This cheesy pepperoni pizza pasta bake is super simple with only 4 ingredients. It comes together fast, and it's family-friendly!
Love hassle-free pizza inspired recipes at home? Try my BBQ Chicken French Bread Pizza next.
This pizza casserole is one of those recipes that's great when you're low on time and patience but still want something hot and comforting. It makes a generous amount, and it's fairly inexpensive, so that's another bonus.
If you've got picky eaters, this recipe is definitely worth a try. I'd say it's absolutely kid-friendly.
My very first job when I was 17 years old was working at a pizza place. I actually really liked that job, and even now whenever I make anything pizza related, the memories come flooding back. I guess in a way it predicted my future career!
Pizza casserole variations:
- Sauté some crumbled Italian sausage and/or mushrooms, onions, and garlic, and add it in. Then you can get more of a meat lover's style pizza casserole.
- You could definitely throw in some cooked veggies if you wanted to. Or some olives!
- Stir some red pepper flakes into the marinara for a spicy kick. And/or add some garlic powder and dried oregano to up the flavor.
- Switch up the cheeses - a mozza/cheddar blend would work great or a Tex-Mex blend to change it up a bit. Or add in an extra cup or so of freshly grated parmesan cheese to make that cheese layer even better.
Recipe notes & tips:
- Use your favorite brand of jarred marinara sauce. Or sub with another tomato-based pasta sauce (vodka sauce, arrabbiata, etc.), or even pizza sauce.
- Since this recipe only uses a handful of ingredients, the quality of the ingredients definitely matters, so be sure you buy a good quality pepperoni, for example, or a pasta sauce that you genuinely enjoy. Or use homemade marinara.
- I like to mix some of the pepperoni into the casserole as well as topping it with the pepperoni. That way you can fit more pepperoni into the recipe (vs. just using it as a topping), which is always a bonus in my book.
- Bags of pepperoni seem to come in various sizes depending where you live/what store you buy from, so anything around 10 ounces will work (doesn't have to be exact). Another option is to buy a stick of pepperoni and slice it yourself (try to slice it quite thin).
- I save time and buy the bagged shredded cheese. You can definitely grate your own cheese, though... it'll taste even better.
- You can swap the penne for another pasta shape if you wish.
What to serve this recipe with?
I recommend a side salad. You can't go wrong with Caesar salad! Try my easy 10 minute homemade Caesar dressing. Or make your own ranch dressing.
More baked pasta recipes to try:
- Easy Baked Spaghetti
- Easy Baked Penne with Sausage
- Easy Cheesy Baked Ravioli
- Baked Rigatoni
- Baked Tortellini (Tomato & Meat Sauce)
Will you give this pepperoni pizza pasta bake a try? Questions? Let me know in the comments below! As always, tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram so I can see your creations.
Pizza Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 1 pound uncooked penne
- 3 cups (24 oz.) marinara sauce see note
- 10 ounces sliced pepperoni
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F and move the rack to the top third of the oven.
- Boil a salted pot of water for the pasta and cook it 2 minutes less than package directions suggest. Once the pasta is done, drain it and return it to the pot it was cooked in, then stir in the marinara sauce and about 1/3 of the package of pepperoni.
- Transfer the mixture to a 9x13 baking/casserole dish and spread in an even layer.
- Top with the mozzarella, then add the remaining pepperoni over top of the cheese.
- Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes, and then broil for a few minutes to crisp up the pepperoni and cheese (watch it carefully so it doesn't burn).
Notes
- Serves 6-8.
- 3 cups = a 24 ounce jar of marinara sauce. I prefer a little more sauce, so I usually open a second jar and add another 0.5-1 cup, but if you don't want to open another jar, stick with the 3 cups.
- Sliced pepperoni comes in a variety of package sizes, so you may need to buy more than one for the 10 ounces. Anything that's a little less or little more will work fine.
- See blog post for ideas for recipe variations.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Dotte says
I made this and also added diced red onions, sliced mushrooms, & a bit of minced garlic. To make it again, I would definitely switch out the marinara sauce (used Barilla fresh marinara vs jarred) for pizza sauce instead because I feel like it needs a “kick,” it was good but fairly bland. It was easy to make, and with that sauce change, I think it would be pretty good. Oh, and I increased the size of the casserole dish and I’m glad I did. Adding mushrooms and onions really didn’t add that much volume-it wouldn’t have fit into the 9 x 13 the recipe called for.
Sonya says
So this was very good. Also made it with spaghetti noodles for the 5yr old. Chopped up the pepperoni in hers. Next time will chop pepperoni in both dishes. May have had too many noodles in adults dish or not enough sauce.
Natasha says
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Love the chopped pepperoni idea. 🙂 Yup, you could definitely adjust the sauce next time.
M.K. says
If I wanted to add mushrooms and green pepper to this, do you think I need to cook them first, or could I throw them in raw? Thanks!
Natasha says
Hi! I would sauté them in a skillet first.
Isa says
So simple but so so good! Adding it to our regular rotation. Thank you!
Natasha says
I'm so pleased you enjoyed it, Isa! Thanks for letting me know. 😀
Betty J Gonzalez says
I put a can of cream of mushroom soup and use egg noodles
Natasha says
Great!