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Crockpot Pizza Casserole has all the flavors of your favorite pizza pie with the ease of using a slow cooker. Cheesy, meaty, oh so tasty!
Table of Contents
This Crockpot Pizza Casserole recipe has all of the favorite flavors of pizza in a hearty pasta dish. I love the convenience of being able to make it ahead of time on busy weeknights. It doesn’t cook that long in the Crockpot, just two or three hours. Toss all the ingredients in the crockpot just before picking the kids up from school. This frees up that hectic dinner time rush to spend on homework or running errands, or maybe even relaxing for a little while with a good book – wouldn’t that be nice!
Ingredients in Crockpot Pizza Casserole
- Ground Italian Sausage – you can also use ground beef or ground turkey.
- Onion
- Oregano
- Garlic Powder
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
- Pizza Sauce – we like Rao’s pizza sauce, but you can use any brand.
- Rigatoni
- Mozzarella Cheese – sometimes I add a little bit of Parmesan cheese as well.
- Pepperoni
- Additional Pizza Toppings
- Parmesan Cheese, Fresh Basil, and Red Pepper Flakes for serving
Suggestions for Crockpot Pizza Bake
- This recipe is very adaptable to your favorite toppings. You can omit or add any pizza toppings to make it personal to your family. We’ve also added green bell peppers, olives, mushrooms, Canadian bacon, diced tomatoes, pineapple, bacon, red onion, just about any toppings you like!
- If your slow cooker has a hot spot and tends to burn casserole type dishes, layer and fold sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil until you have a six-layer foil rectangle. Press the rectangle into the “hot spot” side of the slow cooker insert. The food will help hold the foil in place during cooking. You could also line the entire Crockpot with foil, which makes clean-up a breeze.
- You can use your preferred type of pasta for this Crockpot Pizza, but keep in mind that thicker pastas work best in the slow cooker. I prefer using Rigatoni in this dish because it holds its shape and firmness well. You can also use ziti or penne.
Frequently Asked Questions
For this pizza casserole recipe it is best to partly boil the pasta before adding it to the crockpot. Dry pasta won’t cook fast enough before the sauce and cheese burn.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Use within 3-5 days.
Yes, you can use marinara or tomato sauce instead of pizza sauce if that is what you have on hand.
Read Next: 35+ Quick and Easy To Follow Dinner Ideas Your Family Will Surely Love
More Crockpot Dinner Recipes
Winter, spring, summer or fall, my slow cooker always gets a good workout! Try a few of our most treasured Crockpot recipes and enjoy the ease of dinner preparation!
- Slow Cooker Lasagna
- Crock Pot Steak and Gravy
- Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice
- Crock Pot White Chicken Chili
- Easy Crock Pot Pork Chops
How to Make Crockpot Pizza Casserole
Crockpot Pizza Casserole
Equipment
- Crock Pot (Slow Cooker)
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cups pizza sauce
- 12 ounces rigatoni
- 4 cups Mozzarella cheese shredded
- 6 ounces pepperoni slices
Instructions
- Coat crockpot with non-stick cooking spray. Spread 1 cup sauce on the bottom of the crockpot.
- Boil pasta according to package directions, but only cook for 5 minutes then drain. The pasta will finish cooking in the crockpot.
- In a large skillet, crumble and cook sausage until it is browned on the outside. Add onion and mushrooms. Continue to cook until sausage is no longer pink in the middle.
- Layer ingredients in the following order: ⅓ of sausage/onion mixture, 1 cup sauce, ⅓ of cooked pasta, 1 cup cheese, ⅓ of pepperoni slices.
- Repeat layers until ingredients are all used. On the 3rd layer, use 2 cups of cheese. This makes the top extra cheesy and it will look like the top of a pizza.
- Place lid on crockpot and cook on low for 2-3 hours.
Notes
- This recipe is very adaptable to your favorite toppings. You can omit or add any pizza toppings to make it personal to your family. We’ve also added green bell peppers, olives, Canadian bacon, diced tomatoes, pineapple, bacon, red onion, just about any toppings you like!
- If adding veggies like mushrooms or bell peppers, saute them with the sausage and onions before adding to the crockpot.
- To Bake in the Oven: Layer ingredients in a deep dish pan or large casserole dish, omitting the last layer of cheese and pepperoni. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle on the last layer of cheese and pepperoni. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
This looks so flavorful and easy too; adding this to my dinner line up for the week!
I love this crockpot pizza bake recipe!
Yum! I made this and loved it! Thanks!
This is such a great, easy family meal! My daughter was begging for seconds!
This looks delicious! I’m thinking it will be perfect for game day tailgating! Thanks for the recipe.