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!
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 time to cook this is about 2 hours from prep to finish.
You can modify this recipe to add your other favorite pizza toppings like:
- 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 beef can 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 casserole the same recipe?
Yes, just follow this recipe to make slowcooker pizza casserole!
Is Crockpot Pizza Casserole healthy?
Ok, this recipe may not be the healthiest recipe out there, but there are definitely nutrients that will benefit your family’s health and well-being. Tomato sauce is packed with vitamin c and potassium, and as long as you don’t load up on the cheese or meat you won’t be overdoing it on cholesterol. If you want to add some veggies, I recommend adding either mushrooms or bell pepper. This will add additional nutrients as well as fiber, and great flavor! Italian seasoning or basil is another element you could add to contribute to the complexity of this dish. Also, using a bit less mozzarella and more parmesan cheese will help reduce the calories but retain that delicious pizza flavor!
My Favorite Slow Cooker Accessories:
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Crockpot Pizza Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 box Barilla Penne Pasta 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!
Video
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do i cook it on high or low
Low 🙂
Hi, this looks wonderful! How long and at what temperature would you recommend in the oven?
Where is the recipe?
Hi Barbara, you click the Click to Continue Reading Button at the bottom to go to the recipe. Sorry for the confusion.
How many does this serve?
I’d say for a full meal you could comfortably serve 6-8 adults or 8-10 with kids depending on how much people are eating. Larger servings…probably more like 6-8, if it’s just a side dish or part of a potluck, more like 10-12.
It’s a pretty decent size meal and for my family of 4 (two adults, two kids), we can comfortably eat as much as we want and still have enough for 2-3 more lunch containers full in the days following. Hope that helps.
What temp on the crockpot?
Low heat is fine.
What size cans of pizza sauce?
Hi..I’d like to ask what size cans of pizza sauce you use? 8oz or 15oz? I don’t use a crock pot often so I’m not sure what amount of liquid is needed.
I believe it was 8 oz.
Have you tried to freeze this recipe then stick it in the crock pot? 🙂
Hi Lindsey, I have not. It’s so simple to make, I wouldn’t necessarily need to freeze it…but it’s worth a try?
If you put it in the oven, how long and what temperature?
I baked this dish in the oven instead and it turned out great!!!
What temp?
What temp and how long in the oven?
350 for 30 minutes should do fine…you’re basically just melting the cheese on top at that point 🙂
Would 1 box feed 2 people and leave left overs? Or should I use two boxes if I want left overs?
1 box of pasta feeds my husband, 13yo daughter (who is an athlete and eats like a horse), and myself with leftovers.
about how many would it feed? based on 3 men big plates. Should I double up. There will be 6 people
hmm…6 people should do ok. I think that’s how many people ate when I made it…it’s more than enough for a family of four, so I’m thinking 6 with no leftovers should be doable. Just in case, you could always double it and freeze whatever you don’t use.
Looks so yummy. Thought to clarify, “pizza sauce” is basically any tomato-based sauce you want. I used marinara. I had never heard that term before so it was confusing to me at first. Hope this helps someone else 🙂
Hi Tori, thanks for the comment. There actually is “Pizza Sauce”. I use Ragu: https://www.ragu.com/our-sauces/pizza-sauces/pizza-quick-traditional-sauce/ it typically has more seasoning to it. Traditional marinara is fine, but you’re essentially making rigatoni with pepperoni on top using that. 😉 Nothing wrong with that, but it won’t be a “Pizza-y” if you get my drift. Thanks for stopping by!
I make a recipe simular to this. I add cottage cheese to the meat sauce/pasta mixture to make it even cheeser. 30 minutes in oven at 350°F and it’s perfect. Truly a quick meal.
Yum! Nice idea. I’ll have to try that out. Thanks for sharing.
Hi, I was just wondering how long you cook iit on low in the crockpot?
Thanks! Terri
Hi Terri, I cook on low for about 2 hours until the cheese is melted. 🙂
This looks great and easy! Can’t wait to try!
I HAVE BEEN MAKING CROCK POT PIZZA FOR YEARS. IT IS GREAT AND EVEN THE PICKY EATERS LOVE IT. I USE SPAGHETTI SAUCE AND PIZZA SAUCE TOGETHER. I USE A LOT OF SAUCE. THE PASTA SEEMS TO SOAK IT UP AND I LIKE MINE TO TASTE VERY SAUCY. I ALSO ADD MUSHROOMS, ONION, GREEN PEPPER AND HAVE ADDED BLACK OLIVES. IT FREEZES WELL AND YOU CAN JUST REWARM IN THE MICROWAVE. I JUST ADD A LITTLE MORE SAUCE WHEN I REHEAT IT. IT ADDS MORE FLAVOR. HOPE THIS HELPS ANYONE WHO TRIES THIS RECIPE. IT IS A GREAT ONE.
Hi everyone, I love to cook in my crockpot, I have 7 of them. I had a suggestion for this recipe,, I considered using ground turkey instead of ground beef, only for the grease . I have so many crockpot recipes and using a pound of cheese there is a lot of grease, just a thought and hope it helps .
THANKS FOR YOUR THOUGHTS, MARIANNE! 🙂
This is the first time I am seeing one of your recipes. I want to thank you for putting the ingredients at the beginning! So many put it after the end of their blog, which is fine, but once you read the blog and want to go back to make it again, it is slow going. I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Thank you!
Hey! My family loves a recipe a lot like this. I add a can of cream soup with a can of milk and layer it between the meat and pasta. Then the cheese and pepperonis. Bake it in the oven. But would be great in the crock pot.
Great ideas, thanks!
If you didn’t cook the pasta/ meat first, could you just keep it in the crock pot longer? I’d like to just dump it in the crock pot in the morning, and have it done by supper.
I have made this without cooking the pasta 1st and using 2 23 oz jars of pizza sauce to keep it from getting dry.
Mu husband is not a casserole fan, but he went back for seconds, which he rarely does these days. This recipe is delicious! I used a 16 oz. jar of Mid’s Pizza sauce, and it was just the right amount, and Mid’s is super delicious! Thanks for the great recipe!
Best dinner ever! I have made this many times now. Me and my husband like this better than normal pizza!
I mixed everything together tonight.I will cook this tomorrow (crockpot).Cannot wait!!
Hi how did putting it all together to cook in the crock pot turn out?
Could you do this with gluten free pasta?
I’ve never tried, Crystal. Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Made this for supper and it was so delicious! I will definitely make it again.
It was amazing. The kids had seconds!
Do you know the nutritional value per serving?
I don’t, but I’m sure you could plug it into something like MyFitnessPal or something and see what comes up. Sorry I’m not much help.
I make this at home alot, but haven’t done it in the crockpot.
We call it double-meaty baked ziti.
This was an awesome receipt. Made this tonight and my family really enjoyed it. Thank you
This was delicious! I made a couple additions that were perfect! Entire family loved it and it will make it in to the family recipe book!