Name: Deep Dish Pizza Casserole
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 pounds ground beef; 1 medium onion, chopped; 1 bell pepper, chopped; 1 15-ounce jar pizza sauce; 1-2 tablespoons Italian seasoning; 2 cups mozzarella cheese; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1 cup milk; 2 eggs; 1 tablespoon oil; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

This deep dish pizza casserole recipe takes your favorite pizza toppings like ground beef and pizza sauce and transforms them into casserole form, with a delicious deep-dish crust and lots of melted cheese, of course.

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Fill your kitchen with mouthwatering irresistible aromas from this deep dish pizza casserole recipe. This is another one of my favorite super easy, quick to throw together, family pleasing, and incredibly delicious meals, originally from my mother’s recipe collection. All we need to do is brown the meat and onion, add the sauce and seasonings, and pour it into a casserole dish along with the crust ingredients and all the cheese. 30 minutes in the oven and it’s ready to serve to your hungry family.

One of the best things about this pizza casserole is how incredibly adaptable it is to whatever ingredients you have on hand! For example, I’ve made it with absolutely no cheese before and it was still delicious. I’ve included lots of suggestions below, but feel free to swap ground beef for ground turkey or sausage, make the pizza sauce from scratch, and throw in your favorite veggie pizza toppings like olives and mushrooms. Let this casserole work for you.

For all of my readers with hungry mouths and teenage boys to feed, get ready for a home run with deep dish pizza casserole!

Recipe Ingredients

Ground beef
Pizza sauce
Italian seasoning
Onion
Shredded parmesan cheese
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Flour
Eggs
Oil
Milk
Salt

How to Make Deep Dish Pizza Casserole

In a large skillet brown your beef and chopped onion.

After that, drain any grease and add any other pizza ingredients you typically enjoy, or just keep it as is, as I do.

Had my entire family (except for me) not been dropped on their heads as children (thereby ruining their ability to tell what is good in food), I would be adding bell pepper and mushrooms now. YUM!

Pour in your pizza sauce and stir.

Spray a 9×13 inch pan with baking spray. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the bottom of the pan. Spread the meat mixture over the mozzarella.

Then it’s time to mix up the pizza crust.

In a medium bowl, place milk, flour, eggs, oil, and salt. Stir until well combined and no lumps remain.

Pour over the meat in the casserole dish and sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. It may not look done but it is.

By now, your kitchen is filled with the most delicious smell of this deep dish pizza casserole. Your kids and spouse have been driving you crazy by asking if it’s done yet, and your stomach has set into a continual growl.

Or maybe that’s just me.

Enjoy your quick and easy casserole!

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Simply reheat in the microwave.

Recipe Notes

A different way to make this pizza casserole is to add a layer of canned crescent rolls or refrigerated pizza crust dough to the bottom of the casserole dish and then top it with the mozzarella cheese and the meat mixture instead of making your own crust. It should take less time to cook, about 15 minutes.
Another option is to substitute the pizza crust for cooked pasta, like rotini pasta or penne pasta. This will take about 20 minutes until the cheese melts.
For added heat, add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes.

Recipe FAQs

What pizza toppings can I add to this deep dish pizza casserole?

You can really add in whatever pizza toppings you like. I tend to keep mine pretty basic because my precious family has no imagination, despite a collective twenty years of effort on my part to change that. However, I will tell you that even basic, this recipe is absolutely delicious and deeply satisfying. Anyway, here are some suggestions:

Chopped green bell pepper or red bell pepper
Sliced mushrooms
Chopped black olives
A layer of pepperoni on top of the parmesan cheese.
A combination of ground beef and sausage (spicy Italian sausage would be delicious).
Ground turkey instead of ground beef
Homemade pizza sauce
Different types of cheese, like provolone cheese or sharp cheddar cheese.
Add 2 minced garlic cloves when you saute the onion and ground beef.

What do you serve with pizza casserole?

I love to just serve my casserole with a simple side salad.