This pizza pasta bake is easy, gooey, cheesy and oh so delicious. Made with pasta, ground beef, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. I like to cook extra pasta the night before and save it for this recipe.
This pasta bake can be whipped up pretty quickly, which makes it perfect for busy weeknights. Your family is going to love this cheesy pasta bake! We ate every inch of this casserole, it was seriously THAT good.
You’re looking at a cheesy pasta dish that’s also loaded with ground beef and sliced pepperoni. This pasta hits the spot when you’re craving comfort food. It’s loaded with sauce, cheese and meat. My favorite part is the crispy pepperoni on top!
I’m not gonna lie, I could probably eat this whole pizza casserole to myself. Luckily my family will happily eat it too.
For this recipe, I like to use a big bag of brown rice spiral pasta. Have you tried it before? I promise you that brown rice pasta is actually quite good and the consistency is similar to normal pasta.
The difference is that it’s gluten-free and a whole grain pasta, which can be easier on the digestive system. You can find brown rice pasta here.
Pizza Casserole Ingredients:
- Ground beef – I like to use extra lean ground beef for this recipe.
- Yellow onion – you can also use white or red onion. Whatever you have in your cupboard works.
- Mozzarella cheese – one of my favorite ingredients for obvious reasons.
- Pepperoni slices – you’ll be adding these into the pasta dish and also on top.
- Marinara sauce – one jar of low sugar marinara sauce is dumped into this mixture to keep this recipe easy peasy.
- Pre-cooked spiral pasta – I like to use gluten free brown rice pasta, but you can use any pasta you prefer.
How To Make The Pizza Pasta Bake
- First, you’ll want to cook the pasta, drain and set it aside. To save time, you can cook this the day before and store it in the fridge.
- Brown the beef and onion in a skillet. This doesn’t take too long, about 8-10 minutes. You’ll know when it’s done when the onion is translucent and the beef has gone from pink to brown.
- After that, add the beef to a bowl along with cooked pasta, mozzarella cheese, and marinara sauce. This will become the base of this yummy pizza casserole.
- Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes. The pizza casserole will be done when the sides start to brown and the cheese is bubbling.
How To Layer The Pizza Pasta
- First layer: Ground beef / pasta mixture
- Second layer: Half of grated mozzarella cheese
- Third layer: Slices of pepperoni
How To Freeze The Pizza Pasta Bake
This recipe makes a great freezer meal. You can freeze before or after cooking in the oven. It’s an easy recipe to add to your meal prep nights, or double up and make two casseroles one night. Eat one and freeze the other for later.
Pizza Casserole Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. You can use any kind of pasta shape that you’d like. Spaghetti, rigatoni, bowtie, penne and even lasagna pasta would all work!
Yes. You can use brown rice noodles or chickpea pasta noodles to make this gluten free.
Great question! I like to round out the meal with a large dose of veggies. Like my Kale Caesar Salad or Garden Salad. You could also serve this with roasted vegetables.
More Family Dinner Recipes:
- Sheet Pan Fajitas – These are easy, healthy, and can be ready for dinner in 30 minutes
- Bruschetta Chicken – one of my favorite low carb chicken recipes.
- Chicken Olive Pasta Bake – An easy casserole dish to put together when you’ve got a hungry family.
- Sweet and Sour Sausage – I’m a big fan of easy weeknight dinners and this one doesn’t disappoint.
- Rigatoni With Ground Chicken and Peas – This recipe is quick and fast and perfect for busy weeknights.
Pizza Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 450 g spiral pasta - (about 5 cups) – cooked and drained
- 1 small yellow onion - chopped
- 1 lb extra lean ground beef
- 1 650 ml jar of spaghetti or marinara sauce
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup pepperoni slices - cut into quarters
- 15 pepperoni slices - (for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Cook the pasta al dente in boiling water according to package instructions. Drain and rinse under cool water. Set aside.
- In a frying pan over medium-high heat, add a bit of cooking oil and yellow onion. Cook until onion turns translucent. Add in the ground beef and break up into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook until the ground beef is no longer pink.
- Pour the beef mixture into a large bowl being careful to leave excess grease in the frying pan. Add in the cooked pasta, marinara sauce, 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese, and ½ cup pepperoni. Stir everything together.
- Pour the entire mixture into a casserole dish (mine was 11” x 7”) and spread out evenly with a spoon.
- Sprinkle the last half of mozzarella cheese.
- Top with pepperoni slices.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until casserole cheese is melted, edges are turning brown, and casserole is fully heated throughout. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
Video
Recipe Notes:
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- This recipe makes a great freezer meal. You can freeze before or after cooking. The casserole can be reheated in the oven at 350°F for 20-30 minutes or until heated through.
Nutrition
Nutrition Info Note: The actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes and the size and number of what you make. The nutritional values provided above are just an estimate. Actual numbers will vary based on brands you choose and the ingredients you use.
If you’re looking for more specific details (for example, to track your macros) then I recommend adding specific brand ingredients and this recipe to a food tracker app on your phone.
