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Spicy Pizza Pasta is an easy weeknight dinner that can also double as a fun, bold entrée for serving party guests! The spicy, mouthwatering flavors of pizza are mixed with cheesy pasta to create quite the memorable meal.
If your weeknight dinner routine needs a little shake up, this spicy pizza pasta is here to save the say! And don’t worry – if you have picky kids in the house, it can easily be made non-spicy, too.
Now if you happen to be like me and LOVE spice, it can also be doubled! It’s a pretty flexible recipe all around.
Comfort foods are what I consider to be a specialty of mine, and this pasta recipe is one of my proudest comforting creations.
It’s got two types of cheese, flavorful seasonings, plenty of garlic, and spicy Italian sausage. This is an indulgent dinner that I’ve been making about once a week lately!
When you present a big skillet of this pizza pasta to a table, everyone’s guaranteed to have a reaction. I mean, it’s all the goodness of a pepperoni pizza, but in a skillet pasta dish! This easy dinner is the ultimate crowd pleaser, which is why I love both making it at home, and also for parties.
Ingredients for spicy pizza pasta
- Olive oil – Rich, dark extra virgin olive oil works best.
- Italian sausage – I like mine extra spicy, but you can choose a milder sausage if you’d prefer!
- Garlic – I use 5 cloves and it’s pretty garlicky, but you can use more if you’re a big garlic lover.
- Pepperoni – Any brand will do!
- Italian seasoning – Toss a little extra oregano in too for a more noticeable pizza taste.
- Black pepper – Freshly ground is always best!
- Salt – Just a dash, to taste.
- Broth – Low sodium chicken or vegetable broth is the way to go.
- Arrabbiata sauce – This red sauce is what really brings it all together!
- Pasta – Use elbow or spiral pasta noodles, as they really grab the sauce the best.
- Mozzarella cheese – Freshly shredded will give you the best results!
- Parmesan cheese – Just like with the mozzarella, use freshly shredded.
- Basil pesto – The fresh flavor this pesto provides just can’t be beat.
Can spicy pizza pasta be made into a vegan recipe?
A few years ago, I would’ve said no way! However, most grocery stores lately (especially Whole Foods) has so many dairy-free and plant-based meat alternative options. You could definitely make this recipe with vegan ingredients!
How can I make it even spicier?
Three simple words will make any dish, especially Italian dishes, wonderfully spicier – crushed red pepper! Just be careful, because a little crushed red pepper really goes a long way.
Craving more hearty pasta dishes?
One-Pot Creamy Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
Asparagus, Peas, and Pancetta Pasta
Spicy Pizza Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 16 ounce (454 g) package of Italian sausage, however spicy you like
- 5 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 30-35 sliced pepperoni, 25 of them cut into fourths and the other 5-10 left as is
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3½ cups (828 ml) low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 cup (286 g) arrabbiata sauce
- 8 ounces (227 g) uncooked elbow or spiral pasta
- 2 cups (224 g) mozzarella cheese, freshly shredded
- 1 cup (100 g) parmesan cheese, freshly shredded
- 4 ounces (113 g) basil pesto
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 °F (204 °C)
- Heat a deep oven safe skillet over medium heat and coat the bottom in the olive oil then add the sausage and garlic.
- Crumble and cook until it browns all of the way through.
- Add the cut pepperoni, Italian seasoning, pepper and salt and stir to combine. Let it cook for another 5 minutes then transfer the meat to a plate and set it aside for later.
- Carefully wipe out any excess crumbs and oil from the pan and pour in the chicken broth and arrabbiata sauce.
- Heat over high heat until it boils and stir in the pasta and continue stirring the entire time as it cooks for about 7 minutes or until fork tender.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in three fourths of the mozzarella and parmesan cheese and all of the pesto.
- Then stir in the cooked sausage and pepperoni.
- Spread the pasta out evenly in the pan then top it with a few slices of uncut pepperoni then some of the mozzarella and parmesan then a few more slices of pepperoni.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese starts to bubble around the sides.
