Easy Zucchini Pizza Casserole
Easy Zucchini Pizza Casserole is a great way to use up all those fresh zucchini from the garden and has plenty of mozzerella cheese and pepperoni for big pizza casserole flavor!
Zucchini Pizza Casserole Recipe
This zucchini pizza casserole tastes just like that: PIZZA. It is hearty, cheesy, low-carb, super economical and always a big hit with my family!
I must admit, I was a bit skeptical at first, but once I saw how much my family liked this recipe, I was thrilled.
If you grow fresh zucchini in your garden, you already know that suddenly you’re going to have zucchini coming out of your ears.
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But fresh zucchini is one of our favorite vegetables because you can do so much with it.
For example, you can make Zucchini Oatmeal Crunch that tastes just like Apple Crisp.
No lie, either. Somebody told me this, so I had to prove them wrong. Whoever heard of such a thing? It’s a must try!
ingredients for Cheesy Zucchini Casserole
- Zucchini: You can substitute thawed frozen and drained zoodles from the store.
- Lean ground beef or Italian Sausage
- Eggs
- Tomato sauce
- Mozzarella cheese
- Mini pepperoni
- Parmesan
- Garlic
- Seasonings: dehydrated onion flakes and Italian seasoning
How to Make Zucchini Pepperoni Pizza Casserole
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Make your zucchini noodles using a spiralizer. If you don’t have a spiralizer, keep reading below.
If you peel the zucchini before making the zoodles, your family won’t even guess it’s not pasta.
Place zucchini noodles into a colander. Sprinkle with salt.
Allow the zucchini to rest for 10 minutes in the colander.
Using your hands, wring out as much moisture as you can and wrap the zucchini noodles in strong paper towels or cheesecloth, squeezing out any remaining moisture.
Any time you’re working with zucchini noodles, you’ve got to make for sure that you really get nearly ALL the moisture out of them.
Otherwise, you’ll have one soggy mess on your hands and your family will never want to try zucchini casserole again!
A yogurt straining bag, also known as a nut milk bag, works well for this too.
Next, combine the zucchini noodles with the eggs, Parmesan, and half of the mozzarella and cheddar cheeses.
Press this mixture into a greased 8 x 11 baking dish.
Bake for 20 minutes, uncovered, on the center oven rack.
Meanwhile, cook the ground beef with the onion flakes, Italian seasoning, and crushed garlic in a large skillet over medium heat.
Crumble the beef as it cooks until it is no longer pink and is fully cooked throughout.
Drain any accumulated fats, then stir the tomato sauce into the cooked ground beef.
Spoon the ground beef mixture over the zucchini mixture in the baking dish.
Sprinkle with the remaining cheeses, mini pepperoni, and diced bell pepper, if desired.
Bake the casserole, uncovered, on the center oven rack 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly throughout. Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Making Zucchini Noodles for the Casserole
There are lots of “zoodler” tools out there – they are actually called spiralizers.
I have a very basic one (see the pic below) that involves placing the zucchini into one end of the spiralizer, then turning the zucchini as the zoodles feed out one side.
This continues until the zucchini is completely spiralized into noodles.
In order to use my spiralizer, the zucchinis have to be fairly small, which is just how I like them!
I usually don’t peel my zucchini before spiralizing them, but that’s a personal preference. Trimming both ends of the zucchini before spiralizing is recommended.
If I don’t have a zucchini spiralizer
Peel the zucchini and slice it very thinly, then chopped the slices.
Place into a colander and sprinkle with salt.
Let the chopped zucchini drain, then wrap it in paper towels, cheesecloth, or place into a yogurt strainer, squeezing out as much moisture as you can.
Combine with the chopped zucchini with the eggs, Parmesan, and the cheeses; bake as directed.
Other Family-Favorite Recipes to Enjoy
Zucchini Burrito Boats are packed with your favorite Mexican flavors, loaded with veggies, heart-healthy grains, and just a little heat. They are a must for easy and quick weeknight meals!
These moist, cinnamon-spiced Zucchini Bars are topped with a decadent cream cheese frosting making them the most delicious way to use up all that zucchini!
Italian Sausage and Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells
Easy Zucchini Pizza Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 cups zucchini noodles peeled, if desired (and if you want the noodles to look just like pasta)
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided use
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese divided use
- 1 lb. lean ground beef may substitute Italian sausage if preferred
- 2 tsp. dehydrated onion flakes
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1-2 cloves garlic crushed
- 8 oz. can tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup mini pepperoni
- 1/4 cup green bell pepper seeds and membranes removes, diced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place zucchini noodles into a colander; sprinkle with salt; allow the zucchini to rest for 10 minutes in the colander; using your hands, wring out at much moisture as you can. Now wrap the zucchini noodles in strong paper towels or cheesecloth, squeezing out any remaining moisture. (A yogurt straining bag, also known as a nut milk bag, works well for this.)
- Next, combine the zucchini noodles with the eggs, Parmesan, and half of the mozzarella and cheddar cheeses; press this mixture into a greased 8 x 11 baking dish; bake for 20 minutes, uncovered, on the center oven rack.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef with the onion flakes, Italian seasoning, and crushed garlic, crumbling the beef as it cooks until it is no longer pink and is fully cooked throughout. Drain any fats that accumulate, then stir the tomato sauce into the cooked ground beef.
- Spoon the ground beef mixture over the zucchini mixture in the baking dish; sprinkle with the remaining cheeses, mini pepperoni, and diced bell pepper, if desired.
- Bake the casserole, uncovered, on the center oven rack 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly throughout. Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes before serving.