Pizza Pasta is a delicious family favorite, featuring tender penne, gooey cheese, and savory pepperoni, all baked into a comforting casserole. With layers of meaty marinara sauce and plenty of flavor, this dish is perfect for a weeknight dinner.
For more kid-approved pizza recipes, try my Taco Pizza, Sheet Pan Pizza, and Mini Pizza Cups next!
Pizza Pasta Recipe
I love this pizza pasta bake because it’s a guaranteed hit with my family, especially the kids! It’s packed with all the flavors we love from pizza; cheese, pepperoni, and marinara combined into one hearty dish. The base includes ground beef so it's like eating a meat lovers' minus the pizza crust!
Plus, it’s such an easy dinner recipe to throw together, which makes it perfect for busy weeknights. One of the best parts is that it's customizable. Get creative with it by adding your favorite toppings or garnishes.
Whether you're keeping it simple or loading it up with extras, this dish is sure to satisfy. It’s comfort food at its finest, and I can’t recommend it enough!
Ingredients
- Penne Pasta: I like penne for this recipe because it holds onto the sauce perfectly! Feel free to swap it with any pasta you have on hand.
- Ground beef: This adds a hearty, meaty flavor that makes the dish super satisfying. You can even swap it with ground turkey or sausage if you want to switch things up.
- Yellow onion: Diced up, this brings a nice touch of sweetness and depth to the overall flavor.
- Green bell pepper: A must-have for that classic pizza vibe! The slight crunch and freshness perfectly balance all the cheesy goodness.
- Mushrooms: I roughly chop these to add a bit of umami to the dish. Even if you’re not a huge mushroom fan, they blend so well with everything else that you might just be converted!
- Pepperoni: The key to making it taste like pizza! I chop some up for the bake and save whole slices to garnish the top. It really ties everything together.
- Seasoning: I keep it simple but flavorful with seasoned salt, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Feel free to adjust the amounts to suit your taste!
- Ricotta cheese: This adds a creamy layer that makes the dish rich and indulgent. If you’re not a fan of ricotta, swap it with cottage cheese for a lighter option.
- Marinara sauce: I have a delicious homemade marinara but any good jar of spaghetti sauce will do! This is where you can really customize the flavor, whether you like it spicy or mild.
- Mozzarella cheese: Shredded mozzarella melts beautifully over the pasta, giving you that perfect gooey cheese pull we all love.
How to Make Baked Pizza Pasta
See recipe card for quantities and full instructions.
I grease a baking dish and preheat the oven to 350°F. While that heats up, I boil the penne in salted water for 10-15 minutes until al dente, then drain and set it aside.
I boil a pot of salted water, cook the penne for 10-15 minutes until al dente, then drain and set it aside.
While the pasta cooks, I brown the ground beef in a large pot over medium heat, breaking it up with a spatula.
Once the beef is browned with no pink left, I remove excess grease, leaving about a tablespoon to sauté the veggies.
After that, I add in the diced onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms to the beef and sauté everything together for 3-5 minutes until the vegetables soften slightly.
After the veggies soften, I add the chopped pepperoni and cook for 1-2 minutes. Then, I stir in my seasonings until everything is well combined.
Now, I gently stir in the ricotta cheese, making sure it's well combined with the meat and veggies.
Then I add marinara sauce. After it's mixed in, I remove the pot from the heat and get ready to assemble the pasta.
To assemble, I spread ¼ cup of meat sauce on the bottom of the greased dish, then layer with pasta and mozzarella.
Top it with another layer of meat sauce. I repeat these layers until I’ve used all the ingredients.
I coat the final layer with sauce then top with cheese.
Finally, I arrange whole slices of pepperoni on top for presentation.
I cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes, removing the foil in the last 5 minutes. After baking, let it sit for 5-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy your pepperoni pizza pasta!
Pro Tips
- Cook the pasta al dente. Be sure to cook your penne just until al dente, so it doesn’t get mushy when you bake it. It’ll finish cooking in the oven.
- Drain the grease. After browning the ground beef, remove excess grease, but leave a little to sauté the veggies and add flavor.
- Customize the seasonings. Don’t be afraid to play with the seasonings! If you like more garlic or prefer extra Italian seasoning, go for it.
