Super cheesy and meaty meatzza casserole is my favorite casserole recipe for an easy dinner! This recipe is made with ground beef, Italian sausage, bacon, pepperoni slices, aromatic Italian seasoning, and fresh garlic for the best meat casserole with yummy pizza flavors.
Warm with delicious Italian flavors, this easy meatzza casserole recipe is just like pizza but in casserole form! Just like us, you will fall in love with the yummy flavors of melted mozzarella cheese, earthy mushrooms, dried herbs, and robust tomato sauce because the end result of this meat casserole is so hearty and filling.
If you are looking for meal prep ideas for easy weeknight dinners or simple casserole dishes that are comforting, filling, and full of protein, then you meat lovers will love this meatzza pizza recipe because it fits all of the above!
All this is required of this recipe is just a handful of easy steps! Once all the meat and veggies have been cooked, you layer everything in a casserole dish for it to be baked in only twenty minutes!
Italian casserole recipes are one of our favorites to make at home because they are so easy to make with bold appetizing flavors. Some of our other favorite Italian casseroles include my cheesy Chicken Alfredo Pierogi Casserole, Tortellini Casserole, and Spaghetti Casserole recipes.
There are so many delicious comforting options when it comes to easy casseroles!
Ingredients
- Pasta: Any kind of pasta will work for this easy meatzza casserole dish which makes it so versatile and easy! I like to use Fusilli pasta because they absorb all the tomato sauce and aromatic ingredients.
Ground Beef: Half a pound of lean ground beef is used to make this casserole extra hearty and filling. - Bacon: Chopped bacon provides extra savoriness and crunch in this easy recipe! The bacon is cooked with all the other meats so they are extra flavorful.
- Italian Sausage: Mild Italian sausage adds extra Italian flavors to this recipe and really shines through this casserole. I just had to add some Italian sausage to complete this dish!
- Olive Oil: Silky, fragrant olive oil is a great cooking oil to cook with because it has a high smoke point. Good quality olive oils are great to use because they are more flavorful! Other types of cooking vegetable oils that will work for this recipe include avocado, grapeseed, and melted coconut oil.
- Onion: One medium yellow or white onion provides plenty of flavors to this casserole! Fresh onions are always great for extra flavor.
- Green Peppers: Crunchy green peppers are added to this casserole for a little extra nutrition and really balance everything out! Any kind of bell pepper will work in place of the green pepper.
- Mushrooms: One cup of sliced mushrooms provides extra meaty flavors in this meatzza pizza dish. Any kind of variety of mushrooms will work such as shiitake, portobello, button, cremini, etc.
- Fresh Garlic: Fresh garlic is also a great option for recipes especially when it comes to Italian flavors! In a bind, ground garlic powder will work!
- Italian Seasoning: Classic Italian seasoning adds flavors of thyme, rosemary, oregano, and more to make sure it is nothing short of delicious.
- Pizza Sauce: A simple jar of pizza sauce is used in this recipe to make sure everything stays tender and moist with pizza flavors. You can easily make your own pasta sauce or use store bought!
- Pepperoni Slices: Pepperoni slices make this casserole taste even more like pizza. The pepperoni is so good with the other meats!
- Mozzarella Cheese: Cheesy mozzarella cheese is melted atop this casserole to make sure it is full of those stringy cheese flavors we all love in pizza recipes.
What I Used For This Recipe
This post contains affiliate links.
- Cutting Board: This utility cutting board is my favorite because it is study and easy to cut on. I use all types of ingredients on this board such as fresh veggies, bread, protein, etc.
- Measuring Cups and Spoons: This stainless steel set of measuring cups and spoons is easy to use and has lasted a long time! I love how easy to clean these cups and spoons are and how they come in a variety of sizes, too.
- Boxed Grater: A nice stainless steel box grater is nice to have in the kitchen because it is durable and easy to use for most things! I love using a box grater to grate or shred my own cheese.
- Garlic Press: If you do not have a garlic press in your kitchen–I highly recommend it! My life changed when I realized I didn’t have to chop garlic cloves anymore! I love my garlic press and use it anytime I need minced garlic!
- Baking Dish: A three-quart (9×13) casserole dish is the perfect size for this easy meatzza casserole! The best part about this particular dish is that it comes with a lid so you can easily store the leftovers in the refrigerator afterwards.
How To Make It
- First, prepare, slice, chop, and measure all of the ingredients that are needed to save on time. Boil the pasta in a medium pot per the package’s directions.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit before starting the recipe to make sure the oven is fully hot.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef, bacon, and sausage. Be sure to break up both the sausage and beef while you cook them so they can evenly brown. Next, pour the cooked drained pasta into the meat mixture and stir.
- In a separate large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until it is hot. Add the fresh onion, garlic, green pepper, mushrooms, and Italian seasoning and stir until everything is fragrant and just soft–about seven minutes. Do not overcook the vegetables or they will be too soft!
- Add the vegetable mixture to the cooked pasta and meat. Next, stir the pizza sauce and pepperoni into the pasta mixture. Stir everything with a spoon until fully combined and the sauce is covering everything.
- Evenly, spread the meatzza mixture into the casserole a nine by thirteen casserole dish and spread the mozzarella cheese on top in an even layer so it gets cheesy.
- Bake the meat casserole for twenty minutes! Remove the casserole from the oven and allow it to cool for ten minutes prior to serving to make sure all the flavors have simmered together.
- Enjoy with fresh parsley or Parmesan!
Variations
- Make this casserole meatless by omitting the meat and using extra veggies like mushrooms, potatoes, greens, etc.
- Make a gluten-free meatzza casserole recipe by using gluten-free pasta.
- You can use ground turkey or chicken in place of the ground beef. Turkey bacon can also be an option instead of pork bacon!
- Swapping out different meats to replace with diced chicken thighs or breasts would be a great spin to this dish if you like chicken.
What is meatza made of?
Meatza is a pizza made with a meat crust! The most common meats in meatza recipes are usually ground beef and Italian sausage, but I like to use extra meat in my meatzza casserole.
What To Serve With This
You can serve this tasty easy casserole with all types of side dishes such as Air Fryer Asparagus, Company Peas, Cucumber Salad, and more!
More Casserole Recipes You’ll Love
- Pizza Tater Tot Casserole
- Meatball Sub Casserole
- Pierogi Casserole
- Keto Brussels Sprouts Casserole
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
- Tater Tot Casserole
You’ll also like Baked Chicken and Tarragon Pasta and Stovetop Mac and Cheese.
Do you have any amazing easy weeknight dinner recipes? I’m always looking for more recipes to try! Follow me on Instagram @simplystacieblog, on Facebook at Simply Stacie, and on Pinterest @SimplyStacie and let me know how you liked this and my other recipes!
Meatzza Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 cups pasta of your choice uncooked
- ½ lb lean ground beef
- 6 slices bacon chopped
- 4 mild Italian sausage casings removed
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 sweet onion chopped
- 1 green pepper chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 cup mushrooms sliced
- ½ cup pepperoni slices
- 3 cups pizza sauce
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- In a large skillet, cook ground beef, bacon and sausage over medium heat, stirring to break up beef and sausage. Drain fat. Add meat mixture to cooked pasta.
- In another skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, green peppers, mushrooms, garlic and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until veggies are softened. Add veggie mixture to cooked pasta.
- Stir pizza sauce and pepperoni into pasta mixture. Stir to combine everything. Spread into a 9×13 inch casserole dish.
- Spread mozzarella cheese on top.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Serve hot.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see it! Make sure to share it on your favorite social platform.