Two comfort foods join forces in this family-favorite recipe for Pepperoni Pizza Pasta.
I am (more than) slightly embarrassed to admit where I got the inspiration for this easy, cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Pasta. But if you follow along on Instagram, you know I have a strong affinity for reality television. “What type of reality television?” you ask.
The good stuff.
Ahem, Teen Mom fans, where you at?
Well we have MTV’s Teen Mom to thank for introducing me to the idea of pizza pasta. As simple as the concept may seem, why had this culinary creation never crossed my mind?
It’s a pepperoni-stuffed spin on my Baked Rigatoni, and it’s loaded with all of my favorite pizza toppings, including green peppers and Italian sausage, so this is not for the faint of heart (or meat).
But the real beauty here is that exactly like a pizza, this pasta can be customized to your preferences with every meat and veggie imaginable. If you’d put it on a pizza, you can put it in pizza pasta!
Love this recipe? Don’t miss my all-time favorite pepperoni pizza dip!
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Ingredients
- 12 ounces uncooked medium shell pasta
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 medium green pepper, diced
- 3/4 pound Italian sausage (sweet or spicy)
- 3 cups homemade or store-bought tomato sauce
- 3/4 cup sliced pepperoni, divided
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the shell pasta and cook it until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and set it aside.
- Add the olive oil to a large heavy-bottomed stock pot set over medium-low heat. Once the oil is warm, add the diced onions, diced green peppers, and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook, stirring constantly, until the onions are translucent. Add the Italian sausage and cook, breaking apart the sausage with a spatula, until the sausage is browned and cooked throughout.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the tomato sauce then add the cooked pasta to the pot, along with ½ cup of the sliced pepperoni and stir to combine.
- Transfer half of the pasta to a 9×13-inch baking dish, top it with half of the shredded mozzarella cheese, then repeat another layer of the pasta, the remaining cheese and the remaining ¼ cup of pepperoni.
- Bake the pasta for about about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Remove the baked pasta from the oven and serve.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Nutrition
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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
I made this last night but I used past sauce instead of tomato sauce. It was so good.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Teresa!
I made this for a friend and his family after he was injured at our football game. They loved it!! Total comfort food and just what the family needed! The dish was easy to make and easy to transport. We arrived with this warm cheesy dish and they were all smiles. Definitely a keeper recipe! Thank you for sharing!
I hope your friend is okay, Nicholas! And I’m so glad everyone enjoyed the recipe :)
My family loved this! Thanks for your inspiration and easy recipes in bringing families back to the dinner table!
This is what I love to hear, Mae! I’m so thrilled you and your family enjoyed the recipe :)
This makes an attractive lunch consisted of our favourite ingredients !
Looks great, Kelly! Unfortunately, if I make it, I would have to leave out the green peppers, substitute onion powder for the onions, and either use ground turkey or double the pepperoni. I will think about it!
Ground turkey would work great, Suzie! And feel free to sub in your favorite veggies, if you’d put it on a pizza, you can put it in pizza pasta!
Nutrition value chart for this/all Just a Taste recipes – is that something you provide or plan to provide?
Hi there! Every recipe on the site includes estimated nutritional info. All you have to do is click on the purple button below the recipe that says ESTIMATED NUTRITION INFORMATION. Additionally, some of our recipes have nutritional info as well as Weight Watchers SmartPoints calculated by a registered dietician: https://www.justataste.com/category/recipes/nutrition-facts/ :)