This easy loaded pepperoni pizza casserole recipe with pasta will be a hit at dinner time! Tender penne noodles are tossed with a mixture marinara sauce, sauteed peppers and onions, seasonings, and Italian sausage. Transferred to a baking dish and topped with lots of shredded parmesan cheese and sliced pepperoni then baked until bubbly! Put a fun spin on pizza night with a casserole the whole family will love.
This pizza casserole is similar to other baked pastas but has the fun flavors and toppings of a loaded pizza minus the crust! We love this dish because it makes great leftovers or meal prep and even freezes really well. Use law-carb or keto noodles to make this a lower carb option than traditional pizza.
You might also like this layered beef lasagna or my spicy sausage rigatoni with shrimp! Find all of my dinner recipes here as well as my pasta dishes for more weeknight inspiration!
What Makes This Recipe Special
- Rich Meat Sauce: ground Italian sausage creates a savory, flavorful base along with marinara sauce, onions, peppers, garlic, and Italian seasonings.
- Favorite Pizza Flavors: without having to mess with homemade or store-bought dough.
- Serve Family Style: easily serve this directly out of the casserole dish for a simple family meal.
- Golden Brown & Cheesy: a layer of mozzarella cheese on top gets gooey and creates a nice crust.
- Weeknight Friendly: easy to prep ahead, bake when ready. Can even be made ahead and kept in the freezer.
What Is Pizza Casserole
Pizza casserole is a baked pasta dish that combines the comforting flavors of pizza—like marinara sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, and Italian seasoning—with cooked pasta (typically penne, rotini, or rigatoni). It’s essentially a mash-up between pizza and baked ziti. It’s crowd-pleasing, make-ahead friendly, and can easily be customized with your favorite pizza ingredients and toppings!
Key Ingredients
This casserole is made with simple ingredients, many you probably already have on hand. If there is a substitution for an ingredient, you’ll find it below:
- Pasta: any shape of noodle will work here, I recommend a tube shaped or shell shaped pasta. Examples would be elbow macaroni noodles, rigatoni, penne, mini shells, ziti.
- Mild Italian sausage: mild or spicy sausage will work here, use ground beef or plain ground pork as a substitute.
- Extra Virgin Olive oil: olive oil, avocado oil, butter, or vegetable oil can all be substitutes. Butter will also work if you prefer.
- Seasoning: kosher salt, fresh cracked black pepper, Italian seasoning, onion powder, and garlic powder all add extra flavor to this dish. Other seasonings like mined onion, paprika, or cayenne pepper also work.
- Onion: red onion, white onion, or sweet onion will work in the here.
- Bell pepper: fresh bell peppers add in a bit of color and that classic supreme pizza taste. Banana peppers or mini sweet peppers will work.
- Garlic: add as many fresh garlic cloves as desired, I use upwards of around 5 or 6 cloves. Jarred minced garlic can be used as well.
- Pepperoni Slices: sliced pepperoni is added on top of the casserole so it goes crispy just like on a pizza. Turkey pepperoni can be substituted, mini pepperoni is fun too!
- Cheese: shredded mozzarella is the best option here but Colby jack cheese or shredded parmesan will also work.
- Marinara Sauce: jarred pasta sauce makes for a quick shortcut, use homemade or any flavor of jarred. Pizza sauce can work in a pinch.
How to Make The Pizza Casserole
Let’s talk a little about how to make the Easy Loaded Pepperoni Pizza Casserole Recipe with Pasta (The printable instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Quick Overview:
- Preheat over to 350 degrees, grease a casserole dish.
- Sauté onion, peppers, and garlic with seasonings. Add ground sausage and brown.
- Mix in marinara and cooked noodles.
- Transfer to dish and top with cheese and pepperoni.
- Bake until bubbly.
- In a large sauté pan or large skillet heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in onion and bell pepper, sauté for 3-4 minutes until onions start to soften. Add in minced garlic and seasonings. Stir to combine and sauté for 1-2 more minutes.
