Slow Cooker Pizza Casserole
Turn on your slow cooker and whip up this slow cooker pizza casserole. Tender pasta, pizza sauce, ground beef, and more all come together for a meaty pizza mixture that is perfect to dish up for lunch or dinner.
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
- 12 ounces pasta elbow or rotini, cooked until almost al dente
- 1 table olive oil
- 1 pound Italian sausage mild or hot
- 1 cup yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 28 ounces of pizza sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded provolone cheese
- 1/2 cup pepperoni
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions but remove it slightly before al dente, about 2 minutes, so the pasta is slightly underdone.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the Italian sausage and brown on both sides, breaking it up into smaller pieces. In the last 3 minutes add the onions until they soften slightly. Then add in the garlic at the last minute. The sausage does not need to be fully cooked.
- Add the red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning and smoked paprika to the pizza sauce and stir until combined. Pour about a third of the sauce to the bottom of the slow cooker, spreading it out evenly.
- Next add about a third of the pasta over the sauce, then add a third of the sausage and onions. Sprinkle about a third of the red and green peppers over the sausage.
- Next add a third of the mozzarella and provolone cheeses, followed by some pepperoni layered over the top. Continue the same steps 2 more times until you are out of ingredients.
- Secure the slow cooker lid and cook for 2 hours on high or 3-4 hours on low. The cheese will be really melted and bubbly. Serve and enjoy.