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This Crockpot Pizza Casserole is a cheesy, hearty, and family-friendly dinner loaded with all your favorite pizza flavors. Easy to make and perfect for busy weeknights!
Crockpot Pizza Casserole is the ultimate comfort food with all the flavors of your favorite pizza in a warm, cheesy pasta bake. The slow cooker makes it effortless, all you have to do is just layer the ingredients, set it, and let it cook to perfection while you go about your day. It is perfect for busy weeknights or feeding a hungry crowd, this dish is hearty, easily customizable, and guaranteed to be a hit with both kids and adults.
At our house, we indulge in Pepperoni Pizza Burgers, Pizza Quesadillas, and One Pan Pizza Chicken. Of course, I always keep some easy No Knead Pizza Dough in the freezer for when a regular pie will hit the spot. But truthfully, sometimes we’ll make a no-brainer Pepperoni Pizza Grilled Cheese and call it a night.
No matter how I serve up combinations of mozzarella, tomato sauce, and pepperoni, there are hardly ever leftovers to pack away. My current favorite iteration is this Slow Cooker Pizza Casserole. It’s one of the most effortless and hands-off recipes I know of.
What You’ll Need
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- Italian Sausage – You can use mild or spicy, depending on your preference.
- Onion
- Garlic – Fresh garlic cloves will have the best flavor.
- Pasta – Use any short-cut pasta with a hollow center. This way, all the ingredients will evenly distribute throughout the casserole, and the pasta can hold onto all that meat, cheese, and sauce. Penne, ziti, or rigatoni are excellent options.
- Pizza Sauce
- Pepperoni – You can buy the pre-packaged kind or splurge on some from the deli. I like to use turkey pepperoni to keep this recipe light.
- Mozzarella Cheese
- Water
How To Make Slow Cooker Pizza Casserole
- Brown Sausage. If your sausage comes with a casing, remove it, and crumble the sausage into a large skillet. Brown the sausage, onion, and garlic until fully cooked and fragrant.
- Layer Ingredients. Pour in ⅓ of the uncooked, dry pasta into your slow cooker. Cover with a jar of pizza sauce, ⅓ of the meat mixture, ⅓ of the cheese, and ⅓ of the pepperoni. Repeat the layering process until all ingredients are used. Next, pour the water into the slow cooker.
- Cook. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours until the pasta is cooked. The casserole should be hot, with the cheese melted throughout.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Prep Ahead. To save time, you can brown the sausage, onion, and garlic the day before you make this recipe. Then, store it in the fridge so all your ingredients are ready to go.
- Check For Doneness. If your slow cooker is particularly fast, you don’t have to let the casserole cook for the entire 4 hours. The sausage will already be thoroughly cooked before entering the slow cooker. Then, once the pasta is cooked and the cheese is fully melted, you’re good to go. You can turn to warm to let it sit until it is time to serve.
- Customize. Feel free to add your favorite pizza toppings to the casserole or garnish once it’s finished. Olives, red pepper flakes, and bell pepper are delicious add-ins.
- Low Carb. To cut the carbs in this recipe, you can use vegetable pasta or skip it altogether. This is a very forgiving recipe, so you can omit the pasta and bulk up on extra veggies. Try adding diced tomatoes, bell peppers, artichokes, and olives!
Serving Suggestions
This casserole is very filling on its own, but it’s easy to pull together a couple of simple sides to round out the meal.
- Air Fryer Garlic Bread – This garlic bread is done in minutes. Plus, it’s perfect for scooping up all the leftover sauce on your plate.
- Easy Parmesan Garlic Knots – Many pizza nights aren’t complete without an order of garlic knots. Make them yourself for a fun weeknight dinner that can rival the weekend.
- Simple Tossed Salad – Sometimes, dinner just has to get onto the table. You can’t go wrong with a simple and nutritious salad when you’re in a pinch.
- Copycat Crazy Bread – a homemade version of the famous Little Caesar Breadsticks. Easy and so much better than the restaurant.
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. It’ll last for 2-3 days. The best way to reheat this recipe is to move it to a baking dish and heat it in the oven. Once all the meat is heated, and the cheese is re-melted and bubbly, you can dig in.
More Easy Slow Cooker Recipes
- Crock Pot Chicken and Gravy
- Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken
- Crock Pot Potato Soup
- Beef and Noodles Soup
- Crockpot Hashbrown Casserole
Slow Cooker Pizza Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian Sausage
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound dried uncooked pasta
- 3 14 oz jars pizza sauce
- 1 5 oz package pepperoni
- 2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 2/3 cup water
Instructions
- In a large skillet brown Italian sausage, onion, and garlic together.1 pound Italian Sausage, 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic
- In slow cooker pour in 1/3 of the pasta. Top with 1 jar of pizza sauce, 1/3 of meat mixture, 1/3 of the cheese, and 1/3 of the pepperoni. Repeat with the rest o the ingredients.1 pound dried uncooked pasta, 3 14 oz jars pizza sauce, 2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese, 1 5 oz package pepperoni
- Pour 2/3 water over the casserole.2/3 cup water
- Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours. My slow cooker is very fast, and it was done at 3 hours.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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do you cook the noodles first before adding to the slow cooker?
Nope, you add the pasta uncooked. In the text above I talk about adding it uncooked, and how I wanted a recipe that you didn’t have to cook them first. Enjoy!
What size slow cooker did you use? What size range would work?
Jean, sorry for the slow reply, I have been traveling. I used a 5 qt slow cooker. But I think anything from 4-7 qts would work. Enjoy!
That is such a fantastic recipe! I have to wonder if I could make pizza dough balls and cook them in there like dumplings instead of the noodles.
Love this recipe! I will be making it this weekend!
All the flavors I love in one dish! Will be my new favorite!
This is SOOOO good! This will surely satisfy my cravings!
I will be making this for the next family get together! It looks fantastic!
what size is the crockpot that holds this?
I used a 6 quart “normal” size crockpot