Easy Copycat Pizza Hut Cavatini is the perfect meal for a weeknight!
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Make Pizza Hut Cavatini at home
Baked cavatini is a hearty dish filled with three different types of pasta, spaghetti sauce, pepperoni, and Italian sausage, all topped off with cheese. It’s perfect with just a green salad.
I believe that Pizza Hut no longer makes this dish and there is a lot of nostalgia out there for the old Pizza Hut where you could order dishes like cavatini.
History of Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut was founded in Wichita, Kansas in 1958 by two brothers, Dan and Frank Carney, who borrowed $600 to reach their pizza dreams. They chose the name Pizza Hut because they only had room for nine characters and spaces on the sign they bought.
By 1966, Pizza Hut was a chain of 145 restaurants, and amazingly, by 1971, Pizza Hut was the number one pizza chain in the world. See a picture of the original Pizza Hut building that was relocated to the campus of Wichita State University where the Carney brothers went to school.
In 1977, the company was sold to PepsiCo for $300,000,000 – not a bad return on a $600 investment!
Pasta – Shapes of History
Who doesn’t love pasta? Many of us think of the more popular styles of pasta such as spaghetti, penne, or linguine, but there are actually many more different types of pasta.
Each kind comes with its own unique culinary application and flavor profile, and some even have regional origins. You can discover eighty, yes eighty, kinds of pasta. But how did pasta come about in the first place?
Pasta is Ancient History
The practice of molding flour and eggs or water into strings or other shapes has been around for millennia. A popular theory is that Marco Polo, the famous Venetian explorer, brought noodles from China to Italy during the 13th Century.
However, some historians believe that many kinds of pasta found in Italy have been around way longer than that. For instance, the Greeks, who founded the city of Naples in the 3rd Century BC, discovered a local dish called “macaria” made from barley flour and water that was dried in the sun.
Another pasta-like dish was called “laganum” or “laganas,” a predecessor of lasagna.
From Central Asia to Europe
Many archaeologists think that the earliest types of pasta were being eaten in Central Asia thousands of years before Marco Polo ever journeyed there. Pasta traveled westward from that region into Europe via nomadic Arab tribes. Whichever stories you believe, the real truth is that pasta is beloved today not just in Italy but all over the world.
Enjoy Pizza Hut Cavatini at Home
Cavatini is an easy pasta dish with layers of pasta, meat sauce, pepperoni, onions, and bell peppers. This popular Italian main dish casserole is great for any day of the week!
Ingredients
Here’s a list of what you need:
- Spiral pasta
- Shell pasta
- Wheel pasta
- Spaghetti sauce
- Ground beef
- Italian sausage
- Pepperoni
- Green bell pepper
- Onion
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Shredded parmesan cheese
How to Make Cavatini
- Cook pasta according to the box directions.
- Cook ground beef and Italian sausage until browned and crumbled.
- Heat sauce and add cooked hamburger and cooked sausage. Stir to combine.
- Layer pasta and meat sauce in an 11 X 13 pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
- Top layer with pepperoni, onions, green peppers, and cheeses.
- Make three layers and top with cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until cheese is melted.
If you don’t eat meat, you can make this without the ground beef and Italian sausage. I believe that Pizza Hut used to offer a meatless version.
You can make some Pizza Hut Cheese Bread to serve with your homemade cavatini.
Popular Pasta Dishes
Great Main Dish Casserole Recipes
- Cheese Manicotti with Meat Sauce
- Leftover Chicken Casserole Recipes
- Chile Relleno Casserole
- Hamburger Tater Tot Casserole
- Ground Beef Casserole
- King Ranch Casserole
- Taco Spaghetti Casserole
- Creamy Tuna Noodle Casserole
Be sure to check out more of my easy pasta recipes and the best main dish casserole recipes.
Pizza Hut Cavatini
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound pepperoni sliced thin
- 1/4 pound pasta spiral noodles
- 1 green bell pepper sliced thin
- 1/4 pound shell noodles
- 1 onion sliced thin
- 1/4 pound wheel noodles
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1/2 pound hamburger browned
- 8 ounces Parmesan cheese shredded
- 1/2 pound Italian sausage browned
- 32 ounces spaghetti sauce
Instructions
- Cook noodles according to box directions.
- Heat sauce and combine with cooked hamburger and cooked sausage. In a 11 X 13 pan, sprayed with Pam cooking spray, layer noodles and sauce.
- Top layer with pepperoni, onions and green peppers, and cheeses. Make about 3 layers and top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until cheese is melted.
CJ
The Cavatini I remember had only the wheel pasta and I always got the supreme. I’ve made another copycat recipe and it was so like I remembered, but only had the wheel pasta. However I lost that recipe, so will be trying this one. Will be scaling back as I’m only one who loves it!
khayes
This is my go-to recipe when I need to take a meal to a family. It makes a lot, and I get rave reviews from everyone I make it for.
Paula
I am 49 years old & when I was a little girl during the 70’s, very early 80s, this was my favorite meal & it’s what I ate every time we went to Pizza Hut. We moved to Germany in ‘81 & when we came back in late ‘84 they had taken it off the menu! I can’t wait to make this. I will make it in two pans & give one to my neighbor! Thank you so much for this recipe! 🙂
Kira London-Spencer
it’s what I ate back in the 70’s every time too as a kid! (I’m 58)
pizza hut
I have actually seen them at Pizza Hut spray the outer edges of crust with buttery spray as soon as the pizza comes out of the oven.
David Litchfield
Worked at Pizza G
Hut in the mid 70s for about 2 years. My favs were the subs and glorious Cavatini. Been many a year, but for some reason only remember the wheels pasta, but from reading comments, guess my memory is flawed. Will say have tried this recipe and somehow seems different. It is a great recipe and everyone loved it.
