Skinny Pizza Pasta Casserole

Good afternoon! It looks like today is all about that cheese, my friends.

I hope you enjoyed reading about new gluten free pizza options this morning. If are one who easily drools over your computer screen whenever anything having to do with pizza appears, you’re not alone. My intentions were not to tease, and I have an incredibly easy and delicious recipe to share in order to prove it.

I posted a sneak peak of this one last week, which is how you know I am really excited to share a recipe with you. Any photo released before a recipe means it’s more than good. It’s freaking delicious.

We’re talking (healthier) pizza and pasta all in one casserole, y’all.

You really can’t go wrong here!

On a quest to meet Scott’s request for pasta (again), I found the idea of pizza pasta casserole online and put my own spin on it with healthier substitutions and the addition of veggies. That’s a pretty standard move on my end. Knowing this, Scott specifically asked for something “normal, but somewhat healthy,” so I did my best to deliver.

The good news is that this recipe is husband approved! Not only did mine have seconds, but he went back and ate more the next day. This lightened up skinny pizza pasta casserole is sure to please even the pickiest of family members!

 

Ingredients

8 oz. whole wheat penne noodles

1 (16 oz.) package extra lean ground turkey (I use Jennie-O’s)

1 jar marinara spaghetti sauce of your choice

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1/2 medium sized green pepper, chopped

1 cup bella mushrooms, sliced

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes

3 (or more) cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

1 package turkey pepperoni slices

seasonings of your choosing

(I eyeballed sprinkles of Italian seasoning, pizza seasoning, and garlic salt)

***

prep time: 15 minutes

cook time: 30 minutes

***

servings: about 16 (…or 8 to 10 if you’re me)

 

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to directions on box. Drain and set aside.

2. Brown ground turkey in a large pan. Remove from pan and set aside.

3. Cook chopped onions, peppers, and mushrooms in pan. Once softened, add the can of diced tomatoes, ground turkey, and marinara sauce. Place noodles back into a large pot, then add and thoroughly mix in the sauce, meat and veggies. (You’ll want to use a bigger pot than the sauce pan to avoid overflowing!) Add spices to taste and pour into a 10.5″ x 14.75″ pan.

4. Sprinkle 3 cups (or more if you like it!) of Mozzarella cheese on top and add pepperoni along the top layer (if desired).

5. Bake at 350ºF for 25-30 minutes, or 5 minutes longer if coming out of refrigerator or freezer.

The entire recipe took less than 45 minutes to cook and assemble. It’s super simple and one I will be sure to in the future!

Basically, you chop the veggies.

Brown the meat and cook the noodles.

Soften the veggies, mix everything in together, and pour into a baking pan.

Make it a pizza with sprinkled cheese and pepperoni.

Cook until the outer edges are lightly browned.

Cool and dig in!

Store leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer… if you have any.

I may or may not have eaten half of this pan within two days time.

(Notice the emphasis on if. It’s fine.)

Boun Appetito!