Pasta Pizza Casserole
This pasta pizza bake combines two classic Italian recipes for a delicious, easy-to-make dinner that is full of flavor. With just a few simple steps and minimal prep time, this dish is sure to become a regular favorite in your house!
Servings: 6
Calories: 571kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian sausage mild or hot, bulk or removed from casings
- ½ Onion diced
- ½ Green pepper
- ½ Red pepper
- 1 clove Garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 14 ounce jar Pizza sauce
- ¾ cup Water
- 3 cups Cavatappi pasta measure before cooking
- 2 cups Mozzarella cheese divided use
- 36 slice Pepperoni divided use
Instructions
Preparations
- Dice the green peppers, onion, and garlic.
- Remove the skins from the Italian sausage.
- Cut 20 slices of pepperoni in half.
Cooking instructions
- Set a pan of water to boil and cook pasta for 10 minutes until al dente (check package directions). Drain the cooked pasta and rinse it under cold water to stop it from cooking further.
- Set a skillet over medium heat with a tablespoon of olive oil and cook the sausage, onions, garlic, and chopped bell peppers for 6 to 8 minutes until the sausage is cooked. Break up the sausage into pieces as it cooks.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius) and grease a casserole dish.
- Mix the pasta sauce and water together in a large bowl, then add the cooked pasta, 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, the sliced pepperoni, and the meat mixture.
- Stir to thoroughly combine the meat sauce before pouring it into the casserole dish.
- Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese on top with the remaining pepperoni slices.
- Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove the aluminum foil and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown.
- Remove the pizza pasta bake from the oven and garnish with chopped fresh parsley or basil.
Recipe Notes
Al dente pasta
To prevent your pasta from being soft and mushy, make sure to not completely cook the pasta first. The pasta will cook again during baking, so make sure that it still has some bite to it.
Cooling the pasta
Once the pasta is nice and al dente, cool it off by pouring the cooked pasta into an ice bath or running it under cold water to stop the cooking process.