It's time for me to rethink pizza. I love pizza but it doesn't like me. Well, the crust doesn't like me. I like a GOOD crust on my pizza and I haven't found one that I like that is gluten free. I've found some that are okay, but I find that it is fairly high calorie and not very nutritious. It seems like just the "handle" for the good stuff on top.
I also am trying to reduce the amount of meat so I made a version of this the following week with black beans instead of ground turkey and it turned out fantastic!
This casserole tastes like pizza. The "crust" is zucchini and is absolutely delicious. So you can't pick it up like pizza, who cares? It is healthy and delicious! Because I didn't use my calories on the bread, I put more cheese than I usually would.
Cheese is good and makes me happy. :-)
Zucchini Pizza Casserole Recipe
Adapted from Finding Joy in my Kitchen
4 cups shredded zucchini (I used about 5 small zucchini's)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2 tbsp. parmesan cheese
2 oz. cheese (I used mozzarella and cheddar)
1 tsp. italian seasoning
1 lb. ground turkey (or can of black or white beans)
2 oz. pepperoni, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups spaghetti sauce
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
4 oz. cheese (I used mozzarella and cheddar)
Shred zucchini. Mix the zucchini with 2 eggs, parmesan cheese, 2 oz. of cheese and italian seasoning. Press the zucchini mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 9 x 13 in. glass baking dish. Bake the crust uncovered for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.
While the crust bakes, brown the ground turkey in a large pan. Add in the onion, pepperoni and spaghetti sauce and cook until onion is soft, about 5 - 7 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven. Pour the meat and sauce over the crust. Top with peppers, sprinkle with 4 oz. of cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes at 400 or until the pizza is heated through and the cheese is melted and slightly browned. Allow the dish to stand for 2 - 3 minutes before slicing and serving.
Total calories = 2200 calories
8 servings = 275 calories per serving
Vegetarian version: Sub the ground beef for black beans, I made one the following week this way and it was awesome!
Two Years Ago...
Apple Juice Pork with Squash & Golden Raisins
This is linked with:
Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helens Country Cottage
Project Linky at It's A Keeper
Ingredient Spotlight: Beans at Eat at Home
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My husband and I are going to go meat free for Lent, so I think I'm going to try this with vegetarian crumbles... I wonder if they have vegetarian pepperoni? Or maybe I'll just put some veggies or veg sausage in place of the pepperoni. Thanks for the great recipe!
ReplyDeleteIf you can't have bread, then cheese is a worthy substitute! This sounds like a super delicious casserole!
ReplyDeleteInteresting idea with this! It sounds great and I bet the husband would eat it!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds so good. We love pizza but hate the calories!
ReplyDeleteLooks yum! I want to try this! =D
ReplyDeleteThat's great. Very inventive which I'm sure you need to be when you can't have gluten.
ReplyDeleteHi Debbi,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great Casserole, it is just packed with flavor and we would really enjoy it. Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and have a great week end.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Yum--this looks and sound so good! I need to try it soon. Thanks for your comment on my blog!
ReplyDeleteI've made this! I remember liking it a lot, though my toppings were different. Here is another idea for your pizza crust replacement (found through Pinterest, of course!) http://www.recipegirl.com/2012/01/16/cauliflower-crust-hawaiian-pizza/
ReplyDelete