If you are looking for easy dinner ideas for your family, you are in the right place! My Easy Supreme Pizza Casserole is a kid-friendly meal that your kids will love, and you will too!
Easy Supreme Pizza Casserole is just like a regular supreme pizza but without the crust. This pizza casserole is full of lots of melted gooey cheese, spicy Italian sausage, crisp bell pepper, earthy mushrooms, sliced black olives and, of course, the star of the show, pepperoni!
And, if you have any picky eaters in your house, you can certainly accommodate their tastes by adding additional ingredients or leaving some out. For those really picky eaters, you could conceivably leave out most if not all the toppings except the pepperoni and have a pepperoni pizza casserole. Even picky eaters like pepperoni, right?
As you can tell from my blog, I love making casseroles. Casseroles reign supreme in the comfort food department! And, the best part, at least for me is that depending on how many servings are in the casserole I’m preparing, it’s a MOGO of sorts, i.e., you make one get one, or two or three.
For example, this recipe for Easy Supreme Pizza Casserole makes 10 servings, and there are only two of us. So, when I prepare this hearty casserole I divide it up and we have one casserole for dinner, and I freeze the remaining casseroles for nights when I don’t feel like cooking. And, yes, just like you, I have those nights too!
If you like this easy pizza casserole recipe, you might also like these other kid-friendly casseroles: Easy Cheesy Ground Beef Casserole, Easy Baked Spaghetti Pie Casserole, and Easy Make-Ahead Baked Ziti. PS: Grownups love them too!
You have questions, and I have the answers!
Can I substitute another pasta for the farfalle pasta?
Absolutely! Ziti, penne, rigatoni, fusilli or even macaroni work great in this recipe as well!
Can I make the Easy Supreme Pizza Casserole ahead?
Yes, simply cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours and add about 15 minutes to the baking time.
Can I freeze the Easy Supreme Pizza Casserole?
Yes, when you are preparing the casserole, simply divide up the pasta mixture evenly in separate baking dishes, and add the marinara and sausage mixture and toppings.
Cover tightly and freeze for up to 2 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake as directed. Or, if the casserole is frozen, cover with foil, bake for 30 minutes, uncover and bake for another 30-40 minutes.
How to make Easy Supreme Pizza Casserole Recipe
Gather the ingredients and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add sausage and garlic. Break up the sausage using a fork or potato masher and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the sausage is cooked.
Remove the sausage and garlic mixture with a slotted spoon and place it on paper towels to drain. Leave the drippings in the skillet.
Add the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms to the skillet and sauté for about 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in the sliced olives and pepperoni. Remove the skillet from the heat, and set aside.
Combine the sausage mixture with the marinara sauce and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
Make the pasta according to the directions on the package for the al dente stage. Drain the pasta and put it back in the pan you cooked it in. Set aside.
To make the cheese sauce, add butter to a large skillet over low heat. When the butter is melted, add flour and whisk until smooth. Cook, constantly whisking for 1 minute. Increase the heat to medium and gradually add in half-and-half, whisking constantly. Cook for 7-10 minutes or until the sauce is thick and bubbly.
Add the fresh mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, and pepper and whisk until the cheese has melted.
Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and stir to combine.
Pour the pasta and cheese sauce mixture into a 9×13 baking dish which has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Top with the sausage marinara mixture.
Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese over the casserole and top with the onion, bell pepper, mushroom, olive and pepperoni mixture.
Bake the casserole for 30 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbly. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.
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Easy Supreme Pizza Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb mild Italian sausage ground
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 jar marinara sauce (26 oz)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 cup yellow onion minced
- 1 green bell pepper seeded and chopped
- 8 oz sliced mushrooms
- 1 can sliced black olives (3.8 oz)
- 1/2 cup pepperoni slices chopped
- 16 oz farfalle pasta
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3 cups half and half
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella shredded (about 2 cups)
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 8 oz packaged mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add sausage and garlic. Break up the sausage using a fork or potato masher and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the sausage is cooked.
- Remove the sausage and garlic mixture with a slotted spoon and place it on paper towels to drain. Leave the drippings in the skillet.
- Combine the sausage mixture with the marinara sauce and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
- Add the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms to the skillet and sauté for about 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in the sliced olives and pepperoni. Remove the skillet from the heat, and set aside.
- Make the pasta according to the directions on the package for the al dente stage. Drain the pasta and place in a large bowl. Set aside.
- To make the cheese sauce, add butter to a large saucepan or skillet over low heat. When the butter is melted, add flour and whisk until smooth. Cook, constantly whisking for 1 minute. Increase the heat to medium and gradually add in half-and-half, whisking constantly. Cook for 7-10 minutes or until the mixture is thick and bubbly.
- Add the fresh mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, and pepper and whisk until the cheese has melted.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and stir to combine.
- Add the pasta and cheese sauce to a 9x13 baking dish which has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Top with the sausage marinara mixture.
- Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese over the casserole and top with the onion, bell pepper, mushroom, olive and pepperoni mixture.
- Bake the casserole for 30 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbly. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- You can substitute any pasta you like for the farfalle, ziti, penne, rigatoni, fusilli or even macaroni work great in this recipe as well!
- To make Easy Supreme Pizza Casserole ahead, simply cover and refrigerate the unbaked casserole for up to 24 hours and add about 15 minutes to the baking time.
- If you plan to freeze smaller portions of the casserole, when you are preparing the casserole, simply divide up the pasta mixture evenly in separate baking dishes, and add the marinara and sausage mixture and toppings. Cover tightly and freeze for up to 2 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake as directed. Or, if the casserole is frozen, cover with foil, bake for 30 minutes, uncover and bake for another 30-40 minutes.
Can I substitute ground beef for ground sausage?
Sure, it will just not be quite as spicy! I hope you enjoy it!
All the best,
Sharon
My Littles loved this. Thank you for sharing!!
Hi Shawnna, I’m so glad your family enjoyed it. Thanks so much for sharing!
All my best,
Sharon
To halve this recipe and make one casserole for vegetarian guests? Can the meat just be left out?
Hi Joan, yes the meat can be left out, but I would probably increase the amount for of veggies.
All my best,
Sharon
This casserole looks like the perfect weekend dinner! My family loves pizza anything!
Hi Kiki,
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
All my best,
Sharon