Cheesy Meatlovers Pizza Pasta
If pasta and pizza had a baby, this cheesy meatlovers pizza pasta would be it. Loaded with ground veal (or whatever meat you’ve got), crispy bacon, and pepperoni, this dish brings all the flavor of a deep-dish pizza with the comfort of pasta. It’s saucy, cheesy, meaty, and ridiculously satisfying.
It comes together in one pot and bakes just long enough to melt all that gooey cheese on top. Great for a weeknight dinner or feeding a crowd without the hassle of takeout.
Before you get started
Use a shallow Dutch oven or any oven-safe pan with some depth—you’re building layers here. You can swap out the veal for beef, turkey, sausage, or whatever ground meat you have on hand. Pre-cook your pasta so it doesn’t soak up too much sauce while baking. And don’t skip saving some of the meat mixture for the topping—it gives you that classic pizza finish.
What You Need To Make Cheesy Meatlovers Pizza Pasta
You can find all the exact ingredient amounts in the recipe card, but here’s what you’ll need:
- Ground veal or any ground meat
- Bacon, diced
- Pepperoni
- Rotini pasta, cooked
- Pizza sauce
- Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, Cajun seasoning
- Shredded mozzarella and Italian blend cheese
How To Make Cheesy Meatlovers Pizza Pasta
1
Start by heating your shallow Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced bacon, ground veal, and half of the pepperoni slices. Cook until browned and fully done. Once everything’s cooked, scoop out about a quarter of the mixture and set it aside to use later as a topping.
2
Pour in your jar of pizza sauce, then fill a quarter of the jar with water, shake it up, and pour that in too. Stir in the cooked rotini pasta and season everything with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and Cajun seasoning.
3
Add ½ cup of shredded cheese and mix everything together until it’s melty and combined.
4
Now top it off: sprinkle on more mozzarella, add the reserved meat and bacon, the rest of the pepperonis, and a little extra cheese for good measure.
5
Bake at 350°F for 5 to 10 minutes, just until the cheese is fully melted and bubbly. Serve hot straight from the pan.
Cheesy Meatlovers Pizza Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground veal can use any type of ground meat
- 6-8 strips of bacon diced
- 1 cup pepperonis
- 14 oz Rotini Pasta cooked
- 14 oz jar of Pizza Sauce
- 3 tbsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
- 1/2 cup Kraft Mozzarella shredded
- 1 cup Kraft Italian cheese shredded
Instructions
- In a shallow Dutch oven. Cook
- your bacon, ground meat, and half the pepperonis first. Once fully cooked, take out a quarter of ground meat and bacon to spread on top later.
- Add in your sauce, fill a quarter of the jar with water, shake and pour in. Add in your cooked pasta (I use 60second pasta) Top with 1/2 cup cheese, stir together.
- Top with more mozzarella, remainder of ground meat and bacon, and more pepperonis. And a little more cheese on top
- Put in the oven on 350 for 5-10 minutes until cheese is fully melted
