Pizza…in a casserole? Have you ever heard of anything so amazing? This pizza casserole recipe combines all the flavors and ingredients of a regular slice of pizza (cheese, sauce, dough), but adds a twist. Everything bakes together in a casserole dish and melts together into something incredibly delicious!
5-Star Review
“I made this recipe last week (minus the red pepper flakes), and it was AMAZING. Tasted delicious fresh from the oven, and even as leftovers! Definitely will make again!” -Ashley
Easy Pizza Casserole Recipe
This pizza casserole recipe is beyond tasty. Cheese, pepperoni, pizza sauce, and garlic bread pizza dough make one delicious dinner!
Casseroles always make for an easy weeknight dinner. Just layer up the ingredients and let it bake. This dish is soooooo cheesy, and it’s filled with plenty of sauce and pepperonis. Then I made a garlic bread pizza dough topping to finish it off. So if you’re craving pizza, but want something a little different, try out this pepperoni pizza casserole. It’s easy to make, and everyone will love it!
Garlic Bread Pepperoni Pizza Casserole
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley or basil
- 4 cups shredded mozzarella divided
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup grated Parmesan divided
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup pizza sauce
- 1 package medium-size not the mini pepperoni slices
- 2 14.1 ounces packages of premade pizza dough
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F and spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, garlic, and parsley. Set aside.¼ cup unsalted butter, 3 cloves garlic,1 tablespoon chopped parsley or basil
- In a large bowl, beat together 2 cups mozzarella, cream cheese, 1/3 cup Parmesan, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and black pepper.2 cups mozzarella,16 ounces cream cheese, ⅓ cup grated Parmesan, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, ¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes,½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared 9×13-inch dish.
- Spread pizza sauce evenly over the cheese mixture.¾ cup pizza sauce
- Sprinkle with the remaining 2 cups of mozzarella.2 cups mozzarella cheese
- Top with pepperoni.1 package medium-size
- Divide the dough into the same number of sections as the number of pepperoni slices used. Roll the dough sections into balls and place on a each slice of pepperoni.2 14.1 ounces packages of premade pizza dough
- Brush each ball of dough with the butter/garlic mixture.
- Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese.1/6 cup parmesan cheese
- Bake at 350°F, 35-45 minutes, or until the pizza dough is golden brown, cooked through and the pizza dip is bubbly.
- Let cool 10-15 minutes before serving and enjoy.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to Make Garlic Bread Pepperoni Pizza Casserole Step by Step
Get the oven going and prep the baking pan: Heat oven to 350°F and spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Make the garlic butter: Whisk together 3/4 cup of unsalted melted butter, 3 cloves of minced garlic, and 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley, and set it aside.
Combine the cheeses and seasonings: Mix 2 cups of mozzarella cheese, 16 ounces of softened cream cheese, 1/3 cup of Parmesan, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
Layer in the prepared pan: Transfer the cheese spread mixture into the casserole dish.
Layer on the pizza sauce: Spread 3/4 cup of pizza sauce in an even layer over the cheese mixture.
Add the cheese: Sprinkle the remaining 2 cups of mozzarella over the sauce.
Top with pepperoni: Top the cheese mixture with 1 package of medium-sized pepperoni slices.
Prepare the dough: Divide the 2 packages of premade pizza dough and make small dough balls (they should be roughly the same size as the pepperonis). Then place the dough on top of the pepperonis.
Brush the dough balls: Brush each ball of dough with the garlic butter, and sprinkle the rest of the Parmesan cheese on top.
Bake the pizza casserole: Bake for 35-45 minutes at 350°F. The pizza dough will turn golden brown, and the cheese will start to bubble.
Cool and enjoy: Let the casserole cool 10-15 minutes before serving (it will be hot!).
How to Store
Refrigerate uneaten pepperoni pizza casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven so the garlic dough crisps up again. Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat until warmed through.
Serving Suggestions
For the ultimate kid-friendly pizza night meal, serve the garlic bread pepperoni pizza casserole with this crispy Caesar salad, crunchy air fryer broccoli, and gooey chocolate chip cookies for dessert.
Absolutely delicious. If you love garlic bread and pizza, this combination is amazing. I didn’t have pizza dough so I used biscuit dough and it turned out great.
Hi there! This recipe sounds delicious & can’t wait to try it. Was wondering your thoughts on adding green peppers or banana peppers or onions, mushrooms, etc.. do you think that would work or make the dish mushy? Thank you!
You can add whatever you like! I would just make sure to drain the banana peppers if they are jarred!
This recipe sounds amazing! I would like to make it for a friend as a freezer meal. I’ve never done freezer meals before though and dont think I quite understood your instructions from the link provided. Should this recipe be baked and then frozen? Or put it all together in the pan and she bake it? For either option, if she is pulling it from the freezer, what temp and how long?
Freeze before, let it thaw in fridge overnight, follow instructions from recipe, add time if needed!
Made with biscuits and added bacon there is non left this will be added to the rotation
Thanks for sharing, Joey!
I made this recipe last week (minus the red pepper flakes), and it was AMAZING. Tasted delicious fresh from the oven, and even as leftovers! Definitely will make again!
That’s awesome! thanks for sharing!
Yum! Yum! I wouldn’t change a thing!
Thanks for sharing, Joy!
If freezing, do you adjust the temp and cooking time? Do you put in fridge to defrost? I have 2 kids with a super busy schedule so trying to get this freezer cooking down!!
Let it thaw in the fridge overnight!
If making as a freezer meal, do you suggest baking, cooking, and freezing, or preparing and freeze without baking?
You’d prepare and freeze without baking beforehand!
Fantastic recipe!! Easy to whip together and a real crowd pleaser!!
Yay!! Thanks for sharing your success with us, Melissa!
Would this recipe be considered healthy?
I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily healthy, but I can say it is yummy!