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Jazz up pizza night with this Pizza Casserole. This freezer friendly pizza pasta casserole is one recipe that the kids will be begging for more.
This easy pizza casserole recipe is a kid pleaser. My entire family devoured it and raved about how great it was. This pizza pasta casserole also freezes great so you can easily make two batches and toss one in the freezer for an easy freezer meal.
Good and easy recipe. It was a hit with the whole family. I added green peppers, onions, and mushrooms too. Will definitely make this again.
-Casey B
Are you looking for more easy fall recipes to freeze, check out these freezer recipes? If your family loves casseroles, make this Hamburger Potato Casserole or this Hamburger Casserole.
Looking for comfort food that’s easy on your wallet? This recipe is part of my Budget-Friendly Comfort Dinner series—family-approved and flavor-packed.
Ingredients
- Ground Beef – We used lean ground beef or add Italian Sausage for even more flavor
- Pepperoni – You can also use turkey pepperoni
- Mozzarella cheese – Use freshly shredded cheese
- Crushed Tomatoes – Try Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe
- Garlic Salt – See The Best Garlic Salt Substitute
- Italian Seasoning – Learn How to Make Italian Seasoning Recipe
- Penne Pasta – Use any type of short pasta
- Parmesan cheese – Use shredded parmesan cheese
Scroll to the recipe card for the full recipe details.
How to Make Easy Pizza Casserole Recipe
Step 1 – Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook ground beef and drain any sausage in the large skillet over medium heat.
Step 2 – Pour in the crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and the garlic salt large bowl. Stir to combine.
Step 3 – Meanwhile boil pasta in a large pot according to directions but cook to al dente in lightly salted water, meaning you want the pasta to be a firm bite and undercooked.
Step 4 – Drain pasta and pour cook pasta in a 9×13 baking dish.
Step 5 – Poor mixture over the pasta.
Step 6 – Top pasta mixture with half the Mozzarella cheese.
Step 7 – Lay half the pepperonis on top.
Step 8 – Then later the remaining pasta, meat sauce, cheese and pepperoni slices.
Step 9 – Sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top.
Step 10 – Cover the prepared casserole dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Step 11 – Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes until bubbly and brown.
Step 12 – Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then serve with your favorite pizza toppings.
Pizza Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef (or Italian Sausage)
- 6 oz pepperoni
- 3 cups Mozzarella cheese
- 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes (or 2 15 oz cans of crushed tomatoes)
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- 16 oz penne pasta
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown the ground beef and drain any sausage.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and the garlic salt. Stir to combine.
- Meanwhile boil pasta according to directions but cook to al dente, meaning you want the pasta to be firm and undercooked.
- Drain pasta and pour half of the pasta in a 9×13 baking dish.
- Spoon half the meat mixture over the pasta.
- Top with half the Mozzarella cheese.
- Lay half the pepperonis on top.
- Then later the remaining pasta, meat sauce, cheese and pepperoni.
- Sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.
- Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes until bubbly and brown.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then serve.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Recipe Tips
- Pasta – When preparing the pasta make sure to not overcook it. It will finish cooking in the oven. I like to cook the pasta al dente or according to the package.
- Ground Beef – We recommend draining any grease from the beef before mixing it with the other ingredients.
- Prepare baking dish – Spray the baking dish with cooking spray for an easy cleanup.
- Cover Casserole – Cover the casserole with foil before placing in the flavor. This locks in the flavor and prevents the casserole from burning. We like to remove the foil for the last 15 minutes so the cheese gets brown and bubbly.
Substitutions and Additions
- Meat – We used ground beef in this recipe, but you can easily use Italian Sausage. Also substitute with ground turkey or do half turkey and half ground beef.
- Sauce – We made our sauce out of crushed tomatoes, but you can also use a jar pizza sauce or marinara sauce if you prefer. Spaghetti sauce would also work with this pasta recipe.
- Pasta – Use your favorite pasta. Bowtie pasta, rotini or rigatoni pasta would be a good substitute to use.
- Cheese – Mozzarella is our favorite cheese to use but you can also mix in some parmesan cheese or use an Italian blend cheese.
- Vegetables – You can easily sneak in some veggies such as slice fresh mushrooms, black olives, green bell pepper and onions.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Recommendations
- Easy Ramen Noodle Salad Recipe
- Creamy Broccoli Salad Recipe
- How to Steam Broccoli in the Microwave
- Easy Parmesan Roasted Zucchini Recipe
- Oven Roasted Parmesan Asparagus
With an easy casserole dish and an easy side dish you can have dinner ready in no time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Make the easy pizza pasta casserole recipe in a tin toil pan according to direction above. However, instead of baking, cover with plastic wrap and foil and allow to cool.
Once cooled, freeze.
To bake, remove from freezer the day before you want to eat it and allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour covered, and 15 minutes uncovered.
We recommend storing leftovers in an airtight container. Place in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days.
This makes a delicious lunch the next day as the ingredients really marinate together.
When you are ready to reheat, place the casserole in a microwave safe dish and reheat. You can also reheat in the oven at 325 degrees for about 10 minutes.
More Pizza Recipes to try
Easy Pizza
Biscuit Pizza
Quick and Easy Breakfast
Breakfast Pizza
Easy Pizza
Pizza Pocket Recipe
Easy Slow Cooker
Crock Pot Pizza Casserole
We love to hear from you. If you make Pizza Casserole Recipe, please leave us a comment or a star review.
What a hit!!! Had to change for our family due to food allergies. Only substitutes were a 12 oz box of gluten free penne pasta and one 8 oz bag of dairyfree mozzarella shreds. Prepared as directed. Everyone LOVED it! It’s now part of our rotation. Thank you. Thank you.
Wahoo! That’s great! Thanks for letting us know!
Awesome casserole. We are retired and not only is it a great bargain to make..very filling and for us provides several meals in one cooking. love it thanks
Thank you, Rose! So glad you found it filling and budget friendly!
Overall dish is good but definitely needs more sauce!
Thanks for sharing Becky! I’m glad you enjoyed and it’s definitely easy to add extra sauce next time you make it.
really good
The whole family loved this recipe.
Yay! So glad it was a winner!
After freezing…how long to bake? Thaw it first?
Thank you!
Hey Carol – I allow it to defrost it out completely at room temperature and then bake based on the instructions.
It was so delicious!
We love pizza pasta casserole! Easy, inexpensive and a crowd pleaser. I love to do this recipe when our kids have friends over!