Baked Pizza Pasta
This cozy pizza pasta bake mixes tender penne with meaty sauce, gooey mozzarella, and pepperoni for the ultimate comfort food that tastes just like pizza.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces penne pasta
- 8 ounces ground beef
- 8 ounces Italian sausage
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 1 large green bell pepper diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 1 cup pizza sauce
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- 25 slices pepperoni
Seasonings:
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Brown the meat: Heat your big skillet and cook the ground beef and sausage for 6-8 minutes, breaking it up as you go.
- Add aromatics: Toss in the diced onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, then add bell pepper and cook 4 more minutes.
- Make it smell amazing: Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute, then add broth, both sauces, and all your seasonings.
- Let it bubble: Keep the sauce simmering for 10 minutes while you cook the pasta just 1 minute less than the box says.
- Mix it all up: Take the sauce off the heat, stir in Parmesan cheese, then add the pasta and mix until everything looks happy together.
- Get ready to bake: Put everything in your greased dish, top with mozzarella, then arrange pepperoni slices all over the top.
- Bake it good: Cover with foil and bake at 375°F for 20 minutes, then take foil off and bake 15 more minutes until golden.
Notes
- Don't cook your pasta all the way since it keeps cooking in the oven, and you don't want mushy pasta.
- Drain that grease really well, or your casserole will be swimming in oil and nobody wants that mess.
- Freshly grated cheese melts way better than the pre-shredded stuff, so take the extra minute to grate it yourself.
- Let it cool for 5 minutes after baking so it doesn't fall apart when you try to serve it up.
- This freezes like a champ for up to 3 months, so make extra and thank yourself later when dinner is ready!