Family friendly and a crowd pleaser, this Puffed Up Pizza Casserole has a ground beef layer topped with an easy, cheesy homemade dough layer. This one is a hit with kids and adults!
Count me in for all of the easy, weeknight casserole recipes! If you’re looking to add even more to your menu, check out this Taco Casserole or Corn Dog Casserole.
As a food blogger, you’d assume that I’m always on top of everything food – the latest trends, what people want, what is the rage on Pinterest. But the truth of the matter is that even though I’m immersed in all things food for hours every day, I still have no clue most of the time.
I came across a recipe for this pizza casserole, and thought to myself – hey, this sounds good. My kids love pizza, so I bet they will love it! Little did I know that a Puffed Up Pizza Casserole has been done about a million times. It’s one of those recipes that people talk about eating as a child years and years ago. And here I had never even heard of it.
But I can tell why this is such a popular dish. While I’m not sure it screams “pizza”, the flavors are all great and it’s a hearty, comforting dish. Most of the recipes that I have come across use canned biscuit dough, but I love that this is made from scratch since I don’t usually have canned biscuits on hand. And I made up my own combination of spices where most recipes call for a spaghetti sauce mix. It really was just as easy to make this from pantry staples than it would have been to use convenience items! Next time I might add in some diced pepperoni to really make it taste like pizza, but we all gobbled this right up!!
If you have pizza loving kids – I’m sure this would be a hit at your house, too!
How to Make this Puffed Up Pizza Casserole Recipe
You’ll start by browning the ground beef, then adding in some onions and green peppers. To this, add tomato sauce and a whole bunch of seasonings. It looks like a long list, but these are all seasonings I keep on hand all the time. Let this simmer to reduce just a bit.
To make the topping, combine milk, melted butter and eggs and beat them to combine. Beat in some flour. The mixture will be quite thin.
Place the ground beef mixture in a large casserole dish, then carefully pour the topping mixture over the top.
Top that all off with cheese, then bake until it is cooked through and the cheese is all melted.
Puffed Up Pizza Casserole Video
Watch the video above to see just how easy this casserole is.
More Pizza Inspired Recipes
Stuffed Pizza Rolls
Pizza Cups
Pizza Bagels
Homemade Pizza Roll Recipe
Pizza Grilled Cheese
Pizza Dogs
Tools Used to Make this Puffed Up Pizza Casserole
I have a whole stack of affordable casserole dishes that I use pretty much every day.
You can use any large skillet, but I love my 12-inch cast iron skillet.
If you want, you can whisk the topping with a whisk, but I find it’s easier to use my hand mixer.
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Puffed Up Pizza Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon minced dry onion
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 8 oz shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until browned, breaking up as you cook it. Drain, if necessary, and then stir in the onion and green bell pepper. Let the vegetables cook for a couple minutes, then add the tomato sauce and water and stir to combine. Add the dry onion, cornstarch, oregano, basil, sugar, salt, garlic powder, and celery salt. Stir to combine, then cover the pan, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400F.
- In a medium bowl, combine the milk, butter, oil and eggs and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the flour, and then beat for 2 more minutes. (The batter will be thin.)
- Pour the meat mixture into a 9×13-inch baking dish. Pour the liquid mixture evenly over the top of the meat. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top, followed by the Parmesan.
- Bake in the preheated oven until puffed and golden, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Matt Dodge says
I made this last night. It was a huge hit with the family. I did make some changes. I used 1/2 Ground Beef and 1/2 Ground Sausage. I also added mushrooms and black olives. It was AMAZING!
April says
This was so good! How has this been out there in the world for so long with no comments? LOL! My kids LOVED it!
Christine Nesselroade says
Love love this recipe! How do you reheat it though??
Alana says
What happens if you put the batter on the bottom then add the meat and cheese
Deborah says
I haven’t tried – I’m sure it would still be ok. The batter is really thin and when it bakes it may just rise up to the top anyway.
Marguerite says
Can i use ground pork for this recipe
Deborah says
You definitely could!
Jamie says
LOVED the meat sauce… My crust let me down though 🙁 …. I’ll be trying again!
Lisa M. says
WOW, was this good! Everyone loved it…even my 16-month old. Really easy, too. And there are all kinds of things you could mix in (veggies, etc). A keeper for sure!
Deborah says
Yay – so glad you loved it!!
Dawn Maycroft says
I can’t wait to try this. I was just wondering if the crust is doughie as in not cooked or under cooked.
Deborah says
The crust shouldn’t be undercooked – it’s more of a biscuit texture.
Josette Grima says
It was a hit with my family, I used diced chicken instead of beef cos that was what I had available but………..the quantity wasn’t enough for 4 of us!!! So watch out anyone who tries this! You might want to add the quantity.
Gayathri Nagesh says
Im a vegan. What can I substitute for beef? This dish sounds so yummy
Deborah says
Hi – I don’t make a lot of vegan food – especially substituting in vegan ingredients – so I’m not quite sure. It might be a stretch to make this vegan, though, since the beef, eggs and cheese are all pretty important in the recipe. Let me know if you are able to make it work!
emmi says
Planning to make this tomorrow…yummy! Just to confirm, based on earlier comments…if I sub a jar of pizza sauce, I should leave out the cornstarch and seasonings? Thanks!
Deborah says
I haven’t tried it personally with the pizza sauce, but others have had great results! And yep – your pizza sauce probably has the seasonings in it so you won’t need them unless you want some extra flavor.
Joni says
I used a can of pizza sauce – delicious!
Deborah says
What a great idea!!
Lsally says
I hope to make this real sOon. Can u tell me if I can freeze this?
Deborah says
I haven’t tried freezing it. I would guess that it would be ok, but the topping might get a little soggy.
EL-Mare says
Can I substitute flour with anything else non floury?
Deborah says
Hmmm, I’m not sure of a substitute for the flour. It’s a main ingredient, so I don’t think you could get away with leaving it out.
bev @ bevcooks says
LOVE.THIS.
Alaina Bennett says
YUMMY!!!! This was a hit! And there are so many things you can add to change it up if you want (olives, mushrooms, etc.). My husband put red pepper flakes on his. Thanks for the recipe!
Deborah says
Yay! I’m so glad you loved it. And I agree- it would be very easy to change things up!