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This cheesy pepperoni pizza pasta bake is super simple with only 4 ingredients. It comes together fast, and it’s family friendly!
Try my Pepperoni French Bread Pizza, this Pepperoni Naan Pizza, or BBQ Chicken French Bread Pizza next.
Why you’ll love it
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 is fairly inexpensive, so that’s another win. If you’ve got picky eaters, this is definitely worth a try. Who doesn’t love pizza and pasta?
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! This pasta bake is way easier than making pizza from scratch, though. 😉
What you’ll need
- Pasta – I chose penne, but you can swap it for another pasta shape if you wish. Just make sure it’s similar in size, e.g. rigatoni.
- Marinara sauce – use your favorite brand. I really like Mezzetta or using my own Homemade Marinara if I’ve got a little more time. If marinara isn’t your thing, sub with another tomato-based pasta sauce (vodka sauce, arrabbiata, etc.), or even pizza sauce.
- Pepperoni – 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. It doesn’t have to be exact. Another option is to buy a stick of pepperoni and slice it yourself. Just try to slice it quite thin.
- Mozzarella – I save time and buy bagged shredded cheese. You can definitely grate your own. It’ll taste even better!
Pro tips
- Since this recipe uses only a handful of ingredients, the quality of the ingredients definitely matters! Be sure you buy a good-quality pepperoni, for example, and a pasta sauce that you genuinely enjoy.
- 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.
How to make this pizza pasta bake
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Preheat your oven. Boil the pasta for a couple minutes less than package directions, and drain it. Stir in the marinara sauce and about a third of the pepperoni. Transfer to a baking dish, spreading in an even layer.
Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over it evenly. Arrange the remainder of the pepperoni over top. Bake, uncovered, until hot and melty. Carefully broil so the pepperoni is crispy and the cheese is golden.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- Here is the 9×13 baking dish I use.
- These angled measuring cups are handy for easily measuring out the marinara sauce.
- Store uncooked pasta in one of these airtight pantry containers so it’s fresher for longer.
Substitutions and variations
- Sauté some crumbled Italian sausage and 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 cheese if you like. 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.
What to serve with this pizza pasta bake
- I recommend a side salad. You can’t go wrong with big Caesar salad! Try my easy 10 minute Homemade Caesar Dressing along with Parmesan Garlic Croutons, or make your own Ranch Dressing.
- If you’re going all out, you definitely need to serve my Extra Cheesy Garlic Bread along with it to make pasta night special.
Leftovers and storage
- This pizza casserole is best right away, but you can keep leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days easily in a covered container.
- Reheat in a saucepan over a low heat until warmed through. Add a splash of marinara sauce if it looks like it needs it.
- I don’t recommend freezing the leftovers.
If you made this pepperoni pizza pasta bake, let me know in the comments below! As always, tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram so I can see your creations.
Super Easy 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 9×13 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe was a lifesaver last night. I had the grand kids and one wanted pizza the other two wanted pasta. So I made this pizza pasta bake for the save!! The 3 loved their dinner and asked Grammy if i would make it again. I used slice pepperoni since they love that. No complaints about eating dinner last night. And clean up was so easy!! Thank you again for helping find recipes the grand kids would eat!!
That’s amazing!! 😀 You’re very welcome, Carol! Appreciate your review!
Can I prep this and bake it a few hours later? Will the pasta be ok if I do that?
I think that’ll be ok!
Thanks! My daughter isn’t a fan of cheese ( I know, I don’t get it either!) so I, going to leave a portion without the cheese. Should I cover this portion with foil so it doesn’t dry out?
Hi Sarah! Yes – I think that would be a good idea. Lol I get it… I am kinda fussy with cheeses myself. But I do like mozzarella lol.
It worked perfectly! Everybody loved it and that’s hard to accomplish in my house. Definitely will make this again.
That’s awesome!!!
Added sliced green olives and just used Parmesan cheese. I love the quick broil at the end and the homemade marinara!
Excellent!
I just finished making this tonight and it came out perfectly! Definitely saving this recipe, thank you for this!
You’re very welcome!
I actually got this recipe from a video game called Fears to Fathom, but I needed a little more guidance on how to prepare it, and it’s awesome!!!! In the game you just put uncooked pasta in a dish but that didn’t sound right to be and so I looked it up only to find your website! You have a lot of great recipes here, I’m gonna browse for more!
Lol that is too funny re: that video game. So glad you found my site!
I’m literally making this tonight because I also saw the dish in Fears to Fathom 😂
Same
We made this the other night, when the grandkids came over. We added ground beef also. If it had been just my husband and me, I would also have added some chopped veggies. It was a big hit. I wish I could add a picture… the kids were so proud of their creation.
I’m so happy to hear that, Janine! 😀
Really yummy,and y
ummy …
Thanks, Linda!
This is so quick and easy to fix..The taste is great.
Thank you!! 😀
My teens go nuts over this. We never have left overs. I use the sauce you recommended and I think that’s what makes it so good.
I’m thrilled it’s a hit, Tina!! 😀