Crock Pot Pizza with Rotini Pasta, Sausage, and Pepperoni Recipe
This hearty Crock Pot Pizza recipe layers rotini pasta, Italian sausage, vegetables, and mozzarella cheese, slow-cooked to perfection in your crock pot for a comforting, flavorful meal that combines the essence of pizza and pasta in one easy dish.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- 3 cups dry rotini pasta
Meat and Protein
- 1 pound sweet mild Italian sausage
- 6 ounce package sliced pepperoni
Vegetables
- 1 cup green pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
- 4 ounces fresh sliced button mushrooms
- ½ cup diced sweet yellow onion
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley (optional garnish)
Other Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 24 ounce jarred spaghetti sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 16 ounce shredded mozzarella cheese (4 cups, divided; 1 ½ cups for 1st layer, 1 ½ cups for 2nd layer, and 1 cup for topping)
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables and sausage: Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the Italian sausage and cook until browned and fully cooked, breaking it up into crumbles as it cooks. Remove the sausage and set aside. In the same skillet, sauté the green peppers, mushrooms, yellow onions, and minced garlic until the vegetables are tender and fragrant.
- Layer the ingredients in the crock pot: Spray or lightly grease the crock pot insert. Add 1 ½ cups of shredded mozzarella cheese as the base layer. Then spread half of the dry rotini pasta over the cheese. Top the pasta with half of the cooked sausage and sautéed vegetables. Pour ½ of the jarred spaghetti sauce evenly over the layer and add ½ of the ¼ cup water. Repeat the layers with the remaining pasta, sausage, vegetables, spaghetti sauce, and water. Sprinkle 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese over the top along with the sliced pepperoni and the final 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Cook the layered pizza casserole: Cover the crock pot with the lid and cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high for 1 ½ – 2 hours. The dish is done when the pasta is tender and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Garnish and serve: Once cooked, sprinkle the chopped fresh parsley on top for a bright flavor and presentation. Serve hot, directly from the crock pot for easy serving and cleanup.
Notes
- You can substitute sweet Italian sausage with spicy Italian sausage for a spicier dish.
- If you prefer a thicker sauce, reduce the added water to 2 tablespoons or omit it entirely.
- For a vegetarian version, skip the sausage and pepperoni, and add more vegetables like zucchini or olives.
- Use gluten-free rotini pasta to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat nicely in the microwave or oven.
Keywords: Crock Pot Pizza, Slow Cooker Pasta, Italian Sausage Pasta Casserole, Easy Crock Pot Recipes, Comfort Food