For a fun take on pizza night, skip the pizza dough and make this delicious baked pizza pasta instead!

My husband likes to call it pizza casserole and fondly remembers his grandmother making this family favorite for him as a kid!

I guess my side of the family was too busy making strawberry pretzel salad to try this one. But I’m not complaining because now we can have both.

This baked pizza pasta supreme is easy to make and ready in about 30 minutes, which makes it a great dish to whip up on busy weeknights.

As an added bonus, the leftovers are great the next day.

Baked Pizza Pasta Ingredients

You’ll want to grab a few simple ingredients like your favorite pizza toppings, pasta, pasta sauce, and seasonings to pull this meal together in a hurry.

Add a side salad to the dinner table and tiramisu for dessert and you’re done!

Here’s what you will need:

• Rotini Pasta – or penne pasta or elbow 
• Italian sausage or ground beef
• Onion, finely diced 
• Garlic, minced
• Italian seasoning
• Marinara sauce 
• Pepperoni slices (mini or regular size)
• Grated parmesan cheese
• Grated mozzarella cheese

Additional Optional Ingredients

• Green bell pepper
• Sliced mushrooms 
• Sliced black olives 
• Red pepper flakes
• Parsley or Basil for garnish

Cooking Instructions for Baked Pizza Pasta

Preheat the oven, grab your pans, boil your noodles in a large pot, and let’s do this!

While your pasta is cooking on the stove top, use a large skillet to cook your ground beef or Italian sausage over medium heat.

Then, just before the meat is completely cooked, add onion and (optional) green pepper with garlic and seasonings and cook a little longer to give those Italian flavors a chance to really pop.

Remove from heat and drain grease off if necessary.

In a large bowl, add the sausage mixture (or browned ground beef) and pour in pasta sauce along with the pepperoni. Reserve a few slices for the top of the casserole bake.

Stir in mushroom and olives, if using.

Add drained pasta to the bowl and stir.

Scoop about half of the pasta mixture into the prepared casserole dish and sprinkle half of the Parmesan cheese and half of the mozzarella cheese to the top.

Repeat with remaining pasta and cheese. Then, add remaining pepperoni to the top.

Pop it in the oven and bake!

You’ll know it’s done when the cheese melts and is golden brown in a few places. SO GOOD.

Serve with shredded basil on top and some red pepper flakes. Or dress it up your favorite way.

This is such an easy recipe and might just become one of your favorite meals! It’s great for traditional pizza lovers who are looking for something a little different.

Delicious meals at home don’t have to be difficult. I’m all about dinner the easy way! For another fun twist on pizza night, try this pull apart pizza bread.

Print: Easy Pizza Pasta Bake Recipe