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Skillet Pizza Casserole

If there’s one recipe that takes me right back to busy weeknights as a kid, it’s Pizza Casserole. It combines the comfort of a cozy baked pasta with all the fun flavors of Friday pizza night. Think tender pasta coated in rich tomato sauce with savory sausage, peppers, mushrooms, and plenty of golden, melty mozzarella, and pepperoni and olives on top. My one-skillet version makes six servings for about $2 each, and is ready in just over 30 minutes. It’s kid-friendly, crowd-friendly, and just plain fun to eat!

One-Pan Pizza Pasta Casserole

I’ve taken my mom’s classic pizza casserole and made it even easier. It was always a humble dish that helped get our family fed quickly, but it also happened to be one of my absolute favorites. In my version here, the pasta cooks right in the tomato sauce, so there’s no separate pot of water to boil and one less dish waiting for you afterward. As it simmers, the pasta soaks up all that flavor before the skillet heads into the oven for a bubbly, lightly golden cheesy finish.

It still tastes just as nostalgic as I remember, only now the cleanup is a whole lot easier! I also love that pretty much any pasta sauce works here. If you’ve got a batch of homemade marinara in your freezer, go ahead and use it! Or just grab whatever jar of pasta sauce is hanging out in your pantry for an easy win. You can also pile on any pizza toppings your family loves. Go full supreme (like I have here), keep it simple with cheese, or even Hawaiian (I won’t judge!). However you build this dish, I already know it’ll have you and yours coming back for more!

Use a large and deep skillet. There’s a lot going into this pizza casserole recipe, so I use a large skillet with plenty of room for the pasta, sauce, vegetables, sausage, and toppings. A crowded skillet makes it harder to stir without sauce sloshing over the sides! I also prefer using a skillet with a fitted lid, but I’ve found that tightly covering it with aluminum foil works just as well.
Make sure the rotini stays submerged in the sauce. The pasta cooks by absorbing the liquid around it, so any pieces sitting above the sauce may stay firm or cook unevenly. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking, then replace the lid quickly to hold in the heat and steam.
Check the pasta before adding the cheese. It should be al dente (tender with a slight bite). The pasta will continue cooking in the oven, so you don’t want it completely soft at this stage. If it’s still too firm but most of the liquid has reduced, I’d stir in a small splash of water, cover, and let it simmer for a few more minutes. Add the toppings once the texture of your pasta is right!

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Skillet Pizza Casserole

This cheesy Skillet Pizza Casserole recipe combines saucy pasta, Italian sausage, veggies, pepperoni, and melty mozzarella in one easy pan dinner!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Total Cost $12.31 recipe / $2.05 serving

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 35

Servings servings (1.5 cups each)

Calories 584kcal

Author Jennie Alley

Equipment

Large/Deep Oven-Safe Skillet with a Lid

Ingredients

1 lb. ground Italian sausage $3.62*
1 small yellow onion diced, (145g) $0.70
1 green bell pepper diced, (145g) $0.86
8 oz. mushrooms sliced, (120g) $2.04
3 garlic cloves minced, $0.22
8 oz. rotini pasta uncooked, $0.54**
24 oz. pasta sauce $1.58***
1 cup water $0.00
1 tsp Italian seasoning $0.04
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes optional, $0.01
¼ tsp salt $0.02
¼ tsp black pepper freshly cracked, $0.04
1½ cups mozzarella cheese shredded, $1.47
25 pepperoni slices 50g, $0.85
¼ cup black olives sliced, (28g) $0.32

Instructions

Gather and prep all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Heat a large oven safe skillet over medium heat and add sausage and cook for about 5-7 minutes until browned, breaking it up with a spoon.
Stir in onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook for 4-5 minutes until softened and fragrant.
Stir in the uncooked rotini pasta, pasta sauce, water, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Make sure pasta is mostly submerged in sauce.
Reduce heat to low, cover****, and simmer for 10-12 minutes until pasta is al dente and sauce is mostly absorbed. Make sure to stir occasionally to keep pasta from sticking.
Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over the top. Arrange pepperoni slices and sprinkle with black olives. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes uncovered, until the top is browned and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Let sit for 5 minutes before serving for the casserole to set. Garnish with fresh basil and Parmesan (optional, if you've got them) and enjoy!

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*I use sweet Italian sausage because it adds plenty of savory seasoning without making the casserole spicy. Mild or hot Italian sausage will also work. If you use plain ground beef, chicken, or turkey, you may want to add extra seasoning and adjust the salt to taste to make up for the seasonings you’ll lose from swapping out the Italian sausage.

**I always use rotini whenever I make this pizza casserole because I love how the sauce clings to every twist! Penne or another similarly sized pasta should also work, but keep in mind that different pasta shapes can cook at different rates. If the pasta isn’t fully cooked, add a splash of water (if needed), cover the skillet, and let it simmer until al dente. If there’s excess liquid and the pasta is already done, simmer uncovered for a few minutes to let it reduce.

