipe. Jake's mom texted me that same night. Plus, unlike regular pizza that leaves everyone hungry again in two hours, this actually sticks with you.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Pizza Casserole Recipe
- Ingredients for Pizza Casserole Recipe
- How To Make Pizza Casserole Recipe Step By Step
- Equipment For Pizza Casserole Recipe
- Pizza Casserole Recipe Variations
- Smart Swaps for Different Needs
- Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
- How My Sister's Kitchen Became Our Family's Heart
- Top Tip
- Why This Pizza Casserole Recipe Works
- FAQ
- Pizza Night Just Got Better!
- Related
- Pairing
- Pizza Casserole Recipe
Ingredients for Pizza Casserole Recipe
The Pasta Base:
- Penne or rigatoni pasta
- Olive oil
- Salt for pasta water
The Pizza Stuff:
- Pizza sauce
- Mozzarella cheese
- Pepperoni slices
- Italian sausage
- Bell peppers
- Onion
- Mushrooms
What Makes It Taste Right:
- Parmesan cheese
- Crushed tomatoes
- Garlic cloves
- Italian seasoning
- Red pepper flakes
- Fresh basil
See recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Pizza Casserole Recipe Step By Step
Prep Work:
- Cook pasta 2 minutes less than the box says
- Save 1 cup of that starchy pasta water before draining
- Brown Italian sausage until it gets crispy bits
- Take sausage out but keep all that fat in the pan
Build The Sauce:
- Toss onions and peppers into that sausage fat
- Cook until they're soft but not mushy
- Add garlic for maybe 30 seconds so it doesn't burn
- Dump in crushed tomatoes and pizza sauce
- Season everything and let it bubble for 8 minutes
Layer Everything:
- Spread half the pasta in a buttered 9x13 pan
- Plop half the meat and veggie mix on top
- Scatter half the cheese over that
- Do it again - pasta, meat stuff, cheese
The Bake:
- Walk away for 10 minutes before you cut it
- Let Emma arrange pepperoni however he wants
- Cover with foil and stick in 375°F oven for 25 minutes
- Pull off foil and bake another 15-20 until it's golden
Equipment For Pizza Casserole Recipe
- 9x13 baking dish (glass or ceramic work best)
- Large pasta pot with a strainer
- Heavy skillet for browning the meat
- Sharp knife for chopping vegetables
- Box grater for cheese
Pizza Casserole Recipe Variations
Meat Lovers Version:
- Ground beef, Italian sausage, pepperoni, and bacon
- Extra mozzarella because more cheese is never wrong
- Garlic parmesan sprinkled on top
- Emma calls this "the one that makes Dad happy"
Veggie Garden Style:
- Zucchini, eggplant, roasted red peppers, and spinach
- Fresh mozzarella instead of the shredded stuff
- Olive oil drizzled on top before baking
- Took three tries before Emma stopped picking out vegetables
Breakfast Pizza Bake:
- Scrambled eggs, breakfast sausage, hash browns
- Cheddar cheese instead of mozzarella
- White sauce that Emma won't let me call fancy names
- Good for Sunday brunch when his friends sleep over
BBQ Chicken Version:
- Grilled chicken, red onions, bell peppers
- BBQ sauce mixed with pizza sauce
- Smoked gouda and fresh cilantro on top
- Emma's pick this month but he changes favorites constantly
Smart Swaps for Different Needs
Pasta Switches:
- Penne → Ziti or rigatoni both work fine
- Regular pasta → Gluten-free pasta (Emma's friend Sarah can't tell)
- White pasta → Whole wheat if you want to feel better about dinner
- Normal → Protein pasta when you need it to stick longer
Meat Changes:
- Italian sausage → Ground beef or turkey
- Pepperoni → Turkey pepperoni (tastes pretty much the same)
- Meat → Those plant-based crumbles for vegetarian kids
- Regular → Low-sodium stuff if that matters to you
Cheese Swaps:
- Full-fat → Low-fat versions are okay
- Mozzarella → Part-skim mozzarella cuts some calories
- Real cheese → Dairy-free cheese (though Emma thinks it's gross)
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
Fridge Storage (3-4 days):
- Let it cool down completely before you cover it
- Reheat single servings at 350°F for 15 minutes
- Cover with foil so the cheese doesn't turn into rubber
- Splash some water on it if it looks dried out
Freezer Storage (2-3 months):
- Put it together but don't bake it yet
- Wrap the whole pan in plastic wrap then foil
- Thaw it in the fridge overnight before baking
- Tack on 10-15 extra minutes when you bake it
Make-Ahead Trick:
- Skip this and the middle stays cold while the edges burn
- Put everything together up to 24 hours early
- Keep it covered in the fridge
- Let it sit on the counter 30 minutes before baking
How My Sister's Kitchen Became Our Family's Heart
My sister found this pizza casserole recipe three years ago when she was trying to feed her four kids something that wasn't takeout for the fifth night running. Her youngest, who usually picks pepperoni off regular pizza and whines about everything, ate his whole serving and asked for seconds. Word got around our family faster than when cousin Mike got arrested. Now every family get-together, somebody brings this casserole, and it's always gone first.
What started as my sister just trying to survive dinnertime turned into our family thing. Emma learned to make it himself last summer when he stayed at her house for a week. He came home talking about how his aunt let him dump all the cheese and put the pepperoni in smiley faces. Now when he's had a crappy day at school or just wants to hang out in the kitchen, he asks if we can make "the pizza thing." There's something about standing next to each other, dumping pasta and cheese in a pan, that makes everything feel normal again.
