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Cheesy pizza pasta bake made with ground beef or venison, rotini pasta, pepperoni, pizza sauce, and melted mozzarella cheese.

Easy Pizza Pasta Bake (Ground Beef or Venison)

This easy pizza pasta bake combines ground beef or venison, pasta, pizza sauce, marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni into a hearty family-friendly casserole. It's an easy weeknight dinner that's perfect for busy nights and hungry families.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 8
Calories 585 kcal

Equipment

  • 9X13 baking dish or 5 quart dutch oven
  • pot
  • Skillet

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound fusilli pasta or substitute rotini, penne, or rigatoni
  • 1½ pounds ground beef or substitute ground venison or ground sausage
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 16 ounce marinara sauce
  • 1 15 ounce pizza sauce
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 8 ounces mozzarella cheese shredded
  • 4 ounces pepperoni slices divided for filling and topping

Instructions
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the fusilli according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
  3. While the pasta cooks, brown the ground beef or venison in a large skillet over medium heat. Season with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
  4. If using higher-fat ground beef, drain any excess grease. If using lean ground beef or venison, draining is usually unnecessary.
  5. Add the cooked pasta, browned meat, marinara sauce, pizza sauce, and chopped pepperoni to a large pot. Swirl about 1 tablespoon of water in each empty sauce container to capture every last bit of sauce, then pour it in. Stir everything together until the pasta is well coated. I usually use the same pot I boiled the pasta in because it saves me from washing another dish later.
  6. Transfer the mixture to a greased 9x13-inch baking dish or dutch oven.
  7. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly over the top and arrange pepperoni slices as desired.
  8. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and lightly golden around the edges.
  9. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

This is a generously sized casserole and will fill a standard 9x13-inch baking dish nearly to the top. If your family loves pepperoni, don't be shy about adding extra. Mine immediately requested more the next time I made it! I also recommend using both marinara sauce and pizza sauce, which is the secret to making this taste like pizza instead of baked spaghetti.

Nutrition

Calories: 585kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 31gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 97mgSodium: 755mgPotassium: 426mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 193IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 175mgIron: 3mg
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