Easy Pizza Pasta Bake

We need easy, family friendly weeknight pasta recipes that help us keep on schedule and keep on budget.  The kids love rigatoni pasta and pizza, so it just makes sense to combine the two into a pizza pasta bake casserole.

Add a salad, a glass of milk and a fresh fruit snack and this is a great meal for growing kids.

Cheap and Easy Pizza Pasta Bake Recipe

Pizza inspired dishes are some of our favorite! We’ve enjoyed Stomboli and  Pizza Spaghetti Casserole, and Pizza on a Stick, so we couldn’t wait to try a new pizza casserole!

I like to brown a pound of sausage or ground beef when I have time so that they are ready to incorporate into meals when I’m in a rush.  I used half a pound of sausage that was already prepared and mixed it into cooked pasta, pepperoni, and sauce.  Mushrooms, peppers, and onions can be added if you like those items.

A pizza pasta dish wouldn’t be complete without cheese.   We took shredded Parmesan cheese and let each person sprinkle as much as they wanted on their helping of pasta.  This lets the kids put their own touch on their meal.

Since my husband is a farmer he usually works close to the house and eats lunch at home.  Leftovers from pasta dishes like this are great to divide into individual servings and freeze or reheat.  We prefer to keep plenty of reusable containers like this handy. There’s always work to be done on the farm, so we try to make lunchtime as efficient as possible for our farmer!

These type of meals are a staple in our house!  We also love to use Bob Evans sausage. We’re a local farming family and Bob Evans is a local company that sources inputs from farming families like ours.

Hide Vegetables in This Pasta Casserole

We also like to cut up a bell pepper and hide it in the pizza pasta so the kids will eat more vegetables.  They never even notice.  We love mushrooms too, so we’ll probably add those in the future.

How To Make Pizza Pasta Bake

1. In a skillet brown sausage and drain.
2. Prepare pasta according to directions on the package.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 3 or 4-quart baking dish.
4. Mix cooked sausage, pasta and sauce in baking dish.  Add a layer of pepperoni on top.
5. Bake for 20 – 30 minutes until the sauce starts to bubble and casserole is heated through.
6. Spoon onto serving plates and sprinkle with parmesan cheese as desired.
7. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.  Dish freezes well in airtight containers.

Here are other great easy casseroles that our family enjoys: Baked Spaghetti with Sausage, Sausage Pizza Bubble Up Casserole and Creamy Pasta with Bacon.  We hope you enjoy these easy meals as much as we do!

Printable Pizza Pasta Casserole Recipe