Here’s a crowd-pleasing Cheesy Pizza Pasta Bake—all the flavors of pizza in a bubbly, cheesy casserole 🍕🧀
Cheesy Pizza Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 12 oz pasta (penne, rotini, or ziti)
- 1 lb ground beef or Italian sausage
- 1 jar (24 oz) pizza sauce or marinara
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup shredded cheddar or Parmesan
- ½ cup pepperoni slices
- Optional toppings:
- Sliced mushrooms
- Black olives
- Bell peppers
- Cooked bacon or ham
Instructions
- Preheat oven
- Preheat to 375°F (190°C).
- Cook pasta
- Boil pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain.
- Cook meat
- In a skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef or sausage.
- Drain excess grease.
- Stir in pizza sauce, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder.
- Combine
- Mix cooked pasta with meat sauce.
- Stir in 1 cup mozzarella.
- Assemble
- Transfer to a greased 9×13 baking dish.
- Top with remaining mozzarella, cheddar/Parmesan, and pepperoni.
- Add any extra toppings.
- Bake
- Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes.
- Uncover and bake another 10–15 minutes until bubbly and golden.
- Serve
- Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
Easy Variations
- Meat-lovers: Add sausage + bacon + pepperoni
- Veggie: Skip meat, add more veggies
- Extra cheesy: Mix in ricotta or cream cheese
- Spicy: Add red pepper flakes or spicy pepperoni
If you want, I can also give you a one-pot version, air-fryer bake, or a kid-friendly quick recipe 😄
