Pizza Pasta

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!

Prep Time15

Cook Time40

Total Time55

Course: Main Course, Pasta

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings: people

Calories: 480kcal

Author: Stephanie

Ingredients

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

US Customary - Metric

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