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!
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 480kcal
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
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:
Storage:
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving. There are 8 servings in this recipe.
- 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