Recipe: Super easy make ahead pizza casserole

I love this recipe because it's so simple, and you can even skip the step of cooking the noodles ahead of time.

Posted 1:55 a.m. Jan 23, 2015 — Updated 1:55 a.m. Jan 23, 2015

Susan Caldwell of Flour Power Kids Cooking Studio

As a mom of two, I know how the evening rush can be at home! Between homework, dinner, packing lunches for the next day, reviewing the calendar for the next day, bath time … life is busy at night. I love this recipe because it’s so simple, and you can even skip the step of cooking the noodles ahead of time. Add in your favorite pizza toppings to mix it up! Enjoy!

Super Easy Make Ahead Pizza Casserole

Ingredients

1 lb mild Italian pork sausage or 1 pound ground beef

1 ½ cups water

1 can (15 oz) pizza sauce

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

4 cups uncooked rotini pasta or your favorite twisty pasta

Any mix ins you’d like to add – pepperoni, olives, peppers

1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella or pizza cheese blend

Directions

• In a 10-inch skillet, cook sausage or ground beef over medium-high heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until no longer pink; drain.

• In ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish, mix water, pizza sauce and tomatoes. Stir in cooked sausage or ground beef, uncooked pasta and any mix ins (pasta should be completely covered with sauce). Cover tightly with foil; refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

• When ready to bake, heat oven to 350°F. Stir casserole; cover with foil and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until bubbly.

• Uncover baking dish; stir mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and add a few toppings to the top if you’d like extras! Bake uncovered 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Susan is the mom of two and owner of Flour Power Kids Cooking Studio with locations in Raleigh and Charlotte. For more recipes, visit Go Ask Mom every Friday and see WRAL.com's recipe database.

Suggest A Correction