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Easy Cheesy Pizza Casserole

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Easy Cheesy Pizza Casserole | bakeatmidnite.com | #casserole #pizza
Easy Cheesy Pizza Casserole

 

What’s for dinner?  Surprise them with this easy and delicious pizza casserole.
This is an idea I worked from a basic recipe I saw in a magazine years ago.  That used “wampum” biscuits (the canned variety found in the dairy case, aptly named because you wampum on the edge of a counter LOL) and only ground beef.  I make my own parmesan and herb drop biscuits for this as it’s much tastier.
I incorporate the ground beef–sometimes–but have substituted Italian bulk sausage for it too.  I also add more cheese in the meat mixture with the addition of ricotta cheese.  I also tend to mix and match cheese toppings where the original just called for a 2-to-1 mix of mozzarella & cheddar.  If I have it, I add pepperoni as well.
Anyone from New York City will immediately think of the square Sicilian pizza when they taste this.

Whatever works for you as a filling is fine here, so feel free to use this as a guide only for times, assembly and amounts.The baking dish is my beloved Revol Belle Cuisine 1.8 quart rectangular baker.

Easy Cheesy Pizza Casserole
 
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Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1 lb ground beef*
  • ½ cup ricotta
  • pinch of oregano
  • pinch of basil
  • 1 tbs grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 – 26 oz jar of pasta sauce
  • -or-:
  • 1 can pizza sauce**
  • ⅛ – ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • Pepperoni slices (I used ½ of a package of Hormel brand)
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella
  • ½ cup shredded aged Provolone
  • Herbed Parmesan Drop Biscuits
  • Additional Parmesan cheese for topping
  • Herbed Parmesan Drop Biscuits:
  • 2¼ cup baking mix (like Bisquick or Jiffy)
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • ⅔ cup milk
Instructions
  1. Brown ground beef in skillet; drain fat. Mix in pasta or pizza sauce and pepper flakes; set aside. Mix ricotta cheese with the herbs and Parmesan in a separate bowl; set aside.
  2. Mix the dry ingredients for the biscuits. Add milk and stir until combined.
  3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9 pan with non-stick spray. Drop biscuit dough by teaspoons in the bottom of pan, spacing evenly. It’s OK if there is space between the dough–it will expand as it’s cooked. Top with ground beef mixture and dot with the ricotta cheese mixture. Bake at 375 for about 20 min or until biscuits are puffed and beginning to get golden brown.
  4. Top with mozzarella and provolone cheeses and distribute pepperoni slices evenly over top, increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Return to oven and bake until cheeses are melted and beginning to bubble. This should take about 10 minutes.
  5. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before slicing and serving. May be topped with the additional Parmesan cheese.
  6. Serves about 6 (hearty servings)
  7. *equal amount of bulk Italian sausage may be substituted
  8. **home made sauce may be substituted
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Comments

  3. jane says

    April 13, 2013 at 1:08 am

    AMAZING! MY KIDS LOVED IT. MAY DOUBLE OR TRIPLE THIS RECIPE FOR THE SPORTS TEAM DINNERS!!! TWO THUMBS UP!!!

  7. Cammy879 says

    September 19, 2013 at 3:13 pm

    I made this last night; however, in the middle of making the recipe, I noticed that it did not specify where the sauce comes in. I had already started layering, so I just baked the biscuits, sausage and ricotta for about 15 minutes. Then took it out and poured the sauce on top and baked for another 5. Then I added the cheese and pepperoni and baked until the cheese was melted. It was good, but I think maybe I was supposed to mix the sauce with the sausage?

  8. Judith Hanneman says

    September 19, 2013 at 3:28 pm

    I just checked because sometimes mistakes happen, but it does say in the first paragraph of the directions to mix the sauce with the meat. But I think anyway you do this, it comes out good!

  11. Kathy Blankenship says

    January 11, 2014 at 5:50 pm

    This is AWESOME. I found it on Pinterest and have shared your post on Facebook. 🙂 I made this last night for the family, (a nearly 12 year old boy, a 14 year old boy, and the husband), and there were actually leftovers! Not because they didn't like it, but because it was filling. That never happens here!! When I went to get myself some for lunch today, it was already gone. My kids NEVER go make leftovers for themselves, so you know it was good if they went to the trouble of reheating it themselves.

  13. John Shalack says

    March 26, 2015 at 3:07 pm

    Sounds excellent and will try.
    The directions say "Bake at 375 for about 20 min or until biscuits are puffed and beginning to get golden brown."
    How can you tell the biscuits are golden brown, if they are the bottom layer…?