Pepperoni Pizza Casserole is perfect for those nights that you don’t have much time to spend in the kitchen. A quick, easy dinner that the whole family will love.
This Pepperoni Pizza Casserole was a big hit with our family. It was super easy to make and didn’t take much time outside of baking it. Once you cook your pasta, the rest is just layering the ingredients in a baking dish and baking it in the oven.
My family loves pizza. I’m pretty sure they’d eat it every day if they could.
When we moved last year, we had no idea that we were out far enough that no big pizza company would deliver to us. We have some small pizza shops nearby, but they have mediocre pizza or weird delivery hours. Like one place doesn’t even start taking orders for delivery until 6pm. By the time we’d get our order, it’d be close to 7 and our toddler goes to bed shortly after.
I set out to make our own homemade pizza. I made some pretty darn good pizzas for my first tries at pizza dough. It just takes so long to make the dough, let it rise, add the toppings, and cook the pizza. We are always looking for faster alternatives on those nights that I don’t have hours to spend in the kitchen.
I found some ideas for pizza casseroles and thought I’d give it a try. I made this one pretty basic since I know we’re busy moms that don’t always have time to throw a bunch of different ingredients together.
Easy steps
The pasta took about 12 minutes to cook. While it was cooking, I prepared the baking dish with the first layers of sauce, cheese, and pepperoni. Once the pasta was finished, it only took a couple minutes to spread it in the dish and add the top layers. Then you can place it in the oven and have 30 minutes to do something else while it bakes.
The options for toppings is endless. You could use sausage, peppers, olives, pineapple, ham, or any other favorite topping.
I used 1/2 box of pasta and we still had 2 portions leftover. You can make the whole box but you will probably need more of all the ingredients if you do. Pizza sauce usually comes in smaller jars so it doesn’t go as far as pasta sauce. You could use marinara sauce in the bigger jars and it would be just as good. You’d still probably need two big jars if you make a whole box of pasta.
I’ve also made a double batch in a slow cooker to take to a pitch-in.
Want more quick and easy recipes like this one? Check these out.
Pepperoni Pizza Casserole
Pasta with pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni's. All baked in a quick casserole.
Ingredients
- 2 jars pizza sauce
- 1/2 box pasta rigatoni, penne, rotini, etc.
- 1 pkg pepperoni
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese
Instructions
-
In a large pot, prepare the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the box.
-
Spray a baking dish with cooking oil. Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce on the bottom of the dish. I went ahead and put a layer of pepperoni and mozzarella cheese on top of the sauce.
-
Once the pasta is cooked, drain it, and pour it back into your pot. Add one whole jar of pizza sauce. Stir until combined.
-
Pour the pasta over the layers you've prepared in your baking dish. Spread the pasta as evenly as possible. Put another layer of pepperonis on the pasta. Add a layer of the remaining mozzarella cheese. Last, add any additional pepperonis to the top.
-
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Scoop out portions with a big spoon or spatula to keep it all in one piece.
Recipe Notes
Feel free to add any additional ingredients to your pizza casserole. Some ideas could include: sausage, hamburger, ham pieces, olives, green peppers, additional cheeses, onions, pineapple, etc.
