Pizza Past Bake loaded with pepperoni and sausage then topped with gooey cheese is a new twist on pizza night! Now you don’t have to choose between pizza and pasta with this one-pan dish. This is a great recipe when you want to get supper on the table fast plus it is freezer friendly.
If your family is like mine, ya’ll love pizza and pasta. With this recipe, I’ve combined the two into one great dish that’s packed with flavor. Italian sausage and pepperoni simmered in a homemade tomato sauce then topped with cheese and more pepperoni is baked until hot a bubbly. Here’s an added bonus – this recipe is made in 30 minutes!
I made this dish over the weekend when my youngest son let me know me he’d be coming home from college for a short visit. I was thrilled. Hunter had been hinting that he was a bit underwhelmed with the food at school so I was anxious to show him some love with a home-cooked meal.
It’s funny how things turn out because I ended up not only feeding Hunter but also one of his friends. It was wonderful to have the boys at my table and I loved hearing about school, their projects, and upcoming performances. As the dinner came to a close, Hunter’s phone started to ring with texts from a couple of other guys from the music school asking when he’d be arriving for rehearsal. As he left them know he was on his way, he asked what I was going to do with the leftover Pizza Pasta Bake. I smiled and said “it’s for you and your buddies if you want it” and he quickly said answered “YES, Ma’ma!”
It looks like all those years cooking for the high school drumline has now moved to feeding college students at the UNCG School of Music. I’m not mad about it one bit, either.
What You’ll Need To Make Pizza Pasta Bake
- Rotini Pasta
- Italian Sausage
- Sliced Pepperoni
- Crushed Tomatoes
- Italian Seasoning
- Garlic
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
How To Make This Pasta Bake
This is a simple, hearty one-pan dish that’s made in less than 30 minutes. Cook the pasta in salted water according to the package directions, less 2 minutes of cooking time. While the pasta cooks, brown the Italian sausage in a large skillet. Drain the sausage and remove any grease left in the skillet then add the sausage back in.
Pour a 24 ounce can of good quality crushed tomatoes over sausage. Add in garlic and Italian seasoning and stir. Cut the pepperoni slices into quarters and add them along with the cooked and drained pasta to the marinara sausage sauce. Simmer everything together for 5 to 8 minutes.
To finish up the dish, sprinkle on shredded Mozzarella cheese, layer on pepperoni slices and bake for 10 minutes until golden brown. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve!
Cooking Tips For Pizza Pasta Bake
- You can use any type of pasta you like or have on hand. Short cut kinds of pasta work best for this dish allowing all the ingredients to fit into a large skillet.
- Want to spice things up a bit? Use half regular Italian sausage and half hot sausage for a little bit of heat. You can also add red pepper flakes if you like.
- I use crushed tomatoes to make my homemade marinara. It’s so easy and worth a couple of extra steps. You can substitute jarred sauce as a shortcut.
- This dish freezes beautifully. Wrap it with plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Before baking, let thaw in the fridge and bake until heated through.
- Take this dish to another level and add more of your favorite pizza toppings! Black olives, thinly sliced onions, green peppers, and cooked mushrooms would be yummy!
Check Out These Comfort Food Baked Recipes!
- Taco Spaghetti Bake
- Out Of This World Baked Spaghetti
- Meat Lovers Stuffed French Bread Pizza
- Beef Tips Shepherds Pie
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Ingredients
- 1 16 ounce box Rotini pasta
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 24 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup chopped pepperoni slices
- 3/4 cup Mozzarella cheese - shredded
- 8 - 10 pieces sliced pepperoni
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese - grated
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cook pasta according to box directions minus 2 minutes. Drain.
- Add olive oil to a large skillet. Cook Italian sausage until no longer pink. Drain. Remove any additional grease in skillet and add sausage back in along with minced garlic. Carefully pour crushed tomatoes into pan and stir to incorporate. Add in chopped pepperoni and simmer meat sauce for 5 to 8 minutes.
- Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese over marinara meat mixture and layer on pepperoni slices. Place in oven and bake for 8 - 10 minutes until cheese is melted and golden brown.
- Remove from oven. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.
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