Crockpot Pizza Casserole Recipe
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Crockpot Pizza Casserole! It's everything you love about pizza night — pepperoni, Italian sausage, melty mozzarella, and a rich tomato sauce — turned into a hearty pasta dinner that cooks itself in the slow cooker. If your family already goes for Bubble Up Pizza Bake, this one's going straight onto the dinner rotation.
The best part is how little you have to hover over it. Brown the sausage, add everything else to the crock pot, and let it do the work while you get on with your day. It's a good one for game day or a busy weeknight when you want dinner handled without juggling multiple pots and pans.
Serve it with Ciabatta Garlic Bread and a Chopped Greek Salad and the whole meal is done.
Quick Look: Crock Pot Pizza Casserole
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🕒 Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- 👨👩👧👦 Servings: 8
- 📊 Calories: ~ 535 kcal per serving
- 🥣 Ingredients: Italian sausage or ground beef, uncooked rigatoni, marinara, tomato sauce, petite diced tomatoes, onion, green pepper, garlic, basil, oregano, mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan, pepperoni
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy. One skillet to brown the meat, then everything goes into the crock pot and cooks together.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
No Boiling Pasta. The rigatoni cooks right in the sauce, so you skip the separate pot of water and the pasta picks up all that tomato and herb flavor while it softens.
It Feeds a Crowd. Eight to ten servings out of one slow cooker makes this an easy call for game day, a potluck, or a week where you want leftovers on purpose.
Familiar Pizza Flavors. Pepperoni, Italian sausage, and melted mozzarella over pasta hit the same notes as pizza night, so it's an easy sell at the dinner table.
If slow cooker pasta is your thing, Crockpot Lasagna and Slow Cooker Baked Ziti are two more worth saving.
Ingredients Needed
- Ground Italian Sausage: Ground beef or ground turkey both work here. Drain the excess grease after browning.
- Rigatoni: Penne works too. It goes in uncooked and cooks in the sauce.
- Marinara, Tomato Sauce, and Petite Diced Tomatoes: Use all three — together they're the liquid the pasta needs to cook.
- Pizza Pepperoni: Goes on at the end, not the beginning, so it keeps its texture.
- Mozzarella and Cheddar: Swap the cheddar for more mozzarella, or provolone for a sharper flavor.
- Parmesan: Shredded, plus extra for serving.
How To Make This Crockpot Pizza Casserole
- Step 1: In a large skillet, cook the ground beef or Italian sausage until browned. Drain off any excess fat.
- Step 2: Add the diced onion, green pepper, and chopped garlic to the meat and cook for about 3 minutes, until the onions and peppers start to soften.
- Step 3: Pour the meat mixture into the crock pot and add the uncooked pasta.
- Step 4: Add the marinara, canned tomato sauce, petite diced tomatoes, dried basil, and dried oregano. Mix well to combine, making sure the pasta is covered by the sauce mixture.
- Step 5: Cover and cook on high for 1 to 1½ hours. Start checking the pasta at 1 hour, then every 15 minutes after that — it should be al dente by 1½ hours total. Once it's cooked, gently stir again to combine.
- Step 6: Top with the mozzarella, cheddar, and sliced pepperoni. Cover and let the cheese melt for another 10 to 12 minutes. Serve with extra parmesan if you like.
Recipe Tips
- Start checking the pasta early. Slow cookers vary in temperature, so begin checking at 60 to 65 minutes and keep checking every 15 minutes after that. This is the one step worth paying attention to.
- Keep the pasta under the sauce. Mix well before you put the lid on, and make sure the pasta is covered by the sauce mixture.
- Stir before the cheese goes on. Once the pasta is tender, gently stir the casserole to evenly distribute the sauce before you add the mozzarella, cheddar, and pepperoni.
- Serve it soon after the cheese melts. This casserole is at its best right away, when the sauce is still creamy and the pasta is perfectly tender.
Crockpot Pizza Casserole Recipe FAQ's
Yes. If you want a non-pork option, substitute 1 pound of ground beef or ground turkey. Drain any excess grease after browning, before you add the onion, pepper, and garlic.
The pasta isn't just filler here. It soaks up most of the liquid from the marinara, tomato sauce, and petite diced tomatoes while it cooks, which is exactly why the sauce ends up thick instead of soupy. Pull the pasta out, and you'd need to cut that liquid back significantly.
Slow cookers vary in temperature, so cooking times can differ slightly. Give it another 15 minutes and check again, continuing at 15-minute intervals. It should be al dente by 1½ hours of total cooking time.
Yes, and a saucy pasta casserole like this is one of the better candidates for it, like my Slow Cooker Ravioli! There's enough liquid in the pot to cook the pasta and keep everything from drying out, and the cheese goes on at the end so it melts rather than overcooks.
More Delicious Slow Cooker Recipes
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Crock Pot Pizza Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef or ground italian sausage
- 1 each small yellow onion diced
- 1 each green pepper diced
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 pound penne or rigatoni pasta uncooked
- 2 jars marinara sauce 24oz
- One 8 oz can of plain tomato sauce
- One 14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- ½ cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 25 slices pizza pepperoni xx slices
- ½ cup parmesan cheese shredded plus for garnish
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Instructions
- In a large skillet cook the ground beef or sausage together until browned. Drain any excess fat. Add the onion, pepper and garlic to the cooked meat mixture and cook for about 3 minutes until the onions and peppers start to soften.
- Pour this mixture into the crock pot then add the uncooked pasta, marinara, canned tomato sauce, petite tomatoes, dried basil and oregano and mix well to combine.
- Be sure to make sure the pasta is covered in the sauce mixture. Cook covered for 1 to 1 1⁄2 hours on high, checking the pasta after 1 hour, then every 15 minutes after that. It should be cooked to Al dente by 1 ½ hours total cooking time.
- Once cooked gently stir again to combine. Top with the mozzarella and cheddar cheeses and the sliced pepperoni. Cover and melt for an additional 10 to 12 minutes.
- Serve with extra parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- Check the pasta early: Begin checking the pasta early, after 60-65 minutes, then continue checking every 15 minutes as directed. Slow cookers can vary in temperature, so cooking times may differ slightly.
- Serve Immediately: This casserole is at its best shortly after the cheese has melted, when the sauce is creamy and the pasta is perfectly tender.