Top Tip
- The pasta water trick is worth remembering - always save a cup of that starchy pasta water before you drain everything. If your casserole looks too thick when you're putting it together, add a few splashes. That pasta water has starch in it that helps everything stick together instead of turning into a dry mess. Also, don't skip the waiting time after baking. I know everyone's hungry and it smells good, but let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Layer smart by putting your heavy stuff like meat and chunky vegetables in the middle layer, not on top. If you pile all the sausage on top, it'll burn before the bottom gets hot. Keep the cheese for the last layer where it goes. Use rotisserie chicken instead of cooking your own if you're in a hurry - tastes just as good and saves you 30 minutes.
Why This Pizza Casserole Recipe Works
This pizza casserole recipe hits different than regular pizza because it actually fills you up. When we order pizza, Emma's back in the kitchen an hour later looking for snacks. With this, he stays full until breakfast. The pasta soaks up all that cheese and sauce, so you get real food instead of just bread and toppings that slide off. The layering is what does it - bottom layer of pasta catches all the good stuff that drips down, middle layer of meat and vegetables gives you the pizza flavors without the mess, and the top layer of cheese gets golden and bubbly like the good part of pizza crust.
Emma noticed that this tastes better the next day because all the flavors have time to hang out together. The pasta soaks up more sauce overnight, the cheese gets firm but doesn't turn into rubber, and somehow the pepperoni flavor gets into everything. It's one of those recipes that gets better with time, which never happens with leftover pizza. Regular pizza turns into cardboard after one night in the fridge, but this stuff just keeps getting better for three or four days.
FAQ
How to bake the best pizza in the oven?
For pizza casserole recipe , stick it in a 375°F oven right on the middle rack - not too high or the top burns before the inside gets hot. Cover the whole thing with foil for the first part so the pasta gets properly steamed and doesn't dry out. Then pull off that foil for the last 15-20 minutes so you get that golden, bubbly top that Emma always dives for first.
What side goes with Pizza Casserole Recipe?
This thing is pretty heavy and filling, so we usually do something light like Caesar salad or garlic bread to soak up any extra sauce. Emma actually likes steamed broccoli with it, which completely blew my mind the first time he asked for seconds on vegetables.
What is the secret to the best pizza?
Don't pile on too much stuff or it turns into a soggy, falling-apart mess that slides off your fork. Buy decent cheese - the good mozzarella costs maybe two bucks more than the cheap stuff but tastes ten times better. And for the love of all that's holy, wait those full 10 minutes after baking before you cut into it.
What is best to bake pizza on?
Use a heavy ceramic or glass baking dish for this Pizza Casserole Recipe, not one of those flimsy metal pans that create hot spots and burn the edges while the middle stays cold. Glass is actually my favorite because you can peek at the bottom and see when it's getting golden instead of guessing.
Pizza Night Just Got Better!
Now you know why this pizza casserole recipe has taken over our dinner rotation and probably will mess with yours too. It's one of those recipes that fixes the "what's for dinner" problem while actually making everyone happy. Emma's friends ask when they can come over for "pizza pasta night," and honestly, that's better than any review I could write.
Want more stuff that actually works for family dinner? Try our Best Hamburger Patty Recipe that makes backyard cookouts worth the hassle. Need something healthy that doesn't taste like cardboard? Our Healthy And Ideal Borscht Soup Recipe shocked everyone by being both good for you and something people actually want seconds of. Or if you're feeling brave, check out our Best Vada Pav Recipe - Emma calls it "Indian sliders" and bugs me to make them for his lunch box.
Share your pizza casserole wins! We love seeing how other families mess around with this recipe!
Rate this recipe and tell us what your kids think!
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Pizza Casserole Recipe
Pizza Casserole Recipe
Equipment
- 1 9x13 inch baking dish (Glass or ceramic preferred; buttered)
- 1 Large pasta pot + colander (For boiling pasta)
- 1 Heavy skillet (For browning sausage & sautéing veggies)
- 1 Chef’s knife & cutting board
- 1 Box grater (For mozzarella & parmesan)
- 1 Measuring cups & spoons
- 1 Aluminum foil (To cover during first bake)
Ingredients
- 1 lb penne or rigatoni dry - Cook 2 minutes shy of package
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt - For pasta water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil - For skillet if needed
- 1 lb Italian sausage - Casings removed
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 medium bell peppers diced - Any colors
- 8 oz mushrooms sliced - Optional but recommended
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes - 1 can
- 2 cups pizza sauce - About 16 oz
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes - To taste
- 4 cups shredded mozzarella - ~16 oz; part-skim works
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- 4 oz pepperoni slices - Plus extra for topping designs
- 1 tablespoon butter - For greasing dish
- 1 cup reserved pasta water - Add as needed to loosen sauce
- ¼ cup fresh basil chopped - For garnish
Instructions
- Preheat to 375°F, butter the dish, and start salted water.
- Parboil pasta two minutes less than package; reserve starchy water.
- Brown sausage; sauté onions, peppers, mushrooms; add garlic; simmer with sauces.
- Layer pasta, sauce, and cheeses; repeat layers; arrange pepperoni on top.
- Cover and bake twenty-five minutes; uncover until golden; rest ten minutes.
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