September 26, 2026
 Hello Friends,
Fall means football... Go Bears!
My neighbor hosts a tailgate every single home game, rain or shine, and the one rule is you show up with a full dish or you don't show up at all. This casserole has earned its spot on that table more than once.
Today's recipe takes everything good about pizza night and turns it into a casserole you can pull straight from the oven. Five ingredients, one dish, and it disappears fast.
Happy Cooking,
Anisa
 Photo: Straight from the oven, right before kickoff.
Today's Recipe
My Mom's Tailgate Casserole
Serves 6 to 8 | Prep 15 min | Bake 35 min
|
Ingredients
- 1 pound turkey Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 (24 ounce) jar pizza sauce
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1 cup sliced turkey pepperoni
- 1 (13.8 ounce) can refrigerated pizza dough
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Grated Parmesan, for topping
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375F and grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
- Brown the turkey sausage and onion in a skillet over medium heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks, about 8 minutes. Drain any excess fat.
- Stir in the pizza sauce and let it simmer 2 minutes, then spread the mixture in the bottom of the prepared dish.
- Scatter 2 cups of the mozzarella over the meat sauce, then layer the turkey pepperoni on top.
- Unroll the pizza dough over the top of the dish, tucking the edges down along the sides.
- Brush the dough with melted butter and sprinkle with Italian seasoning and a little Parmesan.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the crust is golden and the edges are bubbling. Let it rest 10 minutes, then top with the remaining mozzarella before slicing.
|
|
Today's Pick
|
Disposable Cutting Boards
$7.99 $17.99
Tear off a fresh sheet, chop, toss, done. No scrubbing, no cross contamination, no soggy sponge haunting your sink. 15 square feet of BPA free cutting power built for game day chaos.
|
|
Kitchen Hack
Freeze leftover pizza sauce in an ice cube tray, then pop a cube or two into pasta sauce or soup whenever you want a little extra flavor.
Line your baking dish with foil before a saucy casserole. Cleanup is a fold and toss instead of a soak.
|