***You can use a homemade sauce or any preferred brand of pasta sauce here. Even plain tomato sauce or passata with additional seasonings (about 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning and salt to taste) will work if that’s what you have on hand.

****If your skillet doesn’t have a lid, covering with aluminum foil will do the trick!

No large oven-safe skillet? You can cook the sausage, vegetables, pasta, and sauce in a regular skillet, then transfer everything to a baking dish before adding the cheese and toppings. The baking time may be slightly longer because cast iron holds onto heat better than most glass or ceramic baking dishes.

Nutrition

How to Make Skillet Pizza Casserole Step-by-Step Photos

The ingredients to make skillet pizza casserole with labels.

Gather all your ingredients and preheat the oven to 375°F.

Brown the sausage: Heat a large, deep, oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add 1 lb. ground Italian sausage and cook for 5-7 minutes, breaking it into small crumbles as it cooks. The sausage should be fully browned with no pink bits left.

Sliced mushrooms, green bell pepper and onion in a skillet.

Cook the veggies: Add 1 diced onion, 1 diced green bell pepper, 8 oz. sliced mushrooms, and 3 cloves minced garlic. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion looks translucent, the pepper begins to soften, and the mushrooms have reduced in size. The garlic should also smell fragrant.

Pasta, sauce and mushrooms added to pizza casserole in a skillet.

Add the pasta and sauce: Stir in 8 oz. uncooked rotini, 24 oz. pasta sauce, 1 cup water, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper. Stir well, scraping along the bottom of the skillet, then press the rotini down so it’s submerged in the sauce.

Once the sauce begins bubbling gently, reduce the heat to low and cover the skillet with a fitted lid or tightly with aluminum foil. Simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring every few minutes to prevent the pasta from sticking or cooking unevenly. Replace the lid quickly each time to hold in the heat and steam.

A hand sprinkling cheese over a pizza casserole in a skillet.

Check the pasta and add the cheese: Taste a piece of rotini before adding the cheese. It should be al dente, meaning tender with a slight bite, and the sauce should still be loose enough to keep everything saucy. If the pasta is too firm and most of the liquid has disappeared, stir in a small splash of water, cover, and simmer for a few more minutes. If the pasta is ready but the sauce looks too loose, simmer uncovered briefly to let it reduce.

Now sprinkle 1½ cups shredded mozzarella evenly over the pasta. Arrange about 25 pepperoni slices over the cheese, then scatter ¼ cup sliced black olives on top.

Pepperoni and olives added to a skillet pizza casserole.

Bake the casserole: Transfer the uncovered skillet to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted and bubbly with lightly golden spots. The sauce should also be bubbling gently around the edges.

Let it set and serve: Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and let your pizza casserole sit for 5 minutes. This gives the sauce time to thicken slightly and makes it easier to scoop and serve. Garnish with fresh basil and grated Parmesan (optional), then enjoy!

Front side view of pizza casserole in a bowl.

Serving Suggestions

This skillet pizza casserole is plenty filling on its own as it’s pretty much a full meal in one pan. You can definitely add some greens to your plate to finish things off, though! I like to serve it with a crisp simple side salad tossed in a light balsamic dressing. The tangy dressing keeps the meal feeling fresh and goes well with the rich tomato sauce and melty cheese. Or you add some garlic bread or cheesy breadsticks when you want to fully lean into pizza night. They’re also perfect for scooping up any sauce left behind!

Right before serving, I like to garnish my serving with fresh basil, grated Parmesan, or a drizzle of hot honey for a little sweet heat. These are all optional, but they really add to the pizza flavor! I also think it would be fun to set out additional toppings (extra olives, banana peppers, crushed red pepper, fresh herbs, whatever you’ve got) so everyone can customize their portion how they like.

To get a head start, prepare your pizza casserole all the way through to adding the cheese, pepperoni, and olives, but don’t bake it yet. Cover it tightly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When you’re ready to eat, bake it straight from the fridge, adding about 5-10 minutes to the cooking time since it’ll be cold.

Storage & Reheating

Let any leftovers cool before storing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. The pasta will soak up more of the sauce as it sits, but leftovers of this casserole are delicious regardless!

Reheating

I usually microwave individual portions until heated through. I’ll sometimes add a splash of water to loosen the sauce if needed. You can also reheat this recipe covered in a 350°F oven until warmed through (about 15-20 minutes).

Freezing

Cool the pizza casserole completely, then transfer to a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. Just note the pasta and veggies will be softer after thawing, so only freeze this recipe if you don’t mind those texture changes.

