One pot pepperoni pizza casserole. An easy crowd-pleasing meal that everyone at your table will love. Imagine smooth orzo simmered in a tomatoey broth with roasted peppers and Parmesan, baked off under a carpet of mozzarella and crispy slices of pepperoni. A pretty looking, delicious dish to serve any night of the week. Serve with a big side salad and enjoy!
Why You’ll Love this Orzo Pizza Casserole Recipe
As opposed to a classic pepperoni pizza, this weeknight meal is made with orzo instead of a doughy crust. The usual suspects like pizza-style seasoning, the right ratio of sauce to melted cheese and thin slices of pepperoni that crisp up as they bake, are still in place. You’ll only need one pot and it comes together in no time.
An easy, cheesy pasta bake recipe that tastes irresistibly delicious and will beyond doubt be a total hit. Adjust the spiciness of the pepperoni and make this an all-ages dinner. Serve when it’s warm and bubbling with some garlic bread and a big side salad.
Let me guide you through the recipe with this step-by-step VIDEO.
Helpful Tips
You can easily customize this dish with other toppings and add-ins
- Replace the pepperoni for thinly sliced bacon.
- Add veggies like seared mushrooms, black olives or sun-dried tomatoes.
- Go vegetarian with only fresh basil and mozzarella on top for a pizza margherita-inspired meal.
- Adjust the spiciness of the pepperoni you use to make this an all-ages dinner.
- Serve with garlic bread and a big side salad drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
- Storage: You can refrigerate this pasta bake recipe for up to 3 days.
Try These Next
- Easy Sausage Cast Iron Skillet Pizza
- Chicken and jalapeño pizza
- Baked Meatballs with Orzo in Roasted Pepper Sauce
Cooking Video: How to Make This One Pot Pizza Casserole
One Pot Pizza Casserole
One-pot pepperoni pizza orzo bake: A crowd-pleasing, easy meal. Orzo in tomatoey broth with roasted peppers and Parmesan, baked with mozzarella and crispy pepperoni. A pretty looking, delicious dish for any night of the week.
Ingredients
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 3 garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 250 g/9 oz orzo pasta
- 1 tsp each: dried oregano, dried thyme, dried sage, salt, black pepper
- 2 ½ cups/600 ml chicken broth
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 240 ml/1 cup tomato purée
- 100 g/3.5 oz roasted peppers from a jar, drained
- 30 g/1 oz grated Parmesan
- 180 g/6.5 oz grated mozzarella
- 100 g/3.5 oz thin slices pepperoni
- fresh basil
- ½ tsp crushed pepper flakes
Instructions
- Get all the prep done before you start cooking: mince the garlic and finely chop the shallot.
- Heat oil in an ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium low. Add shallot and garlic, cook until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add orzo, toast for 1 minute. Stir in oregano, thyme, sage, salt and black pepper. Toast until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Pour in broth and bring to a boil. Add tomato paste and stir until dissolved. Add tomato purée and stir well. Cover, and simmer over low for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent orzo from sticking to the bottom of the skillet. Add more chicken broth or water if needed.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 200 °C/400 °F.
- When ready, turn off the heat. Add roasted peppers and grated Parmesan, stir until combined. Then top with grated mozzarella, pepperoni and basil leaves. Finish off with black pepper and red pepper flakes.
- Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden browned on top. Serve immediately with a big side salad. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 561Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 1564mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 4gSugar: 8gProtein: 25g
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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