Pizza Pasta Bake

a steel ladle in the pan of pizza pasta with parsley beside.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 35

Total Time: 45

Servings: servings

Calories: 424cal

Author: Ashley Fehr

This Pizza Pasta Bake is loaded with Italian sausage, pepperoni, marinara, and plenty of gooey mozzarella, then baked until golden and bubbly for a fun twist on pizza night that the whole family will love.

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Ingredients

½ lb ground Italian sausage (mild or spicy) 225 grams
1 small onion (finely diced)
1 cup quartered pepperoni slices (plus extra for topping)
2 cloves garlic (finely minced)
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
3 cups marinara sauce
½ cup water
1 lb penne or rotini pasta (454 grams)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400℉ if baking right away.
In a large skillet, cook Italian sausage, onion and pepperoni over medium-high heat until sausage is browned and onion has softened.
Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt. Cook and stir 1 minute.
Stir in marinara sauce and water. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta just until al dente (about 1-2 minutes less than the required cook time). Drain.
Lightly grease a 9x13" baking dish. Combine cooked pasta and sauce and stir to coat.
Top with mozzarella and Parmesan, adding extra pepperoni slices on top if desired. Bake for 15 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. Serve.

Video

Notes

Ingredients and Substitutions:

For a lighter take: you can use Italian turkey sausage and turkey pepperoni.
Pasta: you can use any shape of pasta you like, since it is cooked separately to al dente.
Vegetables: there's lots of room for veggies in this dish! Try adding bell peppers or mushrooms with the meat and onion, or stirring some chopped spinach into the sauce.
No oven option: you don't need to bake the pasta, since everything is already cooked, so if you want to leave the oven off feel free!

Make ahead:

If baking later, I recommend rinsing the pasta in cold water and allowing the sauce to cool before combining in the baking dish.
You can freeze this dish up to 3 months and bake later, but I recommend thawing completely before baking for best results.

Nutrition