A Healthier Pizza Recipe

pizza 5

If you included weight loss in any of your New Year Goals, you will be really happy to try this recipe! This Deconstructed Pizza Casserole is low carb but highly delicious! If you’re hungry for pizza, but don’t want all the calories and carbohydrates, this will come in a close second to the real thing! I added a green salad and it was a perfect Saturday night supper that almost felt like, “Pizza Night!”

Here’s the easy recipe and my tweaks:

INGREDIENTS:

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes (do not use petite dice)
5 links (19.5 oz.) uncooked turkey Italian sausage
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste
8-12 oz. fresh mushrooms, washed and cut into thick slices (I used brown Cremini mushrooms.) To wash, wet a paper towel and wipe the mushrooms. Don’t rinse under water!
1/2 Red onion, sliced
1 1/2 cups grated Mozzarella cheese (I used part-skim mozzarella)
Pepperoni slices (I used Turkey Pepperoni, but you can use regular, if you prefer.)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400°. Spray an 8 inch x 11 inch glass casserole dish with non-stick spray or olive oil.
Pour the diced tomatoes into a colander placed in the sink and rinse with cold water. Let tomatoes drain a minute or two, then spread them out on paper towels to dry (or blot dry with another paper towel on top.)
Remove the sausage out of the casing, and cook over medium-high heat until it’s nicely browned, breaking it apart as it cooks.
While sausage cooks, clean mushrooms and slice into thick slices.
When the sausage is done make a layer of sausage in the bottom of the casserole dish and top with the drained tomatoes and red onions, spreading out over the top of the sausage. Season with dried oregano, salt, and fresh-ground black pepper.
Rinse out the pan if needed, then heat 2 tsp. of olive oil over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot add the mushrooms and cook, stirring a few times, until all the liquid is released and the mushrooms are starting to brown. Layer the mushrooms over the sausage-tomato mixture.
I divided the mixture between two dishes, since it was just the two of us! One went into the freezer for another day.
Sprinkle the grated Mozzarella over the top of the casserole and lay the pepperoni pieces on top of the cheese, spacing them evenly so the whole top is covered with pepperoni.
Bake about 25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown. Serve hot.