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.
More Pizza Inspired Recipes
Stuffed Pizza Rolls
Pizza Cups
Homemade Pizza Roll Recipe
Pizza Panini Recipe
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.
See How to Make this Puffed Up Pizza Casserole Here
Looking for more free recipes?
Subscribe to my free recipe newsletter to get new family friendly recipes in your inbox each week! Find me sharing more family-friendly inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram.
Puffed Up Pizza Casserole
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
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!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1 (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.
Recipe Notes:
adapted from Best of the Best from Utah Cookbook
Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should only be used as a general guideline.
Nutrition
- Calories: 536
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 1243 mg
- Fat: 31 g
- Saturated Fat: 17 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 41 g
- Cholesterol: 154 mg
Originally published July 11, 2014
Joan says
Was this recipe on your site approximately 1 yr ago (April 2021 – different image) but with a crispier homemade dough? I made it at that time (delicious) and just made the current recipe yesterday. However, I found the pourable dough to not be the same when baked, as the the first time.
Deborah says
Hi Joan – this is the same recipe that has been on my site since 2014 (but with updated photos). There are several different versions of this casserole on the web, so I’m guessing it was a different recipe that you tried before.
NicoleP says
We called this Popover Pizza growing up! But my mom made it with a jar of ready-made sauce. ha ha! I definitely want to try this version from scratch!!
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!
julie says
This reminds me of a hamburger helper pizza bake recipe from my childhood. While I wouldn’t serve HH, I loved it as a kid and I’ve always wanted a sub recipe for it. Thanks!
Jolene Beard says
No baking powder in the top crust? Mine is baking right now so it won’t help me, but would like to know.
Deborah says
Nope – no baking powder. Hope you love it!
Peggy says
I’ve never heard of it either! Can’t wait to try it!
michele says
Can you double this recipe?
Deborah says
You shouldn’t have a problem doubling it. You’ll probably need 2 pans, though, because I’m guessing you don’t have one that is big enough to put it all in one pan.
jae says
The batter looks like it’s on the bottom from the pics but your directions say pour it on to of the meat mixture. So will the batter seep thru the meat mixture or will it stay on to under the cheese?
Deborah says
It mostly stays on top of the meat. Some of it might get in with the meat mixture, but it mostly is on top.
Chels R. says
I would almost make this tonight, but I don’t have all the beef on hand. This looks fantastic! I can’t wait to try this.
Jennifer Gober says
I know this is probably being lazy but in a time crunch could you use a good jar of spaghetti sauce? I usually doctor it up anyway but I was worried because of the cornstarch in the recipe it might not work.
Deborah says
You definitely could!! The spice mixture (including the cornstarch) is actually just a sub for dry packaged spaghetti sauce mix, but since I never keep those on hand I just used spices I had. But you could definitely use jarred sauce!
Kathleen says
Do you think puff pastry sheet could be substitued for the dough?
Deborah says
I haven’t tried it, so I’m not sure, but I would think so. It would change the end recipe a bit, but I love puff pastry so I’m guessing it would be delicious!
z says
I’m a single guy who doesn’t cook very often but I would like to try this. I’m also very low on cash so I was wondering if the batter can wired whisked instead of beaten.
Deborah says
Definitely!
Joanne says
Don’t feel bad, because I’ve never heard of this either! not sure how in all its cheesy glory. Wow. Comfort heaven.
Lori says
I made a version of this yesterday, it was great! I used sweet sausage with a little of hot mixed in, and added more mozzarella cheese.
Deborah says
Your version sounds great – so glad you loved it!
Carol at Wild Goose Tea says
Geez I never heard of puffed up pizza before either. So I appreciate the recipe. I pinned it. It looks delicious. There is no doubt that it would be a crowd pleaser especially at a pot luck.
Liz says
Thank you for the nice recipe.
Erin @ Simple Sweet & Savory says
YUM! My husband LOVES pizza and could have it every day. I, on the other hand, could not. This is a great spin on the traditional pizza. I gotta try this!
Tieghan says
WOW. This looks so amazingly delicious!! Prefect meal for a family..or just me!
Annie @ Annie's Noms says
Absolutely LOVING this!! Pizza is one of the best things in the world and this is such a comforting version, can’t wait to make this, it’s miserable and raining outside so I could do with a big plate!