Pizza pasta casserole is a delicious and easy-to-make dish that combines the flavors of pizza and pasta into one hearty meal. It typically includes cooked pasta, tomato sauce, ground meat, various pizza toppings such as pepperoni and bell peppers, and lots of cheese.
If you like more WW recipes like this try Slow Cooker Crack Chicken, Big Mac in a Bowl, Slow Cooker Low Sodium Taco Soup, or WW BLT Pasta Salad.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
It's pizza and pasta combined into one easy dish. Rotini pasta, pasta sauce, italian turkey sausage, low fat cheese, and turkey pepperoni.
The original recipe for this had 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and by reducing the amount to 2 teaspoons, that reduced the fat greatly.
I don't get why people think they have to use a ton amount of olive oil when sauteing vegetables or browning a big hunk of meat? I successfully browned chicken breast thighs with only 2 teaspoons of olive oil.
If you like pizza and pasta then you'll really like this dish, and it almost reminds me of hamburger helper. I'm going to come up with my own taco pasta casserole using this method. Just think of all the different combinations you can come up with.
Ingredients Needed
- Mild Italian turkey sausage or lean ground beef - Is considered better than higher fat options for several reasons. First, it has less saturated fat, which can contribute to heart disease and other health issues. Additionally, it tends to have fewer calories per serving, making it a good option for those watching their weight. The 96% lean ground beef from Aldi is my favorite.
- Medium onion, chopped (optional)
- Clove garlic, minced - Chopped fresh garlic can take some time to chop so I often always use the freshly minced garlic that comes already made in a jar.
- Italian seasoning - Is a popular blend of herbs and spices that typically includes a mix of dried basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and sometimes garlic powder or dried red pepper flakes.
- Spaghetti sauce (I used Preggo Heart Smart) - Store bought jarred marinara sauce is convenient to have at home for a quick meal. My favorite marinara sauce is always Rao’s because it has all clean ingredients on the back of the ingredients list
- Rotini pasta, cooked and drained
- Fat-free mozzarella cheese - Reduced-Fat Cheese has a lower calorie count and less saturated fat than regular cheese, but it may also have a different taste and texture. It also helps with keeping the calorie count pretty low for this recipe.
- Turkey pepperoni - Is lower in calories than regular pepperoni.
- See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make Pizza Pasta Casserole
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, cook sausage, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain any access fat. Stir in spaghetti sauce and pasta.
Transfer to 13x9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and arrange pepperoni over the top.
Bake, uncovered, 25-30 minutes or until heated through.
Recipe FAQS
 Cool unbaked casseroles; cover and freeze up to 3 months. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake as directed, increasing time to 35-40 minutes or until heated through and a thermometer inserted in center reads 165°.
Ingredients from food.com
Servings: 8
Calories 254.3 | Fat: 8.4 g | Carbs: 24.5g | Fiber 1.9 g | Protein 19.7g
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PrintWeight Watcher Recipes - Pizza Pasta Casserole
- Total Time: 40 min
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
It's pizza and pasta combined into one easy dish. Rotini pasta, pasta sauce, italian turkey sausage, low fat cheese, and turkey pepperoni.
Ingredients
- 1 lb mild Italian turkey sausage
- 1 medium onion, chopped (optional)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce (I used Preggo Heart Smart)
- 8 ounces rotini pasta, cooked and drained
- 1 cup shredded fat-free mozzarella cheeseÂ
- 15 slices of turkey pepperoni
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, cook sausage, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain any access fat. Stir in spaghetti sauce and pasta.
- Transfer to 13x9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and arrange pepperoni over the top.
- Bake, uncovered, 25-30 minutes or until heated through.
Freeze option: Cool unbaked casseroles; cover and freeze up to 3 months. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake as directed, increasing time to 35-40 minutes or until heated through and a thermometer inserted in center reads 165°. - Slice the casserole into 8 equal portions, serving size: 1 piece or slice of casserole.
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Notes
WW points: 11 Â Click here to see in recipe builder (will have to log in)
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 25 to 30 min
- Category: Easy
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: â…›th of the casserole
- Calories: 195
- Sugar: 6g
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 16g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 17g
Mexican Casserole 6.5 Points Plus
Tammy K says
You can actually brown hamburger with NO oil. You can use water if anything is needed. I also drain my hamburger and rinse it which help get rid of some of the fat.
Tenley says
Jeeze, lots of people jumped on you about this recipe! Making it right now-it smells delicious! And for all of you asking, I entered the recipe EXACTLY as I made it (following this recipe, but I didn't add any olive oil since I used olive oil spray in the pan with the meat+onions) and added spinach-it came to 238 to 1/10th of the pan.
jgisvold says
8 oz.
Whitney says
The recipe says 8 oz rotini pasta... that's only 1 cup. How much is actually in the recipe?
jgisvold says
Yep. 1 pan.
Erika says
Ok, thanks. So then if these directions are followed, it only yields one 9x13 pan (and NOT 2 9x13 pans or 4 square pans as currently written)?
jgisvold says
Hi The amount in the directions should actually say 2 cups of cheese. Sorry! The original recipe for this used made 2 9 X 13 pan dishes. I like cheese a lot and if you're looking to reduce the amount of fat you can change it to 1 1/2 cups if you want.
Erika says
The ingredients list calls for 2 cups of cheese but the third step in the directions say to stir in 3 cups of cheese. (And the 5th step says to sprinkle with remaining mozzerella.) What are the correct measurements?
jgisvold says
Correct.
Kim says
Is the nutritional information based on 1/10th of 1 9x13 pan?