One of our new family activities since COVID is Friday Night Pizza and a Movie. A few weeks after starting this tradition, I did a 60-hour cleanse/fast which brought me back to Keto. What would I do about pizza night? Yes, there are cauliflower crusts. But not only are they still somewhat high in carbs, I also found out I couldn’t, for medical reasons, eat cruciferous veggies.
Finding a Keto-Friendly Pizza Recipe
So I took to the internet. And there it was, my solution. Crustless Pizza Casserole. It might sound unsatisfying but it isn’t. It’s actually pretty amazing that you get all the pizza flavor without the high carb count.
Here is my new favorite Friday night family meal. (Although the family still gets to eat regular bready goodness on other nights.)
Crustless Pizza Casserole Recipe
INGREDIENTS
1 Package of sweet or spicy Italian sausage (I like the raw ones from Trader Joe’s. They fit the recipe best)
1 Jar/tub of pizza sauce (I prefer the Trader Joe’s brand, in the refrigerated section)
1 16oz Bag of mozzarella cheese
1/2 Of a red onion, sliced
1 Green bell pepper, cut any way you like (I like sticks)
1 Package of mushrooms, sliced
1 Package of pepperoni and any other toppings you’d like
Your directions are super simple, here they go!
- Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees
- Heat a skillet, add some cooking oil
- Remove sausage from the casings and cook it. You should be cooking it like ground meat. Brown the meat until you no longer see pink.
- While that cooks, cut up all your veggies.
- Once your meat is ready, that will be your first ingredient in your casserole dish. I recommend an 9×9 or a deep, oval Corningware dish.
- You will then layer as you please but my preference goes like this:
-
- Sausage
- 1/2 the sauce
- Layer of mozzarella
- All the veggies mixed together
- The other half of the sauce
- Layer of mozzarella (this is your topping layer so make it good)
- Place all your toppings
7. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes
Let it cool and serve!
I’ve made this keto-friendly pizza recipe about 5 times now and I have some trial and error tips:
- Don’t use veggies that have a lot of water like spinach or zucchini.
- I like to add garlic to the sausage when it’s cooking.
- Basil gives a nice touch.
- Pineapple is delicious, it’s just high in sugar. So I only added a few pieces to the whole pizza.
Our movie of choice is usually a Disney classic as we introduce my little one to all our favorites growing up. This has become one of our favorite activities to do as a family and I’m glad I still get to enjoy pizza with the fam.
