Pizza Casserole Recipe by Jen
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I want to tell you a little story about how I came across this Pizza Casserole Recipe.
I was asking myself “what am I going to fix for supper?” That is a question we all ask on a regular basis and I’m certainly not immune to it. I found myself out running errands last week and planned on stopping off at the grocery store on my way home once I had figured out what I was in the mood to cook.
Not a Menu Planner? I Can Relate
You see, I’m not a menu planner. I’ve done that before and it was all good and well, I used to even do the cook one day have food for a month thing, but I’ve found that I just prefer to see what I’m in the mood to cook. This usually works out really well for me because I always have plenty of fixin’s for a variety of meals in my pantry and freezer.
A Southern Plate Family Member
On this particular day, though, I needed to go to my P.O. Box and lo and behold, there was a card from Jen, one of my favorite Southern Plate family members. I opened up the card to find birthday wishes and this recipe handwritten on the left side. Dinner solved.
I gotta give you a little background and Jen now, because she is just too much fun. Jen started reading Southern Plate a pretty good while back. I know she was reading it while I was working on my book because I used to take breaks and respond to her messages when I was getting a little too overloaded from chipping away at my manuscript. Well, Jen mentioned in passing that her birthday was coming up and that she would love a phone call from me. I didn’t actually call her on her birthday but I did manage to get her phone number and one day slipped away to my little office (when I’m writing a book I actually have a little office area when I have to do the serious focus work, other times I sit in the living room) and placed the call.
She answered and I said “May I speak to Jen please?”
She told me it was her and I said “Hey Jen, this is Christy Jordan.”
I wish I had of recorded the next five minutes of that call. It was pretty much “OH MY GOSH! IT’S CHRISTY JORDAN! IT’S CHRISTY JORDAN! CHRISTY JORDAN IS ON THE PHONE!” The way she was screaming and carrying on, you would’ve thought I was somebody. Shoot, after a few minutes of listening to her go on, I found myself getting excited and it was all I could do not to yell back “Hand me the phone!! I wanna talk to her too!!!!”
We had such a fun phone call and I have to tell you, Jen is one of the most memorable people I’ve ever met. She’s also a sweet and dedicated mother, too. My family sure did enjoy this recipe and I know you will as well so here we go.
This Pizza Casserole Recipe is wildly customizable
See printable card at the bottom of the post: but for the basic recipe the ingredients you’ll need are:
- Penne Pasta
- Mozzarella
- Pepperoni
- Ground Beef
- Two jars of pizza sauce
Double Meat For A Hearty Meal
Right off the bat you’ll notice that Jen’s recipe Pizza Casserole includes double meat with an added bonus of being from multiple critters. Anytime there is double meat in a recipe, I’m all over it.
How to Make A Pizza Casserole Recipe Step by Step
Cook your pasta according to package directions.
When it is done, drain off the water and just leave it in the pot. We can mix it all up in there without dirtying up another dish.
Add in your pepperoni and pizza sauce.
You’ll notice that I used not one but two different generic brands of pizza sauce.
If you can save a quarter or even ten cents, it really adds up when feeding a family.
In this step you can also add in the seasonings Jen uses at this point (see recipe below) but I was pressed for time and left them out. But it was still wonderful.
Add in your ground beef.
Now give that a big old stir until its all good and mixed up.
Spray a 9×13 inch pan with cooking spray.
If you’re like me, at this point you are thinking “There is no way all of this is going to fit into a 9×13 pan….“
But it does.
That’ll teach us to have faith in Sister Jen!
Top that with your cheese and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.
Dig in!
Thanks again, Jen!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef browned and drained
- 1 box of Penne pasta
- 2 jars of pizza sauce
- 1/2 an onion or more if you like onion
- 1 tsp. garlic powder*
- 2 tsp. season salt more or less to taste*
- 2 c. mozzarella cheese or more if you love cheese
- 1 pack of sliced pepperoni
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare pasta according to directions, drain water and set aside. Mix pasta, sauces, hamburger and 1 cup of the pepperoni together and put into a lightly greased 9 x 13 baking pan.
- Put more pepperoni on top if you want to do it like Jen does or overlook this step like I did and just stir it all up in there.
- Cover with cheese (as much as you like) and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling.
Nutrition
Jen says: The beauty of this recipe is that you can customize it to what your family likes on their pizza. You can add more of the ingredients that are posted or add your own. It’s very versatile.
*I totally forgot to add these things in and it still turned out delicious. I plan on doing the pepperoni on top like Jen does next time I make this.
You may also like these pizza recipes:
Taco Pizza Fast, Fresh, Delicious!
Pizza Rolls! Who wants the weekend off from cooking??
“I don’t like food that’s too carefully arranged;
it makes me think that the chef is spending too much
time arranging and not enough time cooking.
If I wanted a picture I’d buy a painting.”
~Andy Rooney
This reminds me of my cavatini recipe. Will try soon! I cut the pepperonies into halves or quarters for easier eating. Love the Andy Rooney quote too.
We have made this for years and years. We sub. the colored rotini noodles, I never put pepperoni in it (I am not a huge pepperoni fan and it leaves a funny taste to me). We layer rotini, meat, cheese, twice, then pour 1/4 c of milk over the top, which leaves a smoother, richer finish and the noodles don’t dry out. The difference with and without the milk is astounding for something that doesn’t add flavor to it. We also use the cheapest pizza sauce we enjoy eating (it’s often the canned instead of jarred!)
This is very easy to customize. I have two 8″ square pans I split the casserole into both pans. Then add Bacon pieces, greenpeppers mushrooms and black olives to one of them. That way the kids have theirs and the adults get a yummy supreme pizza one. The whole family loves them and its quick and easy for potlucks. Always a crowd pleaser
A long time ago, Pizza Hut served a similar dish, with sliced mushrooms, black olives, & diced green peppers. It was called Cavatini. I love making this for a crowd.
This sounds super easy and super yummy, I happen to live with/date a super picky eater and minus the onions (I like them he doesn’t haha) it’s perfect. I think I’m gonna try to sneak in some turkey pepperoni and other sneaky healthier versions to see if he notices 🙂 gotta keep my fireman fed but healthy! Thanks for sharing.
It freezes great! Just leave off the cheese when freezing and at it when ready to bake (cheese on toP that is).
Southern 101
Christy — I made this over the weekend for a slumber party my nearly 8-year old daughter was having. Since palates in Germany are different from American, and especially Southern palates, I decided to treat the little German girls to some Southern cuisine. Well, what can I say? It was a huge hit, and everyone unanimously yelled “Lecker!” which is the German word for yummy! I served the casserole along with homemade garlic bread and had some very happy kids…might have to host more “Southern sleep-overs” in the future!
Thank you,
Birthe
Oh WOW! Thank you so much for sharing this with me Birthe, it just made my day. I am so glad to hear it was such a hit and now I know a new word!! “Lecker!”