Easy Pizza Casserole Recipe

Spoil yourself with tonight's dinner by choosing this Easy Pizza Casserole. Made with your favorite hearty ingredients from both pasta and pizza, this dish is an explosion of flavor and savory, cheesy goodness!

The best gluten-free pizza casserole

What has three words, is the best of two worlds, and is loaded with mozzarella cheese? I'll tell you: easy pizza casserole, that's what!

This dish takes everything good about pasta (thick hearty noodles, green pepper, and pasta sauce), and everything good about pizza (pepperoni and mozzarella, obviously), and combines them into a dish that is not only flavorful and hearty, but also filled with tons of vegetables.

Seriously, it's impossible for pizza casserole to disappoint! This dish creates about 6-8 servings and is perfect for gatherings, potlucks, or simply enjoying on a cozy evening at home. Every time I present it, my friends and family go crazy. It's totally kid-approved, too!

Ingredients in this pizza casserole recipe

This recipe meets at the intersection of two of my all-time favorite foods: pasta and pizza. By using the best ingredients of both, we're able to achieve a deep-dish style casserole that's loaded with flavor and delicious ingredients. And yes, that includes cheese!

• Pasta: We'll start with 16 oz of pasta. I like to use the brown rice fusilli from Trader Joe's, but anything will work!
• Avocado oil: Next, we will use 2 tablespoon of avocado oil for sautéing the vegetables.
• Yellow onion: The first veggie on our list is ½ of a yellow onion. It will need to be diced.
• Garlic: For flavor, include 3 cloves of minced garlic.
• Green pepper: Next up, a green pepper! I love the flavor and crunch that these add. You'll just need 1, diced.
• Broccoli: Load up on greens by including 4 cups of chopped broccoli.
• Chicken sausage: For protein and oomph, include 1.5 lbs of chicken sausage. I usually grab the uncooked type that comes in the casings, usually found at the meat counter in the grocery store.
• Oregano: For flavor, sprinkle in 1 teaspoon of dried oregano.
• Basil: Similarly, add 1 teaspoon of dried basil.
• Salt: And finally for the seasonings, include a dash of salt in the amount of ½ tsp.
• Diced tomatoes: To add liquid and to keep the casserole from being too dry, throw in 1 15oz can of diced tomatoes.
• Pasta sauce: Next we'll be using 4 cups of pasta sauce to get the classic pasta taste. Your favorite type will be perfect.
• Pepperoni: Pepperoni adds loads of yummy flavor. 3 oz should be plenty.
• Mozzarella: Finally, we will top the casserole with 1-2 cups of shredded mozzarella. The more cheese the better, so I recommend getting it close to 2 cups!

Kitchen tools required for this dish

There are only about 6 main tools needed for this dish, in addition to a few measuring cups. I like to grab everything before I get started to make the prep process as quick as possible!

• Cutting board
• Chopping knife
• 9x13 Baking dish
• Nonstick spray
• Dutch oven or stove pot
• Spatula

For measuring, you will need four sizes: ½ tsp, 1 tsp, 1 tbsp, and 1 cup.

How to make easy pizza casserole

Pizza casserole is as simple as boiling your pasta, sautéing your veggies, and throwing everything into a casserole dish! The total hands-on prep time should only be about 10 minutes, and the oven and stove will do the rest of the work.

To start, preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9x13 glass baking dish with nonstick spray.

Cook the pasta according to the package, then drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a dutch oven or large pot with the avocado oil. Once hot, add the yellow onion, garlic, green pepper, and broccoli.

Let the veggies sauté for 5 minutes until they begin to soften.

Remove the sausage from the casings and add them to the veggies. Then, add the diced tomatoes and pasta sauce.

Stir everything to combine, and then add the pasta noodles, stirring until they're all mixed together.

Pour everything into the baking dish and then add a layer of pepperoni. Finally, top with the mozzarella cheese.

Bake uncovered for 25 minutes.

Once cooked, remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Below are some common pizza casserole questions. Don't see the answer you're looking for? Leave a comment at the bottom of this post!

Can I use a different dish size?
You definitely can! I like to use a 9x13 for this meal, but you can use any glass casserole dish that you have. Just keep an eye on cooking times to prevent burning.

Can I add extra veggies?
Of course! This dish is certainly veggie-packed as it is (think four cups of broccoli, a green pepper, and an onion), but feel free to add more! Add extra of those three, or throw in any other veggies you'd like. Zucchini could be good.

How should the leftovers be kept?
You can store leftover pizza casserole in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. I recommend keeping it in airtight containers to keep things fresh.

Wondering if you can use different veggies? There are a few ways to do so.

I recommend a yellow onion and a green pepper, but any color onion or pepper will work. They may alter the flavor a bit, as each onion and pepper has its own unique benefits! But don't worry, any will work. 

As for the broccoli, you can swap it with cauliflower, or use something different altogether. Again, zucchini could work here, but I don't recommend using four cups of it. Maybe just one zucchini, finely chopped.

Other easy 1:1 swaps include avocado oil (use any other cooking oil), mozzarella (you can use cheddar, colby jack, or even pepper jack), and the chicken sausage (sub with any sausage or ground meat of your choosing). 

If you liked this recipe, you'll want to try these!

Here are some more of my favorite casserole-style dishes. Enjoy!

• Lemon Chicken Spaghetti Squash Casserole
• Cranberry Chicken Casserole
• Mexican Quinoa Casserole
• Buffalo Chicken Sweet Potato Casserole