Pizza Casserole - the Best of Both Worlds!

Hello! You must be hungry! You came to the right place :)

If you like pizza and you like casserole dinners then you will love this creative combination of the two. I have been cooking for years and this is one of my favorite meals to create. Whether you are a college student looking for a new way to enjoy a ritual dinner, or a busy parent looking for new ideas to feed your large family, this instructable is for you. You are welcome to enjoy this recipe exactly the way it is or to make this recipe your own by adding or removing any ingredients. The possibilities are endless if you choose to branch out and be even more creative. :)

This 11-step instructable will guide you through the process of making a simple version of Pizza Casserole :) This mouthwatering dish takes about 30-45 minutes to prepare at 350 degrees F and can serve from 6 to 10 people. This can be a great meal for a dinner party or for serving a large family and you may even have some leftovers. :) Lets start cooking!

Step 1: Ingredients and Supplies

First, you will need to do some shopping. All of these materials were gathered for this recipe from a local Wal-Mart but it doesn't matter what brand you use for this casserole or what store you shop from. For me, these supplies only cost me about 25 dollars total (this price is assuming you already own a cake pan or casserole dish, skillet, etc.). I chose to get my supplies at Wal-Mart because it is so common and widespread throughout the United States. 

The materials you will need are:

Stove and Oven
8 x 11 in. Cake pan (or casserole dish)
Medium or large sized skillet
Small knife to cut up the pepper
Cutting board (protect your countertops!)
A pair of oven mitts
1     1lb. ground beef
1     6.0 oz package of pepperoni
2     14.0 oz jars of pizza sauce
2     Containers of flakey biscuits
1     Bag of shredded cheese (at least 10.0 oz)
1     Bell pepper
(These supplies can vary depending on your taste, preference, allergies and creativity. These ingredients are what were used in this instructable only and taste very well together. 

Step 2: Setting the Oven

 You need to preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and let it warm up fully to that temperature before cooking your casserole. Usually there is a light on your stove that turns on or off to indicate it has reached the desired temperature setting. (Other stoves might make a beeping sound, this just depends on the model of your oven). While you are waiting for the oven to heat up you can prepare the hamburger and pepper ahead of time to add to your dish. It's always great to be one step ahead :)

Step 3: Brown the Hamburger

Brown one pound of ground beef in a skillet until it is fully cooked and keep it warn on the stove until you are ready to add it to the cake pan (or casserole dish). Do not allow this meat to cool to room temperature or colder to avoid microbial growth in the meat. Cooking kills the possible microorganisms in the food source. If your meat is allowed to cool simply re-cook the meat.  

Step 4: Cut Your Pepper

 Then, wash and cut up your Bell Pepper (on your cutting board) removing the stem and inside unwanted materials (seeds). Cut up your pepper into small 1 cm x 1 cm squares or however you'd like them. Place the pieces in a small bowl until you are ready to pour them into your dish. 

Step 5: Adding the Initial Ingredients

 Pour both jars of pizza sauce into the bottom of the casserole dish and then spread your cooked hamburger and chopped up pepper pieces evenly over the top of the sauce. Your dish should look like the picture after this step. 

Step 6: Add Pepperoni

Next, add pepperoni covering the pizza sauce and the rest of the ingredients. Then, carefully place the full casserole dish into your oven (pre-heated to 450 degrees F) and bake until you see the pizza sauce boil or bubble. This should take about 15-20 minutes. 

Step 7: Biscuit Topping

While part of your dish is cooking, break the seal on your flakey biscuits and then tear the single biscuits into four smaller pieces of equal size. You may need to break them up into smaller pieces depending on the size of the original biscuit. The pieces should be about 2 cm x 2 cm so they are small enough to cook all of the way through once added on the top of the dish.  

Step 8: Adding Your Biscuit Layer

Once your pizza sauce and ingredients are boiling in your oven carefully take out your cake pan (using oven mitts) and place it on the top of your stove. Evenly spread the small biscuit pieces over the top of the ingredients inside the pan (as seen in the picture).

Step 9: Check Your Biscuit Layer

Place your cake pan back inside your oven and cook for another 10 minutes or so. The biscuit layer should start to brown by that time. After 10 minutes check the center of the casserole to see if the biscuit pieces have cooked all of the way through and are not still doughy. 

Step 10: Add the Cheese, Please

Once you have checked to see if your biscuits in the middle of the pan are done you are ready to take the casserole out of the oven (using your oven mitts again). Place your casserole on the stovetop and then sprinkle shredded cheese on top of the hot biscuit layer. The casserole temperature should allow the cheese to melt nicely over the top of the dish. 

Step 11: Serve and Enjoy!

Let the meal cool for about five minutes before serving because it will still be bubbling hot. Ration out your servings with a large spoon and place the casserole in a bowl or on a plate with the bread side up. Serve to your family or guests and enjoy!

This casserole can be served by itself or it can be served with other sides of your choice. I would recommend serving this dish with green beans, cottage cheese, or some fruit to make sure you are getting all of your recommended food groups for the day :)

Also, like I said earlier, you can add different ingredients such as mushrooms, pineapple, more peppers, onions, Canadian bacon, sausage, etc. The only thing you need to be careful of is filling the pan too full of ingredients and letting it boil over in your oven. Also, when you add more ingredients you need to cook the dish longer in the oven to make sure it all gets cooked completely throughout. 

I hope you enjoyed preparing this sensational dish and have found out some way to add a special touch of your own to make it even more unique. Thank you for looking at my Instructable!