This Pizza Pasta is an easy dinner recipe that you can make ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze until ready to bake! Your family will love this cozy casserole!

Be sure to try my Sausage Spaghetti and Beefaroni recipes next!

A white plate of Pizza Pasta with Pepperoni and meat sauce.

Pizza Pasta

If you have some hungry family or friends to feed, this Pizza Pasta recipe is perfect! The inside of this pasta bake is loaded with classic pizza toppings, including sausage, ground beef, bell peppers, and onions.

Of course, it’s all topped off with hot, melted mozzarella and loads of pepperoni. It’s even got a combination of marinara and pizza sauce, along with a perfect pizza seasoning blend to tie in the theme. 

Bonus: It’s easy to make ahead of time to refrigerate or freeze and bake another day!

How to Make It

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Cook ground beef, sausage, and onions in a skillet until halfway cooked. Add the peppers and cook for 5 more minutes. Drain grease. Add beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, garlic, and seasonings. Add marinara and pizza sauce. Simmer while you boil penne 1 minute less than al dente.

Ground beef and bell peppers in a skillet with marinara sauce being added.

Stir in grated Parmesan cheese and add penne. Stir to combine. 

Adding Parmesan cheese and penne to a skillet of meat sauce.

Transfer to a casserole dish if your skillet isn’t oven safe. Top with mozzarella.

Pizza Pasta in a casserole dish before and after adding mozzarella cheese.

Top with pepperoni. Cover and bake for 10 minutes. Remove cover and bake for 15 minutes. Serve with garlic bread with cheese!

Pizza Pasta in a casserole dish before and after being baked.

Make Ahead Method

  • Assemble the casserole as outlined. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Then follow baking method below:
    • If refrigerated: Let sit at room temp for 30 minutes prior to baking. Add 10 additional minutes to covered baking time. Be sure not to overcook the pasta when boiling it.
    • If frozen: Let it thaw completely in the fridge, this can take up to 24 hours. Then follow refrigerated baking method above.

Pro Tips

  • Marinara Sauce: I use Rao’s marinara sauce, it’s super high quality and tastes great. (I stock up when it’s on sale!) They make a great pizza sauce as well.
  • Low moisture, whole milk mozzarella has the best consistency for this recipe. Shred it from a block to ensure it melts and tastes the best. I use Dragone mozzarella.
  • The hot sauce/Worcestershire sauce act as flavor enhancers and can’t be tasted outright.
  • This recipe uses a combination of ground beef and ground sausage, but all ground beef or all sausage can be used if needed.
  • I use penne pasta for this recipe because it holds up well with this meat sauce, but other varieties of pasta may be used if needed.
  • Additional topping options include: Mushrooms, olives, chicken, and tomatoes! 

Storage

  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. (Leftovers do freeze/reheat well!)

Pizza Pasta in a white casserole dish with pepperoni on top.

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Pizza Pasta topped with Pepperoni in a casserole dish with a wooden spoon in it.

Pizza Pasta

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
5 from 14 ratings
Servings: 8 people
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This Pizza Pasta is a fun family meal that's served casserole-style with your favorite pizza toppings. Bonus: It's easy to make ahead of time and bake later!

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Pizza Pasta

  • ½ lb. ground beef
  • ½ lb. ground sausage, mild, sweet, or hot Italian
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 1 small green bell pepper
  • ½ cup beef broth
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • 32 oz. marinara sauce, high quality. See notes.
  • 8 oz. pizza sauce
  • ¾ lb. penne
  • ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 2 ½ cups whole milk/low moisture mozzarella, shredded from a block
  • 25 slices pepperoni

Seasonings

  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • ½ teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 pinch red pepper flakes

Instructions

Prep Work

  • Measure ingredients out before beginning.
  • Begin heating a large pot of water to cook the pasta in. (Pro Tip: Generously salt the pasta water once a boil is reached. I use 3/4 tbsp. Kosher salt.)
  • Preheat oven to 375°.

Make the Sauce/Pasta

  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, sausage, and onions and cook for 4 minutes. Add the peppers and cook for 5 more minutes, or until the meat is browned and cooked through. Drain grease.
  • Reduce heat to medium. Add beef broth and use a silicone spatula to clean the bottom and sides of the skillet. Add the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and seasonings. Stir to combine and heat for 1 minute.
  • Add the marinara and pizza sauce and stir to combine. Let it simmer, partially covered, while you boil the pasta for 1 minute less than al dente according to package instructions.
  • Reduce the heat of the sauce to low and stir in the Parmesan cheese.
  • Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet. Stir to combine.
  • Transfer to a lightly greased 9 x 13-inch casserole dish if your skillet isn’t oven safe to 450 degrees.
  • Top with mozzarella and then with pepperoni.
  • Cover and bake for 10 minutes. (If covering with foil, spray one side with non-stick cooking spray to prevent it from sticking to the cheese while it bakes.)
  • Uncover, and bake for 15 minutes, or until your desired color is obtained on the top. If desired, broil at 450 for just about 1 minute to brown the top a little more. Watch it carefully/, don’t walk away.
  • Optional: Garnish with fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese. Remove and serve!

Notes

Pro Tips:
  • Marinara Sauce: I use Rao's marinara sauce, it's super high quality and tastes great. (I stock up when it's on sale!) They make a great pizza sauce as well.
  • Low moisture, whole milk mozzarella has the best consistency for this recipe. Shred it from a block to ensure it melts and tastes the best. I use Dragone mozzarella.
  • The hot sauce/Worcestershire sauce act as flavor enhancers and can’t be tasted outright.
  • This recipe uses a combination of ground beef and ground sausage, but all ground beef or all sausage can be used if needed.
  • I use penne pasta for this recipe because it holds up well with this meat sauce, but other varieties of pasta may be used if needed.
  • Additional topping options include: Mushrooms, olives, chicken, and tomatoes! 
Storage:
  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. (Leftovers do freeze/reheat well!)
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving. There are 8 servings in this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 480kcal, Carbohydrates: 43g, Protein: 28g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 74mg, Sodium: 1482mg, Potassium: 812mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 965IU, Vitamin C: 24mg, Calcium: 256mg, Iron: 4mg
Did you try this recipe?Mention @TheCozyCook on Instagram or tag #thecozycook!
Course: Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine: American, Italian
Author: Stephanie