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Looking for a quick and easy dinner recipe that will be guaranteed to please a crowd? One of my FAVORITE recipes for busy weeknights is this yummy and EASY Crockpot Pizza Casserole. My cousin actually introduced me to it a few years ago and we pop it in the crockpot (aka slowcooker!) early in the afternoon and by the time we come home from sporting events, we’re ready to eat dinner quickly. This easy crockpot recipe will be a family favorite and is the perfect easy dinner idea for the whole family. This is also the perfect dish to bring to a potluck or anywhere you are feeding lots of people. It’s one of those main dishes that will likely be all eaten up!
Table of Contents
How to make Crockpot Pizza Casserole
This is The ORIGINAL Crock Pot Pizza Casserole recipe that the internet fell in love with!! This is an incredibly easy and delicious meal for the entire family to enjoy! It is kid friendly and perfect for busy days! Check out why hundreds of thousands of people have pinned this recipe. It has its fair share of carbohydrates, but that is a good thing when feeding hungry kids, ha!
Step 1:
Start by cooking your pasta. Boil the pasta until it is al dente. We like to use Penne pasta, but any type of pasta works well for this recipe. Rigatoni fusilli, ziti, or corkscrew pasta would all be delicious options.
Step 2:
While the box of pasta is cooking, start browning your beef. You could also use Italian sausage for something fun and different. After this step, add in pizza sauce and stir well. Spaghetti sauce works just as well and can be used instead of pizza sauce. Once your pasta is cooked, mix the meat mixture and pasta together, then pour into the slow cooker.You could just place directly in a 9×13 pan and put in the oven, but if you want to come back to it later, the slow cooker is what makes it so easy!
Don’t have a Crockpot or Slow Cooker? Here are my recommendations:
Step 3:
I then layer the mixture into the slow cooker, so I put some tomato sauce at the bottom of the crock pot, then add my noodle/ground beef mixture, then add some cheese on top, then top with pepperoni. Then I add more pasta/meat, more cheese, then more pepperoni. Layer the top of the casserole with cheese and pepperoni and put the lid on the crockpot. Let it cook for about 1-2 hours on low heat until everything is melted and smelling delicious, then enjoy! My kids also love to sprinkle on some freshly grated parmesan. I highly recommend this as my family loves it! The beauty of this simple recipe is that the total timeto cook this is about 2 hours from prep to finish.
You can modify this recipe to add your other favorite pizza toppingslike:
- Mushrooms
- Italian Sausage
- Green or Red Peppers
- Onions
- Black Olives
- Lean ground beef
- Any favorite pizza topping!
How to Store Crockpot Pizza Casserole
If you have leftovers, and more likely you will, I just store them in a tupperware container and enjoy the next day. They are good for a day or two after, but after that the noodles start to soak up the sauce and they become dry.
Can you freeze Crockpot Pizza Casserole?
I would advise against that, however some of the ingredients like cheese, tomato sauce, or pepperoni and ground beefcan certainly be stored in the freezer or pantry to make for quick and easy meal prep.
How many people does this recipe serve?
This recipe serves 6-8 adults with no leftovers, or 8-10 kids. This is with a serving size of about 2 cups per person. This recipe usually feeds my family of four and leaves leftovers for lunch for a day. This is perfect because it’s just as delicious reheated.
Is slowcooker pizza casserolethe same recipe?
Yes, just follow this recipe to make slowcooker pizza casserole!
Is Crockpot Pizza Casserolehealthy?
Ok, this recipe may not be thehealthiestrecipe out there, but there are definitely nutrients that will benefit your family’s health and well-being. Tomato sauce is packed withvitamin candpotassium, and as long as you don’t load up on the cheese or meat you won’t be overdoing it oncholesterol. If you want to add someveggies, I recommend adding either mushrooms orbell pepper. This will add additional nutrients as well as fiber, and great flavor!Italian seasoningor basil is another element you could add to contribute to the complexity of this dish. Also, using a bit less mozzarella and moreparmesancheesewill help reduce the calories but retain that deliciouspizza flavor!
My Favorite Slow Cooker Accessories:
You’ll also like…
- Crockpot Ravioli Pizza Casserole
- Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Rigatoni
Crockpot Pizza Casserole
5 from 4 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 2 hours hrs
Total Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Ingredients
- 1 box Barilla PennePasta or any shaped pasta of choice, really, cooked el dente
- 2-3 cans pizza or spaghetti sauce
- 1 lb. browned ground beef
- 1 package pepperoni
- 16 oz. mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Start by cooking your pasta.
While the box of pasta is cooking, start browning your beef, then add in one jar of pizza sauce and stir well.
Once your pasta is cooked, mix the meat mixture (above) and pasta together, then pour into the slow cooker.
I layer the mixture into the slow cooker by putting some pizza sauce at the bottom of the crock pot, then add my noodle/beef mixture, then add some cheese on top, then top with pepperoni. Then I add more pasta/meat, more cheese, then more pepperoni. Layer the top of the casserole with cheese and pepperoni and put the lid on the crockpot.
Let it cook for about 1-2 hours on low heat until everything is melted and smelling delicious, then enjoy!
