When you’ve got leftover spaghetti as rich and packed as Spaghetti Supremo, it deserves more than just a quick microwave reheat. Enter this genius reinvention: a baked spaghetti casserole loaded with melted cheese, crispy edges, and classic supreme pizza toppings like pepperoni, peppers, mushrooms, and olives. It’s a second life for your spaghetti — and maybe even better than the original.
This dish was invented by someone else, I'm sure. Fazzoli's has a baked spaghetti and I'm pretty sure they did something like this in the nineties. I just hardly ever ate there. My thought was always "Spaghetti's so easy. Twenty minutes. So why would I ever go to an Italian place?" (And so... I also never went to Olive Garden unless someone else dragged me there...)
Times have since changed (some.) There's simply some things I can't make, don't have time to make, or simply just don't want to cook that day. Anyway...
I lived in a sort of frat house over a decade ago. I was the primary cook for this house and we often had people bringing in food from the local Checkers (Rally's... I was in West Palm Beach, FL then). So we often had leftovers even if I was spot-on with portions. And with a house full of like... ten dudes; we needed to have some extra portions. Well. Many extra portions.
Enter: Leftovers.
In this case, the spaghetti I made the night before.
Whether you're feeding the family, prepping lunch for the week, or just want to make something comforting and cheesy, this is the way to go. Feel free to top this however you'd like.
Ingredients
Base Casserole:
-
4–5 cups leftover Spaghetti Supremo (or your leftover spaghetti will work fine!)
-
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
-
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano
-
1 tablespoon olive oil (for greasing the pan)
Pizza Toppings: (Whatever toppings you like most is what you should go with)
-
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella (for topping)
-
1/4 cup sliced pepperoni (or mini pepperoni)
-
1/4 cup sliced bell peppers (any color)
-
1/4 cup sliced black olives
-
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms (fresh or sautéed)
-
2 tablespoons sliced pickled banana peppers (optional but awesome)
-
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning
-
Red pepper flakes, for heat (optional)
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven:
Set your oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease an 8x8-inch baking dish or small casserole dish with olive oil.
2. Mix the base:
In a large bowl, combine your leftover loaded spaghetti with 1/2 cup mozzarella, and 1/4 cup Parmesan.
3. Load the dish:
Spread the spaghetti mixture evenly into the prepared dish. Press it down slightly to compact it into a crust-like layer.
Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over the top. Arrange your supreme-style toppings—pepperoni, bell peppers, olives, mushrooms, and banana peppers—on top. Finish with a sprinkle of oregano or Italian seasoning.
5. Bake:
Bake uncovered for 25–30 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and the edges are slightly crispy. Broil for 1–2 minutes at the end if you want extra golden cheese and crispy pepperoni edges.
6. Serve:
Let it rest for 5–10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm, with extra Parmesan or red pepper flakes if desired.
Pro Tips / Notes
-
More leftovers? Double the recipe and bake it in a 9x13 pan. Honestly I've done this in all sorts of sizes. This is an adaptable dish. Time to go back to that "eye-baller" talk from the old days.
-
Crustier base: You can press the spaghetti into the dish and bake it solo for 10 minutes before adding the toppings if you want a firmer, more crust-like base but I never did that, so can't tell you how it'll turn out and you should keep an eye on it. And only do this if it a thinner pan like the one pictured below.
-
Vegetarian? Skip the pepperoni and load up on extra mushrooms, olives, and banana peppers.
-
Spicy twist: Add chopped Calabrian chilies or drizzle Truff hot sauce before serving.
