Pizza Pasta Bake with Pepperoni and Sausage

Hi friends! Since the kids went back to school, I’ve been serving quick and easy meals for dinner. We’re all a little worn out by the end of the day, and I sure don’t have a lot of energy left over to whip up anything elaborate — I save that for the weekend. So last weekend, I made this Pizza Pasta Bake with Pepperoni and Sausage. Not only did it taste incredible the first time around, but it also made for some pretty tasty leftovers!

My family loves pizza, and we all love pasta, so believe me, nobody had any complaints about this dinner! It’s loaded with tons of ooey-gooey cheese, Italian sausage, tangy sauce, spicy pepperoni and of course, pasta.

My favorite part about serving this dish was watching the kids’ eyes get wide as they watched the strings of melted cheese stretch farther and farther. I used a combination of provolone, mozzarella and Parmesan, so you can imagine how cheesy this is.

And because there is so much going on here, this dish goes a long way. And that makes it perfect for leftovers during the busy week.

I served it with a side of salad, and that’s really all you need to complete this hearty meal. And you know what? This really does taste like pizza!

recipe for baked penne with pepperoni and sausage

Ingredients for Pizza Pasta Bake with Pepperoni and Sausage

1 pound cooked penne pasta
5 Italian sausages, casings removed, crumbled and cooked
1 jar of pasta sauce or this recipe for homemade marinara sauce
6 slices of provolone cheese
Pepperoni slices
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning mix
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

Cook pasta until it’s just al dente — you want it to still be somewhat firm. Drain, and set aside.

Brown the sausage, and add the pasta sauce. Keep warm.

Spread the olive oil around the bottom of a 13 X 9-inch pan, and add the pasta.

Top with the sausage and sauce mixture, then arrange sliced provolone on top.

Add the shredded mozzarella cheese and the pepperoni slices, and top with shredded Parm and the Italian seasoning.

Bake at 375 degrees until heated through and cheese is bubbly, about 30 to 40 minutes.

You can see how much filling goes into the pasta bake. I purposely left some of the penne uncovered so that it would resemble a pizza.

sliced provolone cheese on top of crubmled Italian sausage and pasta

When I pulled the pasta out of the oven to check on it, the Hubs said that it looked exactly like a pizza — yea! I ended up adding a little more pepperoni just so that it was nice and loaded with meat.

baked pasta topped with cheese and pepperoni slices

Doesn’t this look incredible? It’s full of ooey-gooey deliciousness, and you get loads of cheesy strings, which makes it a lot of fun to eat. The kids just loved it! The Hubs and I did too.

If you’re serving this for leftovers, you can add more cheese, and either heat it up in the oven or microwave. It goes just as fast the second time around!

Have you ever made a pizza pasta bake before? I can tell you that this is one dish we’ll be having again!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

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Comments

Michele @ The Nest at Finch Rest says
August 13, 2015 at 11:10 pm
Oh yum, this looks sooooooo good – such great "comfort" food.
I may have to make this very soon. Thanks, darling for always inspiring me to get into that kitchen and start making something yummy.
Hugs.
Dee M says
August 13, 2015 at 11:15 pm
It was very comforting! Thanks for always brightening my day with your sweet words! 🙂
Miz Helen says
August 24, 2015 at 7:33 pm
Hi Dee,
What a great Pasta Bake, it looks awesome! Hope you are having a great week and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen