Pizza Casserole is the perfect cheese-filled dish to serve for a fun dinner! This pepperoni pizza casserole recipe is made with layers of cheese, sauce, and pepperonis, then topped with balls of pizza dough and brushed with garlic butter. You’re left with a DELICIOUS garlic bread pizza bake that everyone will love!

garlic bread pepperoni pizza casserole recipe

Pizza Casserole Recipe

This pizza casserole recipe is beyond tasty. Cheese, pepperoni, pizza sauce, and garlic bread pizza dough make one delicious dinner!

Pizza…in a casserole? Have you ever heard of anything so amazing? This pizza casserole recipe combines all the flavors and ingredients of a regular slice of pizza (cheese, sauce, dough), but adds a twist. Everything bakes together in a casserole dish and melts together into something incredibly delicious!

Casseroles always make for an easy weeknight dinner. Just layer up the ingredients and let it bake. This dish is soooooo cheesy, and it’s filled with plenty of sauce and pepperonis. Then we made a garlic bread pizza dough topping to finish it off. 

So if you’re craving pizza, but want something a little different, try out this pepperoni pizza casserole. It’s easy to make, and everyone will love it!

This Garlic Bread Pizza Casserole recipe is the perfect weeknight alternative to pizza delivery!

pizza casserole topped with balls of garlic bread pizza dough

garlic bread pizza casserole

Garlic Bread Pizza Casserole

The trick to the garlic bread topping on this pizza casserole? We’re using pizza dough, but instead of spreading it over the casserole in a single layer, we created little balls of dough to place on top. Then we brush each ball of dough with a delicious garlic butter mixture! 

The garlic bread pizza dough is what really takes this pizza casserole recipe to the next level. And beneath the dough is alllllll the cheese and sauce and pepperonis…yum! The cheese layer is super creamy thanks to the mix of mozzarella, Parmesan, and cream cheese. Dig in and make sure you get a nice big bite with everything in it.

Ingredients:

  • Pizza Dough
  • Pizza Sauce
  • Pepperonis
  • Cream Cheese
  • Mozzarella Cheese
  • Parmesan Cheese
  • Italian Seasoning
  • Red Pepper Flakes
  • Garlic
  • Butter
  • Ground Pepper

pepperoni, cheese, and garlic bread pizza casserole

wooden spoon digging into a pizza casserole

How to Make Pepperoni Pizza Casserole

Making a pizza casserole is simple. Mix a few things together, layer everything into a casserole dish, and bake! Prep time is quick, so you can throw it all together when you get home in the evening, let it cook while you finish some things around the house, and then dinner is ready! Your family is going to LOVE this dish.

  1. Make the garlic butter (whisk together butter, garlic, and parsley) and set it aside.
  2. Mix the Mozzarella cheese, cream cheese, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Then spread the mixture into the casserole dish.
  3. Spread the pizza sauce in an even layer over the cheese mixture; sprinkle the remaining Mozzarella over the sauce; then top with pepperoni slices.
  4. Divide the pizza dough and make small dough balls (they should be roughly the same size as the pepperonis). Then place the dough on top of the pepperonis.
  5. Brush each ball of dough with the garlic butter, and sprinkle the rest of the Parmesan cheese on top.
  6. Bake for 35-45 minutes at 350°F. The pizza dough will turn golden brown, and the cheese will start to bubble.
  7. Let it cool 10-15 minutes before serving (it will be hot!).

Just scoop a big helping of it onto your plate and enjoy! Be sure to check the recipe card below for more detailed instructions. This is a great freezer meal idea to make ahead of time.

two bowls filled with pizza casserole

a pizza casserole next to a bowl with a serving of the casserole in it

When the word pizza is involved, you know it’s going to be amazing! This garlic bread pizza casserole is PROOF. Sure, a regular pizza is good, but a fun recipe that switches things up is ever better. Pizza bites, pizza rolls, pizza dip…there is no wrong way to eat pizza if you ask me!

More Pizza Recipes We Love

garlic bread pepperoni pizza casserole

This Pepperoni Pizza Casserole recipe with garlic bread pizza dough topping is the perfect weeknight meal. Try it out this week and let me know what you think! 

More easy casserole recipes:

Recipe Card

Garlic Bread Pepperoni Pizza Casserole

4.68 from 80 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 50 minutes
Total: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 8
Author: Becky Hardin
Pizza Casserole is the perfect cheese-filled dish to serve for a fun dinner! This pepperoni pizza casserole recipe is made with layers of cheese, sauce, and pepperonis, then topped with balls of pizza dough and brushed with garlic butter. You're left with a DELICIOUS garlic bread pizza bake that everyone will love!
Pizza Casserole is the perfect cheese-filled dish to serve for a fun dinner! This pepperoni pizza casserole recipe is made with layers of cheese, sauce, and pepperonis, then topped with balls of pizza dough and brushed with garlic butter. You're left with a DELICIOUS garlic bread pizza bake that everyone will love!
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Ingredients 

  • ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley or basil
  • 4 cups shredded mozzarella divided
  • 16 ounces cream cheese softened
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan divided
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • ¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ¾ cup pizza sauce
  • 1 package medium-size not the minis pepperoni slices
  • 2 14.1 ounces packages of pizza premade pizza dough.

Instructions 

  • Heat oven to 350°F and spray a 9x13-inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, garlic and parsley. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, beat together 2 cups mozzarella, cream cheese, 1/3 cup Parmesan, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and black pepper.
  • Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared 9x13-inch dish.
  • Spread pizza sauce evenly over the cheese mixture.
  • Sprinkle with the remaining 2 cups mozzarella.
  • Top with pepperoni.
  • Divide the dough into the same number of sections as the number of pepperoni slices used. Roll the dough sections into balls and place each on each slice of pepperoni.
  • Brush each ball of dough with the butter/garlic mixture.
  • Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
  • Bake at 350°F, 35-45 minutes, or until the pizza dough is golden brown, cooked through and the pizza dip is bubbly.
  • Let cool 10-15 minutes before serving.
  • Enjoy!

Video

Calories: 694kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 26gFat: 42gSaturated Fat: 23gCholesterol: 127mgSodium: 1472mgPotassium: 217mgFiber: 2gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 1535IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 424mgIron: 3.7mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this? Leave a comment!

Meet Becky Hardin

Becky Hardin is a wife and mother living in Saint Louis Missouri. She founded The Cookie Rookie in 2012 as a creative way to share recipes. Now, she is a trusted resource for easy cooking around the world, being featured in Taste of Home, The Kitchn, ABC’s Home and Family, and more. Here at The Cookie Rookie she is the editor in chief of all recipes and continues to enjoy sharing her passion for cooking for busy families. She has since founded two additional food blogs, Easy Chicken Recipes and Easy Dessert Recipes.

4.68 from 80 votes (68 ratings without comment)
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37 Comments
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Kevin R
Kevin R
April 23, 2020 1:12 pm

Would this recipe be considered healthy?

Becky Hardin
Becky Hardin
April 25, 2020 3:37 pm
Reply to  Kevin R

I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily healthy, but I can say it is yummy!

Allison
Allison
December 30, 2019 8:09 pm

I made this tonight using the extra Italian bread loafs my family left. I cut the bread in bite sized pieces and then mixed them with the butter, garlic and fresh chopped basil. I threw on top in place of the pizza dough, then covered the bread with foil and then the last 10 minutes uncovered and continued baking. Delicious! Thank you for the recipe :)

Becky Hardin
Becky Hardin
January 2, 2020 1:13 pm
Reply to  Allison

What a great way to reuse!! That sounds so yummy, I’ll have to try that next time!

Kellie Figueiredo
Kellie Figueiredo
April 14, 2019 10:35 pm

It’s gone! No leftovers! Easy to make and addictive to eat! Two thumbs up from the entire family! Thank you :))5 stars

Becky Hardin
Becky Hardin
April 17, 2019 10:31 am

I agree, so addictive! Thanks, Kellie!

Grace
Grace
March 6, 2019 3:31 am

This casserole looks so good! Thank you so much for sharing!

Courtney Minor
March 11, 2019 8:25 am
Reply to  Grace

Thank you Grace. :)

Tony Mowatt
Tony Mowatt
January 21, 2019 4:36 pm

I made this last night and it was so yummy!! I can’t wait to eat the leftovers! I followed the recipe to a T and it came out perfectly!5 stars

natasha
natasha
January 18, 2019 1:29 pm

you’ve got me drooling over those garlic knots!! can’t wait to taste this deliciousness!!5 stars

Andie Thueson
Andie Thueson
January 18, 2019 11:52 am

My kids would flip over this recipe! Pinning for later.5 stars

Kristyn
Kristyn
January 18, 2019 11:13 am

This is dangerous!! I could easily eat WAY more than I should! Thanks for sharing this!!5 stars

Toni
Toni
January 18, 2019 11:12 am

This was a huge hit in my house!5 stars

Rachael Yerkes
Rachael Yerkes
January 18, 2019 10:46 am

The perfect dinner for cheese and garlic lovers. this was fantastic!5 stars