Easy Supreme Pizza Casserole is a kid-friendly casserole full of two kinds of cheese, Italian sausage, bell pepper, mushrooms, black olives, and pepperoni!
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
Tips:
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.