This easy pepperoni pizza pasta bake is made with a rich tomato sauce, loads of cheese and crispy pepperoni! A simple, family-friendly dinner that's perfect for busy evenings.
This pepperoni pizza pasta bake combines two of my son's favourite dinners…It's basically pizza… but in pasta form. You've got a rich tomato sauce, loads of melted cheese, and bits of pepperoni that go slightly crispy on top, it's hard to go wrong with that!
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It's all made with simple fridge and cupboard ingredients, and you can easily throw in a bit of extra veg if you've got it hanging about.
There's nothing complicated about it either, cook the pasta, make a quick sauce, mix it all together and bake. That's it.
As it cooks, the cheese melts into everything, the sauce thickens up, and the top goes all golden and bubbly.
It's a good one for busy weeknights, and it reheats really well the next day, too.
We usually serve it with garlic bread and a simple salad.
Some of our other easy dinners that go down well are this easy chicken chow mein & this one-pan lazy day lasagne.
🥘 Ingredients You Will Need
Here is a brief overview of the ingredients you will need to make this pepperoni pizza pasta bake. To find out how to make it allergy-friendly, simply scroll down to the section below this one.
✋ Double check all packaging for allergens ✋
- Pasta - Any short pasta like penne, rigatoni or fusilli works best.
- Aromatics - Onion & garlic
- Pepperoni - The main flavour and crisps up on top.
- Red Pepper - Easy way to get a bit of veg in.
- Passata - Forms the base of the sauce.
- Mozzarella & Cheddar - Because it wouldn't be pizza without cheese! I use both for extra cheesiness.
- Tomato Purée - Makes the sauce richer.
- Herbs & Spices - I have used dried oregano & basil to give it that pizza-style flavour & paprika to add a bit of depth.
- Optional Extras - Sugar to balance out the sourness of the tomatoes & chilli flakes if you want to add a bit of heat.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
🥜 How Can I Make This Dish Allergy Friendly?
✔️ Make It Gluten-Free: Use your usual gluten-free pasta.
✔️ Make It Dairy-Free: Swap the mozzarella and cheddar for dairy-free alternatives.
✏️ How to Make Pepperoni Pizza Pasta
⬇️ Here you will find an overview of how to make the recipe. For full information on ingredients and quantities please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page ⬇️
Step 1:
Cook the pasta in well-salted water until just slightly underdone (it'll carry on cooking in the oven), then drain and set aside.
Step 2:
Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes until softened. (photo 1)
Step 3:
Add the garlic and red pepper and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the pepper has softened slightly. (photo 2)
Step 4:
Stir in the oregano, basil, smoked paprika and tomato purée. Let it cook for a minute to take the edge off the purée and bring out all those flavours.
Step 5:
Pour in the passata, then add the sugar and chilli flakes if you're using them. Season well with salt and pepper and let it simmer for around 5 minutes until it thickens slightly. (photo 3)
Step 6:
Stir through the cooked pasta along with most of the pepperoni (save a bit for the top). (photo 4)
Step 7:
Tip half of the pasta into a baking dish, sprinkle over half the mozzarella and cheddar, then add the rest of the pasta on top. (photo 5)
Step 8:
Finish with the remaining cheese and pepperoni, then bake at 200°C (180°C fan) for 20-25 minutes until golden, melted and bubbling around the edges. (photo 6)
💡 Lauren's Top Tips
- 🌟 Undercook The Pasta: It will finish cooking in the oven and won't go too soft.
- 🌟 Layer The Cheese: Adding some in the middle makes it extra gooey.
- 🌟 Keep Some Pepperoni On Top: It crisps up nicely as it bakes.
- 🌟 Add Extra Veg: Sweetcorn, mushrooms or spinach all work well if you want to bulk it out.
🔨 The Meal Planning Toolbox
🗒️Make Ahead
You can prep the whole dish and keep in the fridge to bake later. Just remove it from the fridge 30 minutes beforehand, so it returns to room temperature before cooking.
🗒️ Batch Cooking
Double it, make two and freeze one for another day.
🗒️ Leftovers & Storage
Keep any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
🗒️Freezing
Freeze for up to 3 months once cooled. It's best to freeze it in labelled Tupperware containers or freezer bags in portions. This makes it easier when defrosting. Defrost in the fridge overnight.
🗒️Reheating
Reheat in the oven or microwave until piping hot. Add a splash of water if needed to loosen the sauce.
💬 Recipe FAQs
Yes, cooked chicken or sausage works really well.
You can serve it straight from the pan, but baking it gives you that golden, cheesy top which makes it that bit better. You can always pop it under the grill for a quicker option, but you won't get the gooey cheese in the middle.
⚡ More Pasta Recipes
If you loved this recipe, please leave me a 5🌟 rating or comment below. I really do appreciate it. 😊
📖 Recipe
Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Bake
Equipment
- Baking dish
Ingredients
- 300 g (3 cups) pasta
- 120 g ( 4.5 oz) pepperoni
- 200 g ( 7oz) mozzarella grated
- 40 g (½ cup) cheddar cheese grated
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 medium red pepper diced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1.5 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 400 g ( 1 ⅔ cups) jar of passata
- 1 teaspoon sugar optional
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes optional
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in salted water until just underdone.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan and cook the onion for 5 minutes until soft.
- Add the garlic and red pepper cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the herbs, smoked paprika and tomato purée, cook for 1 minute.
- Stir through the cooked pasta and most of the pepperoni.
- Tip half of the pasta into a baking dish, top with half of the mozzarella & cheddar. Pour over the other half of the pasta, then top with the rest of the cheese and the rest of the pepperoni.
- Bake at 200°C (180°C fan) for 20-25 minutes until golden and bubbly.
Notes
- Slightly undercook the pasta as it will finish cooking in the oven
- Salt the pasta water well for better flavour
- Let the onion soften properly before adding anything else - it makes a difference to the overall taste
- Cooking the tomato purée for a minute helps remove the sharpness
- Add a small pinch of sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes
- Chilli flakes are optional but give a nice gentle heat
- Hold some pepperoni back for the top so it crisps up in the oven
- Layering the cheese in the middle and on top keeps it extra melty throughout
- Bake until bubbling and golden - that's when you know it's ready
- Leave it to sit for a few minutes before serving so it thickens slightly
- Easy to swap the pepperoni for a vegetarian alternative if needed
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