- Add in the ground sausage and brown over medium-high heat until cooked through, if sausage has a lot of fat, spoon out of the pan before continuing. Add in the marinara, stir to combine. Toss with the cooked penne noodles.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a large casserole dish and set aside.
- Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish and top with shredded cheese and a layer of sliced pepperoni. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. After baking, broil on high for a few minutes so get a nice crust on the cheese.
Serve immediately. Leftovers can be cooled completely, transferred to an airtight container, and stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.
What To Serve With
This baked pizza casserole goes great with green salad, veggies, or bread. Try the side dish ideas below to create a balanced meal the whole family will love.
- Kale Salad with Avocado
- Spinach Salad
- Garlic Knots or Garlic Bread
- Fresh Lettuce Salad
Tools I Recommend
- Rectangular Baking Dish – the perfect size dish for this pasta bake! I have a couple casserole dishes on hand in different sizes and shapes for a fun table spread. You never know when you will need more than one pan!
- Sauté Pan – I love this pan for whipping up sauces or sautéing veggies like the onion and garlic. I love that it is also oven-safe.
- Box Grater – I use this all the time to shred my own cheeses, shred veggies, or fruit. Shredding your own cheese makes all the difference!
Serving Tip
Top your casserole with a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese, sliced pepperoncini’s or banana peppers, fresh herbs, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. This gives a pizza parlor vibe!
More Easy Dinner Ideas
If you like this Easy Loaded Pepperoni Pizza Casserole Recipe with Pasta, you’ll love these other pasta dishes:
Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can assemble the casserole up to 24 hours in advance and store it covered in the fridge. Just bake it when you’re ready, adding 5-10 extra minutes if it’s coming straight from the fridge.
Penne is a great choice because it holds the sauce well, but rotini, rigatoni, or ziti would all work too. Use what you have on hand!
Yes—this casserole freezes well. Assemble and freeze before baking. Just wrap it tightly and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before baking according to recipe directions.
Yes. You can swap in ground beef, turkey, or even keep it vegetarian with extra veggies like mushrooms or zucchini.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven at 350ºF or microwave individual portions until warm.
Think of classic pizza toppings, sauteed mushrooms, black olives, green olives, mini meatballs, sliced jalapenos, or a garlic butter drizzle all add extra flavor to the dish.
Easy Loaded Pepperoni Pizza Casserole Recipe with Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small Red onion, finely diced
- 1 Green bell pepper, chopped
- 2-3 cloves Fresh garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- 1 tsp Onion powder
- 16 oz. Ground Italian sausage
- 24 oz. jar Marinara sauce
- 16 oz. Penne noodles, cooked to package directions
- 8 oz. Shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 4 oz. Pepperoni
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a large casserole dish and set aside.
- In a large sauté pan heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in onion and bell pepper, sauté for 3-4 minutes until onions start to soften. Add in minced garlic and seasonings. Stir to combine and sauté for 1-2 more minutes.1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil, 1 small Red onion, 1 Green bell pepper, 2-3 cloves Fresh garlic, 1 tbsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp Kosher salt, Fresh cracked black pepper, 1 tsp Garlic powder, 1 tsp Onion powder
- Add in the ground sausage and brown over medium-high heat until cooked through, if sausage has a lot of fat, spoon out of the pan before continuing. Add in the marinara, stir to combine. Toss with the cooked penne noodles.16 oz. Ground Italian sausage , 24 oz. jar Marinara sauce, 16 oz. Penne noodles
- Transfer the pasta mixture to the greased casserole dish and top with shredded mozzarella and a layer of sliced pepperoni. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. After baking, broil on high for a few minutes so get a nice crust on the cheese.8 oz. Shredded Mozzarella cheese, 4 oz. Pepperoni
- Serve immediately. Leftovers can be cooled completely, transferred to an airtight container, and stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Nutrition
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