The ultimate family-favorite feast, our easy Italian Pizza Pasta Bake recipe blends pepperoni and mozzarella in a saucy noodle casserole!
You’re just six simple ingredients and 30 mouthwatering minutes away from the best Pizza Pasta Bake you’ve ever eaten! Featuring pepperoni, rotini, mozzarella, your favorite pasta sauce, and yummy add-ins like chopped onion and bell pepper, this Italian-inspired casserole is cheesy, savory, saucy, and spectacular!
Baked Pepperoni Pasta is Super Versatile!
You’ve got to love a recipe that’s so easy to customize! You can make this baked pasta recipe your own by using your favorite pizza toppings! My family is crazy about the pepperoni, onion, and green pepper combo, but feel free to change this up to suit your crew! Make it a Canadian bacon and mushroom pizza bake or a sausage and black olive pasta casserole. This recipe works with various types of pasta, cheese, and sauces, such as pizza, spaghetti, or marinara – the options are up to you!
Other Noodle Bakes Like Pizza Pasta
- Taco Mac & Cheese Pasta Bake is a southwest-seasoned casserole that’s simply scrumptious!
- Our Hawaiian Ham and Pineapple Pasta Bake is a straightforward, absolutely delicious 30-minute meal for the whole family!
Ingredients
Meat: Pepperoni is our meat of choice for this pasta bake. But virtually any meaty pizza topping, like cooked Italian sausage, chopped ham, or crumbled bacon, will be terrific!
Cheese: We’re using a generous amount of traditional mozzarella for this pizza bake, resulting in a super melty texture with a beautiful cheese pull. YUM!
Veggies: Onion and bell peppers add the perfect flavors to this pasta! Mushrooms, olives, spinach, or banana peppers would all be fantastic as well!
Pasta: Rotini has the right texture for a pasta bake – those spirals hold the pasta sauce perfectly! If you can’t find rotini, fusilli is a suitable alternative. It’s similar in shape.
Sauce: A jar of your favorite pasta sauce (such as pizza, marinara, or spaghetti) will all work great, or you can try your hand at making the Best Ever Pizza Sauce!
How to Make Baked Pizza Pasta
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 375°F, and spray a 13×9-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set that aside for now. Then, boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water. Cook until al dente, according to the package directions. Then, drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
STEP TWO: Add the pasta sauce, half of the mozzarella, half of the onion, half of the bell pepper, and half of the pepperoni to the pasta. Stir everything together until it’s evenly combined.
STEP THREE: Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread it evenly into a layer. Sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella on top of the pasta. Then layer the remaining pepperoni, onion, and bell pepper on top of the cheese. Lastly, sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over the casserole.
STEP FOUR: Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese is gooey and bubbling. Remove and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. SO easy and delish – especially with garlic bread and a cool, fresh salad!
Tips for Success
- Undercook the pasta by a couple of minutes. This will allow it to continue cooking in the oven without falling apart.
- Look for uncured pepperoni to avoid adding unwanted nitrates to the recipe.
- This casserole is easy to make ahead of time – assemble without cooking. When you’re ready for dinner, pop it in a preheated oven!
- Rigatoni, rotini, shells, wagon wheels, and ziti are all great pasta shapes for baked pasta.
- A garnish of parmesan and freshly chopped basil or oregano would be a fabulous addition!
- If you have picky eaters, either chop the veggies super small so they don’t notice, or big and chunky so they’re easy to pick out!
Can Baked Pasta Be Frozen?
It absolutely can! If you’re storing leftovers, seal them airtight and wrap them in double plastic wrap and foil.
If you’re making the casserole for later, it’s best to prep the pasta but not bake it. Seal it airtight and it will keep up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat, thaw overnight in the fridge, then bake according to instructions (but add 3-5 extra minutes since it’s starting cold).
Are Pizza Sauce, Spaghetti Sauce & Marinara All the Same?
Pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, and marinara – what are the differences, and are they interchangeable?
- Marinara Sauce is typically the most flavorful of the three sauces. It’s loaded with Italian seasonings like basil and oregano and can vary from watery to chunky. Marinara is slow-cooked to meld the flavors.
- Pizza Sauce is thick and smooth. It has minimal seasonings but a higher percentage of tomato paste, resulting in a subtle sweetness.
- Spaghetti Sauce is rich and hearty. It is cooked and seasoned more than pizza sauce and often includes ground meat and vegetables, such as onions and peppers. Spaghetti sauce is also thinner than pizza sauce, but thicker than marinara.
So, while there are some differences, they are all tomato-based, Italian seasoned sauces. Because of this, you can easily substitute one for another, and the result is bound to be still delicious!
Other Playful, Pizza-Inspired Recipes
- Pizza Nachos
- Pizza Pinwheels
- Pizza Lasagna
- Pizza Hot Dogs
- Supreme Pizza Bubble Up
- Pepperoni Pizza Bites
*This post originally posted on 05/28/2015.
Ingredients
- 1 pound rotini pasta (or fusilli pasta)
- 24 ounces marinara sauce
- 4 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- 6 ounces pepperoni slices
- 1 medium yellow onion peeled and chopped
- 2 green bell peppers cored and chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the rotini and cook according to the package directions until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain the water and return the pasta to the pot.
- Add the spaghetti sauce, 2 cups of mozzarella, 1 cup of pepperoni, half of the onion, and half of the bell pepper. Stir to combine.
- Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer.
- Sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella on top of the pasta. Layer the remaining pepperoni, onion, and bell pepper on top of the cheese. Then, sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella over the casserole.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from the oven and serve warm.
Rebecca says
Delicious!!
Aubrey says
Thanks!
Joann Woolley says
My mom used to make a spaghetti pizza and this reminds me of it! I have pinned it and plan to give your version a try!
Carlee says
It’s always nice to have a fun new way to serve flavors you know your family will love. This is a great idea!
Sandra McCollum says
Love this recipe. Just stumbled this on Stumble Upon, thanks for sharing.
Sherrie Webb says
Delicious