- Use your favorite toppings. Make this your own by adding pizza favorites like olives, jalapeños, or extra cheese to personalize the dish.
- Let it rest before serving. After baking, allow the dish to sit for 5-10 minutes so the flavors can settle and make slicing easier.
- Double the recipe. This is perfect for meal prep! Make a double batch and freeze half for an easy, stress-free dinner another night.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. And guess what? You can freeze pizza pasta too!
It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow it to defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating in the microwave or baking covered at 350°F for about 10 minutes.
Recipe Variations
- Ground Meat: Want to change things up? Swap the ground beef for ground sausage! It adds extra flavor.
- Pasta: While I love using penne, you can really use any pasta shape you have on hand. Rigatoni, ziti, or even rotini would work great. Each has a different texture and holds onto the sauce in its own delicious way!
- Additional Toppings: This is where you can get creative! Toss in some black olives for a salty bite, fresh tomatoes for a burst of fresh flavor, or jalapeños if you're craving a little spicy kick.
FAQ
Can I make this recipe ahead of time?
You can assemble the dish and store it in the fridge for up to a day before baking. If freezing, wrap it tightly with aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and add a few extra minutes to the baking time.
How do I know when my pizza pasta is done?
It’s ready when the cheese on top is fully melted and bubbly, and the edges are lightly browned. For extra crispness, remove the foil for the last 5 minutes of baking.
Why is my pasta bake too watery?
This can happen if the sauce is too thin or if the pasta isn’t drained properly. Be sure to drain the pasta well, and if your sauce is watery, try simmering it for a few minutes before mixing it with the other ingredients to thicken it up.
More Pasta Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
After you try this Pizza Pasta recipe, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Comment below and follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube for more delicious recipes!
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 16 ounce box Penne Pasta
- 1 pound Ground beef
- 1 small Yellow onion diced
- 1 whole Green bell pepper diced
- ½ cup Mushrooms roughly chopped
- 1 cup Pepperoni chopped (reserve whole pieces to top dish)
- 1 tablespoon Seasoned salt
- 1 tablespoon Garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup Ricotta cheese
- 1 24 ounce jar Marinara sauce any spaghetti sauce will work
- 4 cups Mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF and lightly grease a 9x13” baking dish and set it aside.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over medium high heat. Once the water is boiling, gently pour in the penne pasta. Boil the pasta for about 10-15 minutes, just until the noodles are al-dente, then drain the water from them and set them aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, begin browning your ground beef in a large pot or a deep skillet over medium heat. Use a spatula or a wooden spoon to break up the ground beef as it cooks. Cook the meat until there is no longer any pink.
- If there is an excessive amount of grease in the skillet, remove some of it with some paper towels. You want about a tablespoon of the grease to help saute your vegetables.
- Once there is no more pink in the ground beef, add in your diced onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms. Saute your vegetables for about 3-5 minutes, just until they begin to soften.
- Now add in your chopped up pepperoni and fry it with the meat for 1-2 minutes. Next, add in all of your seasonings including the seasoned salt, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Stir them together with the meat mixture until fully incorporated.
- Gently add in the ricotta cheese and the marinara sauce and stir it all together with the meat and vegetables until fully combined. Remove the pot from the heat so that you can begin assembling your pasta dish.
- To assemble your pasta, add about a ¼ cup of the meat sauce into the bottom of the pre-greased dish and spread it around using the back of a spoon. Now add in some of the cooked pasta, then sprinkle some of the shredded mozzarella cheese on top, then add more of the meat sauce.
- Follow with a layer of the pasta, shredded mozzarella cheese, meat sauce, and continue with these layers until you do not have any more ingredients. Make sure that the final layer of pasta is coated in the sauce, and the mozzarella cheese is sprinkled over the top.
- Now add the whole slices of pepperoni over the top of the dish (for presentation purposes). Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place it in the oven to bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil for the last 5 minutes of baking. Remove the dish from the oven and allow it to sit for at least 5-10 minutes before serving. And Enjoy!
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Gina
I’m so happy with how this turned out and the kids loved it!
Tamara J.
I love to hear that!