Meat Lovers Pizza Casserole
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Meat Lovers Pizza Casserole is essentially a deconstructed pizza baked in a casserole dish, providing a hearty and comforting meal. Cooked pasta, marinara sauce, Italian sausage, pepperoni, a little garlic, and some mozzarella cheese are all baked together until heated through and the cheese is melted. This weeknight meal has minimal ingredients, is simple to make, and is definitely a dinner that all will enjoy!
Why I love this recipe:
Meat lovers pizza casserole will become a regular in your weeknight dinner rotation. It has all the bold, hearty flavors you love in pizza, but in an easy, comforting casserole form that’s ready in just 30 minutes. If your family enjoys cozy, crowd-pleasing meals like creamy Italian sausage pasta, spaghetti casserole, or a warm bowl of Italian sausage soup, this recipe fits right in. It even works for slower mornings or make-ahead meals, much like my egg and sausage breakfast casserole. The ingredients are simple and can be prepped ahead and baked right before dinner. It’s also completely kid-approved – no need to make a second meal. Thank goodness!
The ingredients:
Here is a list of all the ingredients you’ll need to make this pizza casserole with a few notes about each one.
- 1 pound short cut pasta – any kind will do! I typically use Penne or Rigatoni.
- Italian sausage – I like to use Italian sausage in this pizza casserole. It offers a ton of flavor. It’s also cheap! If you don’t want to use sausage, ground beef is a great substitute.
- Bag of pepperoni – This recipe has to have pepperoni because it’s a meat lovers recipe, right? The salty slightly spicy bite is the perfect addition. I love how the pepperoni looks on top of the casserole as well!
- 2 jars of marinara sauce – Any flavor will do. I typically use a traditional one to keep things simple, but feel free to use your favorite jarred pasta sauce.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese – Mozzarella melts beautiful and is mild enough allowing all the other flavors to shine.
- Minced garlic (not pictured) – I like to add garlic just for that extra touch of flavor. However, most jarred marina sauces already have garlic in them so it’s not absolutely necessary.
How to make meat lovers pizza casserole:
Step-By-Step Instructions:
Recommended Product
This 9×13 inch casserole dish is perfect for hearty casseroles. it makes layering and serving simple and stress-free!
Tips for Success:
- Do not over boil the noodles otherwise they will become mushy. I boil mine for about 8 minutes. Thy will continue to cook in the oven.
- Prepare all of the ingredients and utensils ahead of time. I like to go through the recipe first and then get everything I need out before I start cooking. This prevents mistakes and makes the cooking process run smoothly.
Substitutions:
- If your family doesn’t like Italian sausage, you can use ground beef instead. I suggest seasoning it with a tablespoon of Italian seasoning and a teaspoon of salt. You could also use ground turkey or chicken as well.
- Provolone cheese and parmesan cheese would be nice cheesses to incorporate if you want a sharper cheese flavor.
And there you have it. Everything you need to know about Meat Lovers Pizza Casserole! If you have any questions, please leave me a comment! I’d be happy to help you in any way I can! Enjoy!
Meat Lovers Pizza Casserole
PIzza Casserole is a simple family friendly recipe. Cooked sausage is mixed with garlic and marinara sauce then tossed together with pasta, mozzarella cheese and slice pepperoni. It's baked until hot and bubbly.
Ingredients
- 2, 24 ounce jars traditional pasta sauce
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1, 16 ounce box rigatoni pasta
- 1, 12 ounce bag shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 bag pepperoni
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Drizzle olive oil in a large sauté pan and place over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until browned. Next, add minced garlic and sauté for an additional minute. Pour in the jars of marinara sauce and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- While sauce is simmering, boil the pasta for 8 minutes - the pasta should be well under-cooked. Drain pasta and put back into the large pot it cooked in.
- Count out 18 pepperoni and place to the side. Take the leftover pepperoni and cut it into chunks.
- To the pot of drained pasta add the meat sauce, sliced pepperoni, and a handful of mozzarella cheese and stir.
- Put pasta into a 9x13 casserole dish, top with remaining mozzarella cheese and the 18 pepperoni slices. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and pepperoni is crispy.
Notes
Pizza casserole can be made in advance and baked later.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Re-heat in the microwave or cover with aluminum foil and re-heat in a 300 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving:Calories: 759Total Fat: 42gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 26gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 2109mgCarbohydrates: 57gFiber: 7gSugar: 16gProtein: 37g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated. Use as an approximation only.
I just had this at a luncheon for a church service. This is outstanding! I couldn’t stop eating it. Delish!
wonderful!
Can this be frozen and cooked later?
yes!
I just made this and everyone loved it! This recipe is easy to follow and the results are amazing!
Glad you liked it!
It would be really helpful if you would put the size/ounces of the ingredients.
Hi Cindy – I added size/ounce!
I just made this and it’s a hit! I’d do some minor tweeking when I make it again. Add some spices like Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. I did use generic pasta sauce and regular sausage so that could have been the difference. I would boil pasta a few minutes longer, came out too Al dente for me. And add more cheese!! It was pretty awesome as is though. Don’t be scared, try it!
Yum!! Glad you liked it!
Are you using an 8 oz bag of mozzarella or 16 oz?
Hi Cindy! It doesn’t really matter, the more cheese the better in my eyes. It’s really as much as you want it. If you were trying to lighten it up, I would use an 8 ounce bag. Enjoy!
What size jar of Prego?
1.8 pounds. It may also say 24 ounces.
Thank you.
This looks delish! I can’t wait to give it a try. I do have a question for you. What size size bag of pepperoni do you use?
Thanks for posting this recipe. Looks like a keeper.
Hi Jayne! It’s very good and very easy to make! Just purchase a small bag of pepperoni – you can use as little or as much as you like in the recipe. Enjoy!
Hi Jessica Erin, this looks delicious and I cannot wait to try it. I do have a couple of questions 1) How many will this serve? and 2) Can this be frozen? If so would you freeze before or after cooking? Thanks so much for a delicious recipe. 🙂
Thanks Joann! I would freeze before cooking. It makes a 9×13 pan so depending on who you’re cooking for, it will serve about 6. For example, my husband could eat half of it probably so if you’re cooking for adults I would say 6. If you’re cooking for little kiddos, between 6-8. Enjoy!
Awesome stuff. I added fresh baby portabella shrooms and black olives. Nice touch
thanks tom! glad you liked it – mushrooms and olives are a great addition!