Zucchini Pizza Casserole

By srumbel

I grow zucchini by the bushel, so this pizza bake is one of my dinnertime go-to's. My hungry husband and kids gobble it right up. —Lynn Bernstetter, White Bear Lake, Minnesota
from tasteofhome.com

Ingredients

• 4 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 can (15 ounces) Italian tomato sauce
• 1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400°. Place zucchini in colander; sprinkle with salt. Let stand 10 minutes, then squeeze out moisture.
Combine zucchini with eggs, Parmesan and half of mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. Press into a greased 3-qt. baking dish.
Bake 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook beef and onion over medium heat, crumbling beef, until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add tomato sauce; spoon over zucchini mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses; add red pepper. Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes longer.
Freeze option: Cool baked casserole; cover and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Unwrap casserole; reheat on a lower oven rack until heated through and a thermometer inserted in center reads 165°. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutritional Facts

1 cup: 315 calories, 20g fat (10g saturated fat), 119mg cholesterol, 855mg sodium, 10g carbohydrate (4g sugars, 2g fiber), 25g protein



cariboocook
Reviewed Jun. 22, 2016

"I made this tonight and I must say it is delicious. I did take a couple of suggestions from others: 1) I drained the zucchini for about 30 minutes then I pressed out as much moisture as I could in the strainer - then transferred to paper towel and blotted some more - my casserole was not runny; 2) I added 1/2 tsp basil and 1/2 tsp oregano and 2 minced garlic cloves to tomato sauce mixture and sauteed the green peppers with the meat and onion. The sauce was anything but bland. I will be making this recipe for a long time to come. Thank you."