Step 1: The Pasta Cooking (Don’t Overcook)

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook for 2-3 minutes LESS than the package directions say. You want it al dente—actually, you want it slightly under al dente because it’s going to cook more in the oven. Drain the pasta (don’t rinse it—you want that starch), drizzle with a little olive oil to prevent sticking, and set aside. Undercooked pasta is key here—mushy baked pasta is sad pasta.

Step 2: The Meat Situation (If Using)

If you’re using Italian sausage or ground beef, cook it now in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Season with a bit of Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt. Cook until browned and no pink remains—about 8-10 minutes. Drain the excess fat. If you’re using pepperoni, no pre-cooking needed—it’ll crisp up beautifully in the oven. Set your cooked meat aside.

Step 3: The Sauce Assembly

In a large mixing bowl, combine the pizza sauce, drained diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Stir it all together. Taste it—it should taste like pizza sauce but slightly more seasoned. Add salt and black pepper as needed. This is your flavor base, so make it good. If it tastes bland now, it’ll taste bland baked.

Step 4: The Pasta and Sauce Marriage

Add the drained pasta to the sauce mixture. Toss everything together until every piece of pasta is coated in sauce. If you’re using ricotta or cottage cheese, dollop it in now and stir it through—it’ll create creamy pockets throughout the bake. Add half of your shredded mozzarella (1 cup) and half of the Italian blend cheese, along with half of your cooked meat (if using). Stir everything together. It should look saucy, cheesy, and delicious.

Step 5: The Pan Situation

Spray your 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray or brush it with olive oil. Pour half of the pasta mixture into the pan and spread it evenly. Now layer on some of your pizza toppings—peppers, mushrooms, olives, whatever you’re using. Sprinkle with a bit more cheese. Add the remaining pasta mixture on top and spread it out evenly. This layering creates pockets of flavor throughout.

Step 6: The Cheese Blanket (The Most Important Step)

Now comes the fun part. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese, Italian blend, and all the Parmesan cheese over the top. Cover it generously—you want a solid blanket of cheese. Arrange your remaining pizza toppings on top. Pepperoni should go on now so it gets crispy and slightly curled at the edges. Add more pepperoni than you think you need—some of it will shrink.

Step 7: The Covered Baking

Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil. The foil prevents the cheese from browning too quickly before the inside is hot and bubbly. Bake covered for 25 minutes. This allows the pasta to finish cooking, the flavors to meld, and everything to heat through evenly. Your kitchen should start smelling absolutely incredible right about now.

Step 8: The Uncovered Finish

After 25 minutes, carefully remove the foil (watch out for steam—it’s hot). Return the uncovered dish to the oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbling around the edges, and starting to get golden brown spots on top. The pepperoni should be crispy at the edges. The cheese should be doing that beautiful stretchy thing.

Step 9: The Broiler Move (Optional but Recommended)

If you want those gorgeous browned, crispy cheese spots on top, turn on the broiler for the last 2-3 minutes of baking. Watch it like a hawk—broilers go from golden to burnt in seconds. You want bubbly, golden, slightly charred edges. That’s the good stuff. Pull it out when it looks like the top of the best pizza you’ve ever seen.

Step 10: The Resting Period

Let the pizza pasta bake rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. I know it’s hard. I know it smells incredible and you want to dive in face-first. But if you cut into it immediately, all the sauce and cheese will run everywhere and you’ll have a messy situation. The resting time lets everything set up slightly so you get clean slices instead of soup.

Step 11: The Garnish and Serve

Sprinkle fresh torn basil leaves over the top. Add a dusting of Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes if you want heat. Cut into squares and use a spatula to serve—make sure each portion gets crispy edges and plenty of toppings. Serve with garlic bread, a simple green salad, and plenty of napkins because this is going to be messy and nobody will care.

Step 12: The First Bite

Take a bite and experience the magic. Notice how the pasta is tender but not mushy, coated in sauce that’s been absorbed into every ridge. Taste how the cheese stretches between your fork and the pan in those glorious cheese pulls. Feel the crispy pepperoni, the tender peppers, the gooey cheese, all working together. Realize you’ve just combined two of the best foods in the world into one unstoppable casserole. Watch everyone around the table go quiet for a minute while they process what’s happening in their mouth. Immediately plan when you’ll make this again.