📋Healthy Pizza Casserole Recipe
This Healthy Pizza Casserole recipe is a lighter version of a pizza casserole that's also WW friendly. Made with egg noodles, vegetables, extra lean ground beef, and turkey pepperoni, it's sooo good you'd never know it's the healthier version!
Servings 8 servings
Calories 314kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups broad egg noodles * I use no yolk broad noodles, measured dry
- 8 oz package of sliced mushrooms
- 1 orange bell pepper
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 ¾ cups red pasta sauce
- 10 oz - can of cream of chicken soup * I use low-fat
- 1 lb extra lean ground beef
- 1 ½ cups low- fat cheddar cheese
- ¾ cup turkey pepperonini sticks about 5 sticks, chopped
- ¾ cup can of olives, pitted and sliced
- 2 tablespoon low-fat parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C)
- Cook noodles as directed. rinse and drain
- Spray a skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Cook mushrooms, onion and pepper over medium heat (with a lid) for 5 minutes.
- Add the ground beef to the skillet.
- Cook until browned.
- Add pasta sauce, cream of chicken soup, ¾ cup of cheddar cheese, black olives (reserve a few for garnishing) and noodles. Mix well.
- Spoon into baking dish. Bake until hot, about 35 minutes.
- Top with remaining cheddar cheese, then bake 5 minutes longer
Garnish
- Garnish with parmesan cheese and remaining black olives. Serve hot.
Notes
*NOTE: Adapted from WW magazine, page. 74, January/February 2008
Variations & Substitutions
- Noodles - you can use any type of noodle, such as penne pasta. But to keep it light, you'll want to use smart pasta or whole wheat pasta. Alternatively, you could use zucchini noodles to lighten it up even more.
- Ground Beef - I use extra lean ground beef but you could use regular, lean, or use ground turkey or ground chicken instead
- Pepperoni- I use turkey pepperoni sticks but you can also use the sliced Butterball Turkey Pepperoni (I was finally able to find this again at Walmart!)
- Cheese - you could use part-skim mozzarella cheese instead
- Peppers - you can use red, orange, yellow or green pepper.
- Toppings - you could use an Italian turkey sausage (or chicken sausage), Italian seasoning, or any of your favorite pizza toppings
- Cream of chicken soup - you can make your own "cream of anything" - check out this Kitchen Hacks post (#17) for how to make it!
- Spicy - for a little kick of spice add chili pepper flakes or jalapenos
- Undercook the Pasta Slightly: Cook the egg noodles 1-2 minutes less than the package instructions to prevent them from getting too soft during baking.
- Layer the Cheese: Instead of mixing all the cheese into the casserole, layer some between ingredients for a gooey, melty texture.
- Increase Fiber: Swap half the noodles for spiralized zucchini or whole wheat pasta.
- Add More Veggies: Toss in spinach, kale, or grated carrots for extra nutrients without changing the flavor much.
- Reduce Sodium: Use a low-sodium pasta sauce and homemade cream of chicken soup to control the salt content.
- Use Leaner Meat: Try ground turkey, ground chicken, or even crumbled tofu for a leaner option.
- Opt for Greek Yogurt: Replace half the cream of chicken soup with plain Greek yogurt for added protein and creaminess.
- Let It Rest: After baking, let the casserole sit for 5-10 minutes before serving. This helps it set and enhances the flavors.
- Crispy Cheese Topping: For a crispy, golden topping, broil the casserole for the last 2-3 minutes of baking.
Nutrition
Serving: 1.25cups | Calories: 314kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 1219mg | Potassium: 822mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 943IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 139mg | Iron: 3mg