Love Pizza Flavors? Try These Recipes Next:

Got leftover toppings from this casserole recipe? Add them to a Pizza Pasta Salad for lunch the next day!
These Pizza Melts combine pizza and grilled cheese in one crispy, cheesy 15-minute lunch.
I love how Calzones are endlessly customizable with whatever pizza toppings fit your budget.

from Budget Bytes https://ift.tt/UhHuCXd

Homemade Pita Bread

Homemade Pita Bread is easier to make than you might think! I make this simple dough with 7 basic ingredients, and it only needs a few minutes of kneading and a hands-off rise before it bakes into soft, chewy rounds with pockets ready for whatever goodies you want to stuff inside. And you don’t need a stand mixer, pizza stone, or any special bread-making equipment for this easy recipe. My favorite part is watching each pita puff up in the hot oven! There’s really nothing more budget-friendly than making bread from scratch, and fresh pita tastes SO much better than the packaged kind! Can’t eat all eight right away? Let them cool, then pop them into a gallon-sized freezer bag and freeze for later.

“My husband and I have been wanting to make this for a while, but were slightly intimidated, and this wasn’t warranted. The recipe was so easy, and the ingredients came together so seamlessly. Make this recipe, you will be proud of yourself. Nothing better than fresh bread! Thank you for your amazingness yet again, Beth!”
Michelle

An Easy Pita Bread for Beginners

Pita is a traditional, round, leavened flatbread often served throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean. This recipe here is my easy at-home version, and it’s perfect for beginners (I first shared this homemade pita bread recipe way back in 2010, and the simple method I use STILL stands!)

The dough for this one is a little different from my homemade naan, with warm water, yeast, sugar, olive oil, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and salt, but the execution is almost exactly the same. The biggest difference is that these pitas bake in a super-hot 500ºF oven instead of in a skillet. That intense heat quickly turns the moisture in the dough into steam, causing each evenly rolled round to puff up and separate into two soft, tender layers. I remove them once they’re fully inflated but still pale so they stay soft and lightly chewy rather than becoming dry and crisp. The small amount of whole wheat flour gives them a slightly nuttier flavor and a little extra color, but you can replace it with more all-purpose flour if that’s what you have!

Add the flour gradually. I usually use around 3 cups total, but humidity, elevation, and the way flour is measured can all affect how much you need. Stop when the dough feels soft and pliable but no longer sticky. I prefer to go by how the dough looks and feels, so I highly recommend checking the step-by-step photos below for reference before you begin!
Don’t rush the rise. There’s only one rise, and it usually takes about an hour, but the dough should double in size before you continue. This gives it time to develop the airiness and elasticity it needs to bake up soft rather than dense. If it’s taking a while, place the covered bowl in a turned-off oven with the light on or on a heating pad set to low (if you’ve got one).
Roll the dough thinly and evenly. I roll each piece into a 6-inch circle, which brings it to the right thickness. Your pita will NOT puff up if it’s too thick. Uneven spots can also stop the pocket from forming properly in the oven, so make sure each round is an even thickness from the center to the edges.
Let the oven get really hot. Pita needs an immediate blast of heat to set the outside of the dough as the moisture inside turns to steam and puffs it up. Because this method doesn’t use a hot skillet, stone, or steel, I always let the oven fully preheat to 500ºF before baking.
Keep the rolled rounds covered. Place a damp cloth over the dough while it rests as the oven preheats so the surface and edges don’t dry out or crack.

Pita bread is one of those magical ingredients you can use in many ways. Tear it into wedges for dipping, crisp it up in the oven, stuff the pockets with fillings, or use a whole pita as the base for an open-faced sandwich situation. One of my favorite ways to serve it is torn into wedges and dipped straight into my homemade hummus. You can then turn that into a simple mezze-style spread with olives, fresh veggies, and anything else you have on hand!

A homemade pita bread being dipped into hummus.

For a crunchier texture, brush the pita with olive oil and bake it into chips instead. I’ve even tossed them with cinnamon sugar in the past to make cinnamon pita crisps for a sweet snack, and they’re absolutely delicious!

Of course, those handy pockets that form in the oven are also ready to be stuffed. Each flatbread makes a perfectly portioned sandwich, so you can slice it in half, gently pry open the pocket, fill it, and go. One of my favorite lunches at the moment is chicken shawarma, so I like to make extra and keep the leftovers in the fridge. Then I can stuff a pita with the chicken, some salad, and a spoonful of tzatziki sauce for lunch. The filling options are pretty much endless, so I’ve shared even more sandwich ideas below!

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Homemade Pita Bread

Make your own Homemade Pita Bread with this fun, simple recipe. This bread can be used for sandwiches, wraps, salads, or even baked into chips!

Course Bread, Side Dish

Cuisine Middle-Eastern

Total Cost $0.94 recipe / $0.12 serving

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Rise Time 1

Total Time 1 35

Servings servings

Calories 193kcal

Author Beth Moncel