Casseroles like this are a dream-come-true for busy weekday dinners. To mix everything into one pan saves precious time, not to mention fewer dishes.
I’ve found that my kids naturally enjoy eating casseroles, so I’m able to sneak more veggies into their dinner without the fight.
This recipe for Real Healthy Pizza Casserole is soooo yummy! The main ingredients are spaghetti squash, ground beef, eggs, marinara sauce and roasted onion and bell peppers — all healthy ingredients that you can feel good about feeding to your family. Play around with the pizza toppings to customize it to what your family loves.
The kids both asked for seconds, and so did B and I! It’s great to have a dinner recipe that’s quick and tastes good, all while providing loads of fiber and protein without gluten, grain or dairy.
If you don’t have spaghetti squash, don’t sweat it. Instead take 7 zucchini and use a vegetable peeler to create long noodle-like strands. Just be sure to stop peeling when you reach the seeds. Then skip the first step of cooking the squash and simply mix the uncooked zucchini noodles in step 3.
½ spaghetti squash (or 7 zucchini, turned into zucchini noodles with a vegetable peeler. If using zucchini, skip step 1.)
1 pound grass-fed ground beef
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fennel seed
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
½ yellow onion, minced
1½ cups marinara sauce
4 eggs
1 bag (14 oz) frozen roasted onions and bell peppers
1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
dash of sea salt
dash of black pepper
20 nitrate free salami slices
½ cup greek olives, sliced
¼ cup fresh pineapple, pieces
¼ cup bell pepper, chopped
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the spaghetti squash half in an oven safe pan in 2 inches of water, cut side down. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until the squash is tender. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
In a large skillet brown the beef along with the garlic, fennel, paprika and onion. Once browned, remove from heat.
Remove the seeds from the spaghetti squash. Scrape the squash strands into a large mixing bowl. Add the marinara, eggs, frozen veggies, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and browned beef. Mix well.
Lightly grease a 9×13 casserole pan with olive oil. Spread the mixture evenly into the pan, smoothing out the top. Bake for 35 minutes.
Top the casserole with the salami, olives, pineapple and bell pepper pieces (or choose your own favorite pizza toppings and use those!) Return to the oven for 10 minutes. Finish with a couple minutes on broil to brown the top.
Calories: 251
Fat: 13g
Carbohydrates: 9g
Sodium: 460mg
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 20g
Sugar: —