Cheryl
I worked at a Pizza Hut for years- does anyone have the recipe for the butter garlic sauce that was also available on the spaghetti or cavatini? I remember it came in a packet and we made it every morning- not quite like an alfredo sauce but so yummy
Kathyd
The Pizza Hut i worked at had two Cavatini dishes. You could order Cavatini which had the noodles and cheese or you could order Cavatini Supreme which had the noodles cheese hamburger sausage green onion and both were covered with pasta sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese. Iam so disappointed that they took both off the menu. Glad i found this recipe.
Deanna
I loved this when it was at Pizza Hut and it makes me sad that they don’t offer it anymore.
I have made this recipe before. It was tricky to try to get it in layers so I just put it together in one layer and it turned out fine. I am remembering 4 different pastas: wheels, spirals, ziti, and shells. I would suggest using a large aluminum pasta pan to bake this because it makes a very large pan! You may want to freeze the extras so you can enjoy them later.
Ron Sesler
can you copy the boiled shrimp in Captain Anderson registrant in panama city fla. ???? Bet you can’t ! but I hope so
Roberta Skaja
How much onion is in the recipe? It does not show up on the list of ingredients.
Mike Cade
Says one onion sliced thin
Chrissy Marie
My Mom makes this with and without meat, and also sometimes layers with ricotta cheese. It’s my favorite meal that she makes.
Kira London-Spencer
that’s what I did! layered the bottom in ricotta!!!
Janice
Sorry, I meant Pizza Hut! I was getting in to big of a hurry to leave a comment.Lol
Janice
I use to work Pizza Hi back in the 80’s and we had both kinds of cavatini , with or without meat.
J.L. Brown Jr
I loved the cavitina and their Italian supreme sandwich. Pizza Hut really screwed up, because these 2 dishes I ate one daily, I retired from the military in 99, got back to the states, no more cavitina or sandwiches. I went on there website, told them about there error, they tried to tell me they moved to snack meals. So I ask about chicken wings. They just failed to realize they had good menus, but denied to ask customers what they thought. Never went back to pizza hut
Darre
Same here, the cavatini was all I ate, and haven’t been back since they stopped it.
KimB
That is NOTHING, I repeat, nothing like the Pizza Hut Cavatini that I remember! There was NO meat and NO peppers! If there were peppers I would not have eaten it since I was a picky eater back then. It was basically pasta, sauce and cheese. It wasn’t layered or thick like this one. It was served in an individual dish and was pasta, sauce and cheesy goodness. I guess I’ll keep looking.
Stephanie Manley
Different restaurants can make this differently. It sounds like you have a good grip on how it was made where you ate it. Why not give it a try, it sounds like you have it down. Pasta, a jar of sauce, and some cheese.
Ken G
I worked for the Pizza hut chain stores and Pizza hut franchise stores ,for years as a manager and the original Cavatini or Cavatini supreme never had hamburger or parmesan cheese in it .they had a recipe book you had to follow .Today they might have it in it ,if you find a store that carry’s it.Today’s PizzaHut Stores have went down hill since they decided to have their pizza dough shipped in frozen ,instead of making their own everyday right in the store.They had the best food when they were doing that way.
Evelyn
Thank you Stephanie!
My husband really likes this dish and was thrilled to find this recipe
Ours is bubbling in the oven, we can’t wait to try it!!!
Boyd
Cavatini Supreme most definitely had meat………Lots of it.
If it didn’t, I would not have ordered it the first hundred times I ordered it.
When Pizza Hut goes vegie…………I will go to FROZEN ENTRES!
Tessa
It most definitely had meat in it and yummy onions and green peppers! I’m gonna have to try this recipe! I miss Cavatini! Noodles, sauce and cheese only doesn’t even sound good!
Cheryl
I remember it was like 3 different pasta not layed..supreme was onion mushroom peppers and meatballs ..I make often and surprised how many never ate or heard of it
Mike
Uumm, yes it did. When my family went to Pizza Hut that’s what my mother and I would order every time until they quit serving it. They had a couple different versions. Regardless, unless you’re completely and utterly ignorant, a person’s recipe is just a base for your own. You add or omit to your preference. If you’re gonna keep searching till you find the perfect written recipe you’re… well I won’t finish this sentence.
Kira London-Spencer
what state? The Pizza Hut I always ate at was in Vineland NJ and always had pepperoni in it and peppers! this was 1970s
Hugh Hweerdow
The sauce you choose will not be sweet enough. Not quite the same as the chain store’s recipe. Good Luck……
Teresa
try adding a large spoonful of grape jelly….it works
Stephanie
I believe that is what Gloria Pitzer had folks doing to make the sauce sweet.
Tessa
Maybe a little brown sugar?
Codeyarnett
does anyone know how many this serves?
Kira London-Spencer
a HEAP! Atleast 6 people !
Codeyarnett
does anyone know how many this serves?
Stacy
I can’t believe that you have this recipe! I have been looking for it for years. I always ate this when I was pregnant with my first child 31 years ago. I can not wait till I can make it! Thank you!
Stephanie
I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Patricia Bostian
i agree with you. i use to make in 31 years ago when i worked at pizza hut but couldn’t remember the recipe. tell me what brand of sauce you used and how did it turn out.?
Stacy Rodolff
Hi Patricia. I made mine with 1 can of roasted garlic & onion sauce and 1 can of garden vegetables; both by Hunts. My family absolutely loved the meal. It’ll be a winter Sunday staple in our family. To me it brought back those wonderful Pizza Hut days.
Liz Nelson
Okay this is going on my menu for dinner next week! Its easy and not really all that expensive to make!