Pizza Pasta Bake – Barefeet in the Kitchen

Cheesy Pizza Pasta with pepperoni, sausage, peppers, mushrooms, and onions has all of our favorite supreme pizza flavors in an awesome bowl of pasta!

When you can’t decide between pizza or pasta for an Italian meal, this pizza pasta recipe is bound to make everyone happy. 

We all know those kids who, if left to their own devices, would gleefully subsist on nothing but pepperoni pizza and cheesy pasta. (Some of us have had those kids and some of us WERE those kids.)

Pizza Pasta

Pizza pasta is a great way to please those picky eaters while sneakily adding variety into their diets. This hearty baked pasta recipe includes crumbled sausage along with pepperoni and cheese for a true meat lover’s meal.

The chopped up peppers and mushrooms are mixed in thoroughly with spaghetti sauce, cheese and pepperoni so even the most adamant vegetable haters at the table are likely to eat them up without complaint.

After cooking the pasta, sausage, and veggies in sauce, everything gets tossed together in the skillet, covered in cheese and even more pizza toppings and baked in the oven.

In just 15 minutes, you have a gooey cheesy kid-friendly meal that’s ready to serve. This recipe is also a fantastic way to use up ingredients leftover from pizza night! 

Pizza Pasta Bake

Baked pasta is, in essence, a variety of casserole but I think the phrase “pasta bake” sounds so much more delicious! I love the way that baking the assembled pasta dish creates a bubbly layer of melted cheese on top.

Each bite of this baked pizza pasta recipe is packed full of cheesy pasta, tender vegetables, savory pepperoni, and flavorful sausage. I’ve used both canned and homemade pasta sauces to make this recipe and they both work well. My go-to Five Minute Marinara is absolutely perfect for pizza pasta but you’re welcome to use any tomato sauce you have on hand. 

I use staple ingredients that I’m likely to have on hand on any given weeknight in this recipe, so that I’m never more than a few minutes away from an amazing dinner. One of the beautiful things about pizza pasta that it’s easy to adapt the ingredients based on your preferences (or what you have in your pantry).

Pizza Pasta Casserole

Pizza pasta definitely isn’t my first endeavor at fusing two foods I love into one baked pasta dish.

This Cheesy Baked Mexican Pasta I posted a few weeks ago was a huge hit at my house. It’s the perfect marriage of the Mexican flavors I love in tacos, burritos and enchiladas in easy pasta form.

And have you seen this Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake recipe yet? I love the idea of a baked chicken pasta filled with tangy Buffalo sauce and can’t wait to give it a try.

If you’re in the mood for something baked and cheesy other than pasta, you must absolutely make Baked Potato Chicken and Broccoli Casserole sooner rather than later.

Pizza Pasta Bake

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:

• penne pasta noodles
• hot breakfast sausage
• light flavor olive oil
• green bell pepper
• red onion
• garlic
• mushroom
• spaghetti sauce
• Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper
• pepperoni
• mozzarella cheese

Pizza Pasta Recipe

Cook the pasta according to package directions, to a slightly chewy “al dente” firmness. (Take care not to overcook the pasta on the stove top, as it will cook an additional amount of time in the oven.) Drain the pasta.

While the pasta is cooking, cook and crumble the sausage in a very large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Transfer the cooked sausage to a medium size bowl and return the skillet to the stove. Drizzle the oil into the skillet along with any remaining grease from the sausage. Add the peppers, onions, and garlic to the hot skillet.

Cook the vegetables, stirring frequently, over medium-high heat. When the peppers are almost tender, about 3-4 minutes, add the mushrooms and continue cooking for an additional 3 minutes, until the mushrooms have browned and softened. Transfer the cooked vegetables to the bowl with sausage.

Turn off the heat under the skillet and add the sauce to the skillet, along with the Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and remove about 1 ½ cups of the sauce, setting it aside for the moment.

Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and stir well to mix throughout. Add the sausage and vegetables to the pasta mixture, reserving a small amount for topping the pasta. Stir in most of the pepperoni slices, reserving a few for topping the pasta.

Add half the shredded cheese to the pasta and stir to mix throughout. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the pasta and scatter the remaining toppings over the cheese.

Place the skillet in the oven for 15 minutes, until the cheese has melted completely. Serve immediately.

Pepperoni Recipes

Pepperoni is so much more than a pizza topping. Slices of pepperoni are an easy way to add savory salty flavor to any meal and it’s a perfect addition to this baked pasta.

I love to toss pepperoni in my green salads and pasta salads, stuff slices off it into a sandwich or serve it with cheese and crackers to my hungry kids for an afternoon snack.

Pepperoni pizza dip is the perfect party appetizer. I mean, who doesn’t love a piping hot, melting cheese dip full of pepperoni?

For a quick pizza fix make these pizzas in a cast-iron skillet on the stovetop and finish them with barely a minute under the broiler. 

If you like pizza as much as my family does, I also recommend adding Pizza Soup–full of white beans, sausage, and Italian seasonings–to an upcoming dinner menu.

Air Fryer French Bread Pizza takes this beloved comfort food to new easy-to-make heights. A perfectly toasted crust, melting cheese, and toppings that sing are all achieved quickly and with no fuss in an air fryer.

Cheesy, saucy, pizza quesadillas are as flavorful as you imagine they might be. They’re a messy, super fun, lightning-fast way to satisfy your next pizza craving.

While we’re talking pizza, have you seen my girl Rebecca’s guide for Perfect Pan Pizza at Home? She gives you so many tips for making delicious pizza from scratch right in your own kitchen. I’ve been following her advice and her method for years now and it’s a guaranteed WIN every time.

originally published 6/10/19 – recipe notes and photos updated 12/9/24