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!

garlic bread pepperoni pizza casserole recipe

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!

Recipe Card

Garlic Bread Pepperoni Pizza Casserole

4.68 from 80 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 50 minutes
Total: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 8
Author: Becky Hardin
Pizza Casserole is the perfect cheese-filled dish to serve for a fun dinner! This pepperoni pizza casserole recipe is made with layers of cheese, sauce, and pepperonis, then topped with balls of pizza dough and brushed with garlic butter. You're left with a DELICIOUS garlic bread pizza bake that everyone will love!
Pizza Casserole is the perfect cheese-filled dish to serve for a fun dinner! This pepperoni pizza casserole recipe is made with layers of cheese, sauce, and pepperonis, then topped with balls of pizza dough and brushed with garlic butter. You’re left with a DELICIOUS garlic bread pizza bake that everyone will love!
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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.
    spraying baking dish
  • 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
    melted butter in a white bowl
  • 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.
    spreading the cheese mixture into a baking pan
  • Spread pizza sauce evenly over the cheese mixture.
    ¾ cup pizza sauce
    pizza sauce on top of cheese mixture
  • 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.
    assembled casserole to be baked
  • Let cool 10-15 minutes before serving and enjoy.
    Garlic Bread Pepperoni Pizza Casserole
Calories: 694kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 26gFat: 42gSaturated Fat: 23gCholesterol: 127mgSodium: 1472mgPotassium: 217mgFiber: 2gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 1535IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 424mgIron: 3.7mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this? Leave a comment!

How to Make Garlic Bread Pepperoni Pizza Casserole Step by Step

spraying baking dish
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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.

melted butter in a white bowl

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.

cheeses and seasonings in a glass bowl

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.

spreading the cheese mixture into a baking pan

Layer in the prepared pan: Transfer the cheese spread mixture into the casserole dish.

pizza sauce on top of cheese mixture

Layer on the pizza sauce: Spread 3/4 cup of pizza sauce in an even layer over the cheese mixture.

mozzarella cheese on top of the cheese and sauce

Add the cheese: Sprinkle the remaining 2 cups of mozzarella over the sauce.

pepperoni slices over the cheese and sauce mixture

Top with pepperoni: Top the cheese mixture with 1 package of medium-sized pepperoni slices.

dough balls on top of the pepperoni

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.

dough balls brushed with garlic butter and parsley on top of the unbaked pizza casserole

Brush the dough balls: Brush each ball of dough with the garlic butter, and sprinkle the rest of the Parmesan cheese on top.

assembled casserole to be baked

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.

two bowls filled with pizza casserole

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.

pizza casserole topped with balls of garlic bread pizza dough

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.

more easy casserole recipes

Meet Becky Hardin

Becky Hardin is a wife and mother living in Saint Louis Missouri. She founded The Cookie Rookie in 2012 as a creative way to share recipes. Now, she is a trusted resource for easy cooking around the world, being featured in Taste of Home, The Kitchn, ABC’s Home and Family, and more. Here at The Cookie Rookie she is the editor in chief of all recipes and continues to enjoy sharing her passion for cooking for busy families. She has since founded two additional food blogs, Easy Chicken Recipes and Easy Dessert Recipes.

4.68 from 80 votes (68 ratings without comment)
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37 Comments
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Aileen
Aileen
April 1, 2024 7:36 pm

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.5 stars

Amber B
Amber B
July 27, 2023 4:55 pm

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!

Samantha Marceau
July 28, 2023 9:15 am
Reply to  Amber B

You can add whatever you like! I would just make sure to drain the banana peppers if they are jarred!

Rachel Neyer
Rachel Neyer
December 7, 2021 9:23 pm

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?

Becky Hardin
Becky Hardin
December 10, 2021 1:56 pm
Reply to  Rachel Neyer

Freeze before, let it thaw in fridge overnight, follow instructions from recipe, add time if needed!

Joey
Joey
July 9, 2021 6:59 pm

Made with biscuits and added bacon there is non left this will be added to the rotation5 stars

Becky Hardin
Becky Hardin
July 20, 2021 10:51 am
Reply to  Joey

Thanks for sharing, Joey!

Ashley
Ashley
July 8, 2021 10:52 am

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!5 stars

Becky Hardin
Becky Hardin
July 9, 2021 11:04 am
Reply to  Ashley

That’s awesome! thanks for sharing!

Joy
Joy
June 11, 2021 2:09 pm

Yum! Yum! I wouldn’t change a thing!5 stars

Becky Hardin
Becky Hardin
June 16, 2021 3:54 pm
Reply to  Joy

Thanks for sharing, Joy!

Jamie
Jamie
June 6, 2021 6:29 pm

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!!

Becky Hardin
Becky Hardin
June 10, 2021 2:37 pm
Reply to  Jamie

Let it thaw in the fridge overnight!

Emily
Emily
February 23, 2021 8:41 am

If making as a freezer meal, do you suggest baking, cooking, and freezing, or preparing and freeze without baking?

Becky Hardin
Becky Hardin
February 23, 2021 9:28 am
Reply to  Emily

You’d prepare and freeze without baking beforehand!

Melissa
Melissa
November 21, 2020 5:09 pm

Fantastic recipe!! Easy to whip together and a real crowd pleaser!!5 stars

Becky Hardin
Becky Hardin
November 23, 2020 1:52 pm
Reply to  Melissa

Yay!! Thanks for sharing your success with us, Melissa!

Kevin R
Kevin R
April 23, 2020 1:12 pm

Would this recipe be considered healthy?

Becky Hardin
Becky Hardin
April 25, 2020 3:37 pm
Reply to  Kevin R

I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily healthy, but I can say it is yummy!