Pizza casserole is a nutritious and flavorful addition to your weekly menu. There’s consolation in each chew at simply 6 WW factors per serving. Simply tailor-made to your liking, you need to use a spread of pizza toppings to make this dish your personal. It comes collectively rapidly and bakes up in simply 20 minutes making it perfect for easy dinners.
This pizza casserole is ideal for households who need to incorporate extra nutritious meals however with acquainted flavors they already love. Introducing extra greens is easy as a result of they mix in simply among the many crumbled meat and vibrant pasta sauce. For much more greens, think about mixing cooked and drained zucchini, yellow squash or carrots into instantly into the sauce for a powerhouse meal that you may really feel nice about serving.
Why You Ought to Strive This Recipe
- Funds-friendly: This recipe makes use of cheap substances and is nice for these on a price range. To maximise financial savings, think about using pantry staples you have already got readily available. Be happy to make use of a special form of pasta or swap the sauce for a can of crushed tomatoes. It’s also possible to repurpose leftovers from a batch of normal pasta by including extra toppings to make this recipe. Merely combine in pepperoni, sausage, and cheese to remodel them right into a delicous upgraded dish.
- Straightforward meal prep: This casserole could be assembled forward of time after which baked if you”re able to eat. Since this recipe tastes nice reheated, you need to use it for simple meal prep all week lengthy. Simply you should definitely reheat particular person servings at a time and never the whole casserole. It will assist protect the standard and guarantee it stays tasting recent.
- Healthful various: When you can nonetheless get pleasure from conventional pizza on WW, it doesn’t all the time match into your plan for the day. This casserole is a healthful various. It’s crammed with pizza taste with out the greasiness you get from takeout.
Recipe Overview
- Serving Measurement: 191g
- Variety of Servings: 8
- Time to Cook dinner: 20-25 minutes
- WW Factors Per Recipe: 48 per batch, 6 per serving
Elements in Pizza Casserole
- 32 ounces low sodium marinara sauce: This recipe makes use of marinara as the primary sauce for the dish. Be happy to make use of your favourite sort or perhaps a combination of pasta sauce and pizza sauce for a strong taste.
- 4 cups water: Water is used for boiling the pasta.
- ½ teaspoon sea salt: Salt is added to the water to offer the pasta taste because it cooks.
- 6 ounces dry cellentani pasta: Cellentani pasta has a corkscrew form that makes this dish each enjoyable and filling.
- 2 ounces pork pepperoni: Pepperoni is diced up for pizza taste in each chew. Moreover, it’s used on high for a traditional supreme pizza look.
- ¼ cup black olives: Olives add a briny taste and a portion of veggies.
- ½ purple bell pepper: Purple bell pepper enhances the marinara sauce by including a deep and candy taste that carries all through the dish. It’s also possible to use a inexperienced bell pepper.
- 2 turkey Italian sausage hyperlinks: A lighter choice than pork sausage, turkey sausage provides numerous nice taste to this casserole. The additional protein makes it extra filling than pasta alone to not point out it provides delicous herb taste to the dish.
- 1 cup low-fat mozzarella cheese: Mozzarella cheese makes this casserole additional gooey and paying homage to pizza. It’s also possible to use an Italian cheese mix.
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning or Pizza seasoning: Italian seasoning mix provides a lightweight herb taste. There are additionally many kinds of pizza seasoning, together with spicy varieties that add a daring taste.
Directions for Making Pizza Casserole
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Put together an 8×8-inch baking dish with cooking spray and put aside. Carry the water and salt to a boil in a pot over excessive warmth. Add the pasta and boil for 8-10 minutes till al dente. Subsequent, drain the pasta.
2. Place the cooked pasta into a big mixing bowl. Pour the marinara sauce into the bowl and stir to mix.
3. In a skillet over medium warmth, brown the turkey sausage till no pink stays, about 7-10 minutes. Use the spatula to interrupt it into small crumbles.
4.Stir the cooked sausage, quartered pepperoni, and bell pepper into the pasta till nicely mixed.
4. Scrape the combination into the ready dish.
5. Prime with an excellent layer of mozzarella.
6. Place entire pepperoni slices and the black olives on high of the cheese. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Place into the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes.
7. When finished, the edges might be effervescent and the cheese might be browned and gooey. Let cool for 10 minutes earlier than serving.
Variations and Substitutions
- Swap the pasta: Be happy to make use of a special form of pasta on this recipe. It’s also possible to select whole-wheat pasta, rice-based pasta, or chickpea pasta similar to Banza for added protein and fiber.
- Add your favourite veggies: Sliced mushrooms, spinach, and jalapenos make nice additions to this casserole.
- Strive a special protein: Swap the turkey sausage for pork Italian sausage. It’s also possible to use turkey pepperoni as an alternative of pork pepperoni to scale back the general WW factors for this recipe. For a meat-lovers model, you’ll be able to add chopped ham or crumbled bacon for a protein-forward twist.
- Wish to decrease the WW factors? Scale back the dry pasta measurement to 4 ounces. Add 1 cup of greens of alternative and use 1-2 further turkey sausage hyperlinks to make sure the meal is equally filling.
Suggestions and Tips for Making Pizza Casserole
- Keep away from overcooking the pasta: As a result of the pasta will bake for 20 minutes, you need to depart it barely undercooked whereas boiling. It will be sure that it doesn’t grow to be mushy and have an effect on the general texture of the dish. If you’re utilizing a special number of pasta, pay shut consideration as their cooking instances can differ.
- Make sure the meat is totally cooked: At all times you should definitely totally prepare dinner the sausage earlier than including it to the casserole. It may be tough to inform if it’s correctly cooked as soon as it’s blended with different substances.
- Chop veggies into bite-sized items: Whereas lengthy items of peppers and onion look nice on high of a pizza, they don’t work nicely in a casserole. Chop them into bite-sized items so you’ll be able to simply get the flavour into every chew.
- Add recent herbs: Including herbs similar to sliced basil or chopped parsley as garnish can provide this casserole a recent style.
Associated Recipes
Pizza Casserole
WW pleasant pizza casserole, solely 6 factors per serving
Elements
- 4cupswaterfor boiling pasta
- ½teaspoonsea salt
- 6 ouncesdry cellentani pasta
- 32ounces low sodium marinara sauce
- 2hyperlinksturkey Italian sausagecasing eliminated
- ½mediumpurple bell pepperdiced
- 2ouncespork pepperoniquartered,few slices reserved for topping
- 1 cupdecreased fats shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼cupsliced black olives
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoningor pizza seasoning
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Put together an 8×8-inch baking dish with cooking spray and put aside. Carry the water and salt to a boil in a pot over excessive warmth. Add the pasta and boil for 8-10 minutes till al dente. Then,drain the pasta.
Place the pasta into a big mixing bowl. Pour within the marinara sauce and blend to mix.
In a skillet over medium warmth,brown the sausage till no pink stays,about 7-10 minutes. Use the spatula to interrupt it into small crumbles.
Stir the cooked sausage,quartered pepperoni,and bell pepper into the pasta till nicely mixed.
Scrape the combination into the ready dish.
Prime with an excellent layer of mozzarella.
Place entire pepperoni slices and the black olives on high of the cheese. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Place into the oven to bake for 25 minutes.
When finished,the edges might be effervescent and the cheese might be browned and gooey. Let cool for 10 minutes earlier than serving.
Notes
6 ww factors per serving
Diet
Serving:191gEnergy:246kcalCarbohydrates:26gProtein:14gFats:9.3gLdl cholesterol:28mgSodium:583mgPotassium:426mgFiber:2.9gSugar:7gCalcium:141mgIron:2.3mg