This sausage pepperoni pizza pasta bake is an easy and fun recipe that’s perfect as a midweek meal. In this recipe ziti pasta is combined with an Italian sausage red sauce then it’s topped with pepperoni and lots of cheese.
This pizza pasta casserole is made with a combination of fresh and convenience ingredients cutting down on prep and cooking time. Jarred pasta sauce and canned diced tomatoes are cooked with fresh Italian sausage making a sauce that’s simple and full of flavor.
Pasta casseroles are great when you need to feed a crowd. Add a salad and homemade garlic bread as sides to make a hearty meal. If you like this pizza pasta, try this baked spaghetti, that’s just as easy to make, and a sausage baked ziti that’s always a crowd-pleaser!
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Ingredients
- Meat – This pizza pasta is made with pepperoni and sausage. For the sausage we use mild Italian. Use hot to add a little kick. Italian sausage is a great ingredient for weeknight dinners check these Italian sausage recipes for more dinner ideas.
- Pantry – Diced tomatoes and a meatless variety jarred pasta sauce are used to make the sauce and panko breadcrumbs are used to make the breadcrumb topping.
- Pasta – Use a short pasta. This dish is made with ziti, but penne, fusilli, and rigatoni will also work well.
- Seasoning – The sauce is simply seasoned with Italian seasoning. We also need salt for the pasta water.
- Dairy/refrigerated – Butter is used to make the breadcrumb topping and mozzarella cheese is a pizza must!
- You will also need an extra-large baking dish or baking pan (ours is 9×13 inch).
- See recipe card for quantities and preparation method.
Instructions
Add the sausage to a large pot and place it over medium-high. Stir while breaking up any large pieces. Cook for 4-6 minutes until browned (see recipe tips).
Add the tomatoes, pasta sauce, and Italian seasoning. Stir well. Bring the sauce to a simmer, lower heat to medium-low and cover.
Cook the sauce for 30 minutes to finish cooking the sausage and let the flavors come together. Keep it at a simmer. If it starts boiling too vigorously, lower the heat a bit. Stir occasionally.
While the sauce cooks make the breadcrumb topping and cook the pasta.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta following the package directions for al dente. Remember to salt the water. When the pasta is done drain it well.
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the panko breadcrumbs. Stir until coated with the butter. Take the skillet off the heat and reserve for later.
Build the pizza pasta casserole
Preheat the oven to 350°F
Combine the pasta and sausage pasta sauce. Add half of the pasta mixture to a large baking dish.
Top with about half the mozzarella cheese. Arrange half the pepperoni slices on top. Space them so that every serving will include pepperoni.
Repeat the steps in the same order: pasta, cheese, pepperoni but reserve ¼-⅓ cup of the mozzarella to sprinkle over the pepperoni.
Finally, sprinkle the top evenly with the prepared breadcrumbs.
Bake the pizza pasta for 30 minutes until the breadcrumb topping is golden and the edges are bubbly. Let the casserole rest for a few minutes before serving.
Recipe Tips
- If the sausage renders a lot of oil drain some of it, if desired. An easy way to do this is to take the pot off the heat. Mound the sausage on one side of the pot and gently tip it so that the excess oil pools on the other side of the sausage. Use a ladle or a large spoon to scoop out the excess oil.
- Do not overcook the pasta so it holds up to stirring with the sauce and baking.
- Hold the extra salt. The pasta sauce, diced tomatoes, sausage, pepperoni, and cheese all contain salt already. Other than salting the pasta water we don’t add extra. If you are sensitive to salt substitute some (or all) of the ingredients with reduced sodium varieties.
Storing and reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Reheat the pasta in the microwave in a suitable container until hot all the way through. To reheat in the oven, place the pasta in an oven-safe baking dish and cover with foil. Bake on 350°F until hot. Leftovers need to be reheated to at least 165°F.
Thaw the frozen pizza pasta in the refrigerator before reheating.
For more information on food storage and safety guidelines visit U.S. Department of Agriculture and foodsafety.gov.
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Pizza Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 1 pound Mild Italian Sausage casings removed and torn into small pieces or use bulk sausage
- 28 ounce canned Diced Tomatoes undrained
- 24 ounce Jar Meatless Pasta Sauce use your favorite brand and variety
- ½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 12 ounces Pasta cooked to package directions for al dente and drained (use a short pasta – we used ziti)
- 1-2 tablespoons Salt for the pasta water (we use kosher salt)
- ½ cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 16 ounces Mozzarella Cheese shredded (about 4 cups)
- 3-4 ounces Sliced Pepperoni approximately 40 pieces
Instructions
Make the sausage pasta sauce
- Add the sausage to a large pot and place it over medium-high. Stir the sausage while breaking up any large pieces using a wooden spoon or a spatula. Cook for 4-6 minutes until browned. (see note below)
- Add the tomatoes, pasta sauce, and Italian seasoning. Stir well. Bring the sauce to a simmer, lower heat to medium-low and cover.
- Cook the sauce for 30 minutes to finish cooking the sausage and let the flavors come together. Keep it at a simmer. If it starts boiling too vigorously, lower the heat a bit. Stir occasionally.
- While the sauce cooks make the breadcrumb topping and cook the pasta.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta following the package directions for al dente. Remember to salt the water. When the pasta is done drain it well.
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the panko breadcrumbs. Stir until coated with the butter. Take the skillet off the heat and reserve for later.
Build the pizza pasta casserole
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- Combine the pasta and sausage pasta sauce.
- Add half of the pasta mixture to a large baking dish.
- Top with about half the mozzarella cheese.
- Arrange half the pepperoni slices on top. Space them so that every serving will include pepperoni.
- Repeat the steps in the same order: pasta, cheese, pepperoni but reserve ¼-⅓ cup of the mozzarella to sprinkle over the pepperoni.
- Finally, sprinkle the top evenly with the prepared breadcrumbs.
- Bake the pizza pasta for 30 minutes until the breadcrumb topping is golden and the edges are bubbly.
- Let the casserole rest for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- If the sausage renders a lot of oil drain some of it, if desired. An easy way to do this is to take the pot off the heat. Mound the sausage on one side of the pot and gently tip it so that the excess oil pools on the other side of the sausage. Use a ladle or a large spoon to scoop out the excess oil.
- Examples of short pasta include ziti, penne, fusilli, rigatoni, to name a few.
- Use an extra-large baking dish or baking pan, ours is 9×13 inch.
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