This meat lovers pizza casserole is influenced by my Minnesota roots and uses tater tots instead of pasta. This easy, cheesy hot dish recipe uses no canned soup and is totally customizable for a delicious weeknight meal!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Who doesn't love pizza? It's probably my family's favorite meal, so anytime I can incorporate anything pizza into a recipe, it's kid-friendly in our book!
- Don't like mushrooms but love bell peppers on pizza? You can easily swap out pizza topping ingredients to satisfy any picky eaters.
- Prep for this recipe is quick and easy, so you can have dinner in the oven and on the table in no time! Perfect for a busy weeknight meal.
Ingredient Notes
Let's break down the ingredients:
- Meats - Ground beef, pork sausage and pepperoni create the meat lovers combo for this pizza casserole.
- Sauce - Jarred marinara or spaghetti sauce is used in place of pizza sauce. Marinara sauce is a thinner sauce that is typically richer in flavor and will work better to coat the meat mixture in the hot dish. Use your favorite brand and preference of seasoning, i.e. tomato basil, garlic & herb, etc.
- Toppings - This part of the recipe is completely customizable. I like using onions, green pepper, mushrooms and black olives. Feel free to remove anything you don't like! If you don't add a similar volume of veggies, the bottom layer of the casserole will be a little saucier.
- Mozzarella cheese - The most common cheese on pizza. It melts nicely and provides a mild flavor.
- Tater tots - You could think of this as the "crust" of the pizza. Use your favorite brand of frozen tots. Since no noodles are used, this recipe should be gluten-free.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1 : Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and sausage. Season with salt, Italian seasoning and garlic powder.
Break meat apart into small pieces and cook until no longer pink. Drain any excess grease.
Step 2: Add chopped onion and peppers. Sauté 2-3 minutes until they start to soften. Add marinara sauce, olives and mushrooms. Mix well and remove from heat.
Step 3: Assemble. Place meat mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 or 3 quart baking dish. Top with tater tots. There's something so satisfying about arranging the tots in rows, but it also doesn't have to be perfect. Or does it? I'll let you decide your tots arrangement!
Step 4: Bake casserole for 35-40 minutes until tater tots are crispy. Remove from oven and evenly spread cheese over the tater tots and top with pepperoni slices.
Not adding the cheese right away gives the tater tots a chance to crisp up. No soggy tots!
Bake for an additional 5 minutes until cheese is melted.
Variations
- Use mild or hot Italian sausage depending on your preference. You could also add crumbled bacon to the beef and sausage mixture or swap out pepperoni for Canadian bacon slices.
- Potato coins or crowns could also be used, but I love the plump tots!
- Use half mozzarella/half pepper jack cheese for a kick of heat. Other good melting cheeses like provolone or Monterrey Jack could also be used.
Serving Tips
Casseroles are typically a hearty meal on their own, but a simple garden or caesar salad would be a nice side dish.
Breadsticks or garlic bread could also be served as you would often eat alongside actual pizza.
Storage Tips
Leftovers can be stored covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat leftovers in the oven for larger amounts or microwave individual servings.
For food safety, reheat leftovers to 165 degrees!
FAQ
Yes, this recipe makes a great freezer meal! Cool the cooked casserole fully and cover with 2 layers of plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil. Casserole can be frozen for up to 3 months. Make the casserole in a disposable foil pan if freezing so you don't take up a baking dish for a long time!
The thing I love about casseroles is that they are usually a full meal in one pan. If you are looking for a side dish to add in more veggies, a simple garden or caesar salad would go well with the pizza casserole.
They are the same thing! Us Minnesotans refer to casseroles as hot dishes, but the titles can be used interchangeably. You betcha!
Other Casseroles You'll Love
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Have you made one of my recipes? I’d love your feedback on the comment box and star rating below the recipe! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tater Tot Pizza Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 # ground beef
- ½ # Italian pork sausage ground
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 23 oz. can marinara or spaghetti sauce
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- 2.25 oz. can sliced black olives
- 4 oz. can sliced mushrooms
- 32 oz. bag frozen tater tots
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- sliced pepperoni about 30 slices
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and sausage. Season with salt, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Break meat apart into small pieces and cook until no longer pink. Drain any excess grease.1 tbsp. olive oil, 1 # ground beef, ½ # Italian pork sausage, 1 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. Italian seasoning, ½ tsp. garlic powder
- Add chopped onion and peppers. Sauté 2-3 minutes until they start to soften. Add marinara sauce, olives and mushrooms. Mix well and remove from heat.1 small yellow onion, 1 green bell pepper, 23 oz. can marinara or spaghetti sauce, 2.25 oz. can sliced black olives, 4 oz. can sliced mushrooms
- Place meat mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 or 3 quart baking dish. Top with tater tots.32 oz. bag frozen tater tots
- Bake casserole for 35-40 minutes until tater tots are crispy. Remove from oven and evenly spread cheese over the tater tots and top with pepperoni slices.2 cups mozzarella cheese, sliced pepperoni
- Bake for an additional 5 minutes until cheese is melted.
Ashley says
I love this variation on pizza casserole that doesn't include noodles. Also a fun version of tater tot hot dish!