Pizza Casserole with Biscuits is the bubble-up bake: refrigerated biscuits cut into small pieces, tossed with pizza sauce and browned Italian sausage, then covered with mozzarella and pepperoni and baked until golden. It has six ingredients, bakes in one 9×13 dish and serves 8.
How to make it: Brown the sausage, cut each biscuit into 8 pieces and toss them with the sausage and pizza sauce. Spread it in the dish, top with mozzarella and pepperoni, and bake at 375°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until the biscuits in the middle are cooked through.
Why You’ll Love It
- Six ingredients: sausage, biscuits, pizza sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni and Parmesan.
- Weeknight quick: 10 minutes of prep and about 25 in the oven.
- Pull-apart pizza: the biscuit pieces bake into soft, saucy bites under a layer of melted cheese.
- Your toppings: swap in any pizza toppings you like.
Ingredient Notes
Italian sausage: Half a pound of mild ground Italian sausage, browned and drained before it goes in.
Biscuits: One 16.3-ounce tube of refrigerated flaky biscuit rounds (8 biscuits). Buttermilk biscuits work too, and so does pizza dough.
Pizza sauce: One 14-ounce jar. A jar of marinara works as well.
Cheese: Two cups of shredded mozzarella on top and a little grated Parmesan sprinkled on at the end.
Pepperoni: 24 slices laid over the cheese. Mini pepperoni is a good fit too.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound ground Italian sausage, mild
- 16.3 ounces refrigerated biscuit dough (1 tube, 8 flaky biscuit rounds)
- 14 ounces pizza sauce (1 jar)
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 24 slices pepperoni
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
How to Make Pizza Casserole with Biscuits
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Cook the sausage. In a pan, cook and crumble the Italian sausage until it is no longer pink and reaches 160°F. Drain the grease.
3. Cut the biscuits. Cut each of the 8 biscuit rounds into 8 smaller pieces.
4. Toss. In a large bowl, combine the sausage, biscuit pieces and pizza sauce. Stir until the biscuits are coated.
5. Layer. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and spread the mixture evenly in the dish. Top with the mozzarella and the pepperoni slices.
6. Bake. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the biscuits in the center are cooked through, the cheese is golden and the center reaches 165°F.
7. Rest and serve. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the top. Let the casserole sit for 5 minutes, then cut and serve.
How to Make Sure the Biscuits Bake Through
The one thing that can go wrong with a biscuit pizza casserole is dough that is still raw in the middle of the pan. These habits prevent it.
Cut small. Eight pieces per biscuit is the standard: cut each round in half, then each half into four.
Spread in one even layer. Keep the pieces as flat as you can in the dish. If a few have to stack, put them near the edges of the pan, where they bake the quickest.
Check the center first. The middle of the dish takes the longest. Push a toothpick into a biscuit piece in the center; it should come out without wet dough.
Don’t let the sauce fool you. The sauce can leave the outside of the pieces a little tacky even when the inside is cooked. If the center still needs time but the top is already brown, lay a sheet of foil over the dish and keep baking.
Precook heavy toppings. Mushrooms and peppers are best sautéed first so they release their moisture in the pan, not in the casserole.
| Dish | Oven | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 9×13, with sausage | 375°F | 25 to 30 minutes |
| 9×13, sauce, cheese and pepperoni only | 375°F | 18 to 25 minutes |
| 9×13, lower heat | 350°F | 25 to 30 minutes |
| Two 8-inch square dishes | 375°F | 18 to 20 minutes |
Tips for Success
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. Put it together a day ahead, cover it and keep it in the refrigerator. Add a couple of minutes to the baking time, since it goes in cold.
Can I make a smaller batch?
Divide everything between two 8-inch square baking dishes and bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Serve one now and freeze the other for later.
Variations
- Cheese tossed in: stir 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 3/4 cup mini pepperoni, 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan in with the biscuit pieces and sauce, then top with the last 1/2 cup of mozzarella and the rest of the pepperoni.
- Ground beef or turkey: brown 1 pound of lean ground beef or turkey with 2 teaspoons onion powder, 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, stir in a jar of marinara, fold in the biscuit pieces, and top with 1 1/2 cups mozzarella and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Cook ground turkey to 165°F.
- Meat lovers: pepperoni, ham, ground beef, Italian sausage and bacon.
- Pizza dough: use pizza dough in place of the biscuits, pinched into small pieces.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. To freeze a whole casserole, bake it first, let it cool, then wrap it in plastic wrap and foil. Thaw it in the refrigerator before reheating in the oven; small portions reheat in the microwave. Reheat leftovers to 165°F.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with a simple green salad. For more pizza ideas, try pizza casserole pie, 3-ingredient crescent pizza rolls, pizza grilled cheese or a sheet pan of school pizza. For more ways with a tube of biscuits, bake 3-ingredient biscuit ranch bombs or garlic butter cheese bombs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make a pizza casserole with biscuits?
Cut refrigerated biscuits into small pieces, toss them with pizza sauce and cooked sausage, spread them in a 9×13 dish, and top with mozzarella and pepperoni. Bake at 375°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until the biscuits in the middle are cooked through.
What kind of sauce is best for bubble up pizza casserole?
A jar of pizza sauce is the classic choice. Marinara or your favorite jarred tomato sauce works too.
Can I use canned biscuits to make pizza?
Yes. Refrigerated canned biscuits, flaky or buttermilk, are exactly what this casserole uses. Cut them into 8 pieces each so they bake through.
Why are my biscuits doughy in the middle?
The center of the dish bakes last. Make sure the pieces are small and in one layer, check the middle with a toothpick, and give it a few more minutes under foil if needed.
Final Notes
Set the toppings out and let everyone pick what goes on their half of the pan. If you make this, tell me in the comments how it turned out.
Pizza Casserole with Biscuits
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Ingredients
- 1/2 pound ground Italian sausage mild
- 16.3 ounces refrigerated biscuit dough 1 tube, 8 flaky biscuit rounds
- 14 ounces pizza sauce 1 jar
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- 24 slices pepperoni
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a pan, cook and crumble the Italian sausage until it is no longer pink and reaches 160°F. Drain the grease.
- Cut each of the 8 biscuit rounds into 8 smaller pieces.
- In a large bowl, combine the sausage, biscuit pieces and pizza sauce. Stir until the biscuits are coated.
- Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and spread the mixture evenly in the dish. Top with the mozzarella and the pepperoni slices.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the biscuits in the center are cooked through, the cheese is golden and the center reaches 165°F.
- Sprinkle the Parmesan over the top. Let the casserole sit for 5 minutes, then cut and serve.
