Yum! This pizza casserole is SO good and so versatile (just like pizza)! It’s easy to make and a great thing to make as part of the Pantry Challenge. It used up some of the stockpile of pasta we have, plus some frozen pepperoni & cheese from the freezer!
The inspiration for this yummy dish comes from none other than…Pinterest! 
From there, I stumbled upon a delicious looking dish from For Mamas (Pizza Casserole). So, I adapted it to our ingredients and our likes. The outcome is fabulous!
Ingredients:
1 — 2 jars red pasta sauce (just depending on how “saucy” you like it)
1 box penne pasta (cooked & drained)
2 — 3 Cups mozzarella cheese
1/2 C shredded Parmesan cheese
Pizza Toppings of your choice (we used pepperonis & black olives–about 30 pepperonis and 1 can of olives)
Directions:
1. Spread a thin layer of sauce along the bottom of a pan (might be beneficial to spray with cooking spray first)
2. Place 1/2 the pasta noodles on top of the sauce.
3. Arrange half of your pizza toppings on top of the noodles (for us, that was olives & pepperonis).
4. Top that layer with mozzarella. I used a little less than half so that the top would be a little more cheesy!
5. Continue layering with the other half of the ingredients. Top the whole thing with the remaining mozzarella & sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese.
6. Bake at 350 for 30–45 minutes (until the cheese is bubbly & the top layer starts browning just a bit). You can cover with foil for the first part & then uncover. Though the last time I made this, I skipped the foil and it came out just fine.
A fun alternative to pizza!
I’ve made this twice now and the second time, I made it a little healthier by adding a bunch of chopped spinach to the bottom layer of sauce! No one seemed to notice, so it was great to add some extra veggies that way.
Also, instead of making one big one casserole, the second time I made this in two smaller square pans instead. I baked one for dinner and the other one when into the freezer! We didn’t have a ton of leftovers, but it’s pretty sweet to know we have one all ready to go! So, you could add this to your freezer cooking menus too!
What would you put in YOUR pizza casserole?
Linked to: Lil’ Luna, Show & Tell, What’s Cookin’, I’m Lovin’ It, Weekend WrapUp, Get Your Craft On
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Love this idea!! Going to make it for a church potluck! “Pinned” it too.
How clever! I think my daughters would really enjoy this! Thanks for sharing!
This looks SO good, Sara! I want to try this!
Looks delicious!!!!! I’m gonna pin this and eventually make it as with everything I pin
YUM!
I love veggie pizza so I’d probably do that. Though yours with pepperoni…nothing’s better than that!
This is such a good recipe! We would love to have you come share this at our weekly link party every Saturday! –The Sisters
http://www.sixsistersstuff.com
mmm — what a great weeknight meal — cozy full tummies! mmm
http://northerncottage.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-to-make-ruffled-scarf-northern.html
This is such a great idea-especially for my house as we eat pizza at least once per week … if it were up to my hubby we’d have it every night! Thanks for sharing! New Follower Here!
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I made it for dinner tonight and despite making a decent size pan of it, have very little leftover. My husband and son both wanted not just seconds, but thirds. Thirds! That never happens! A++ recipe.
This looks SO GOOD!!! I can’t wait to try it! Thanks for sharing!!! P.S. Spinach is an awesome idea! I love putting spinach on pizza!
We just LOVE pizza in our house and this will be a perfect way to switch it up!
Looks like type 2 Diabetes to me.…but delicious..
Diabetes? Whoa that seems a bit harsh. I don’t think this has any more carbs than a deep dish pizza. If you wanted to make it a bit healthier you could use whole wheat pasta, low fat cheese and turkey pepperoni. Hey you could even eliminate the pepperoni and veggie it up with onions, mushrooms, olives, and peppers.
I’m making this (as is, minus the olives) to bring to a potluck at church tomorrow.
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
p.s I blogged about it here
What size pan do u put this in?
Hi Lois– It was a large pyrex baking dish. About 9 x 13 size or so.
If I wanted to freeze this, how long and what temp do I cook it on the second time it’s baked?
Hi Jenna! I usually thaw it out a bit in the fridge first & then bake it at the same temperature. I don’t remember on baking time though. Since everything is already cooked, you basically just need to bake until the cheese is bubbly & it’s warmed through.
Oh, my!
Haha, Debbie! Hope that’s a good thing! It’s such an easy thing to make and super versatile too! Enjoy!
This looks like something my grandkids might like, except they don’t all like the some toppings. I think I would present them with the sauced pasta in individual casseroles, and have bowls of different toppings for them to make up their own individual pizza casseroles (make-your-own-pizza casserole). Looks like a winner. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
That’s a great idea! A “make your own mini-pizza casserole” bar! Really, that’s the beauty of pizza and this casserole version–you can mix in just about anything you’d like!
Enjoy!
Yum! I think my kids would even like this! <3