Description
A lighter take on pizza, this Guilt-Free Zucchini Pizza Casserole swaps crust for zucchini slices, making it a delicious and lower-carb weeknight meal.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 medium zucchinis, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
- 1 pound ground meat (beef, turkey, or chicken)
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the ground meat and cook, breaking it up, until no longer pink and nicely browned. Drain any excess fat.
- Stir the marinara sauce and Italian seasoning into the cooked meat. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Simmer 2–3 minutes to meld flavors.
- Lightly oil a 9×13-inch baking dish. Arrange half of the zucchini slices in an even layer across the bottom.
- Spoon half of the meat sauce over the zucchini, then scatter half of the mozzarella on top. Repeat with the remaining zucchini, meat sauce, and mozzarella.
- Sprinkle the grated Parmesan evenly over the casserole. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil.
- Bake covered for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and golden and the zucchini is tender when pierced with a fork.
- Let the casserole rest for 5–10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
For added crunch, finish under the broiler for 1–2 minutes while watching closely. You can swap ground meat for plant-based alternatives for a vegetarian version.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Casserole
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 450mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 22g
- Cholesterol: 55mg
Keywords: zucchini casserole, pizza casserole, healthy dinner, low-carb meal, family-friendly recipe