Zucchini Lasagna

We’ve had some zucchini in our fridge for a week and it was time to use it up! I found a recipe online that included ricotta and other things we didn’t have, so this was a clean out the fridge and pantry kind of meal!

• 3 zucchini sliced into “lasagna noodles” with a mandolin
• 1 can of crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 jar pizza sauce (check nutrition info for low sugar ones)
• 1 package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 lb. ground beef
• Sliced provolone (or shredded mozzarella)
• Minced garlic, to taste
• 2 chopped onions

Bake the zucchini noodles at 375 degrees for about 9 minutes on a greased baking sheet. Meanwhile, sauté the beef, onion, and garlic. Drain. Then, add in the tomatoes and the pizza sauce. Squeeze as much water out of the spinach as possible and add to the beef mixture. Let simmer for 15 minutes.

In a 9×9 pan, layer in the zucchini noodles and the meat mixture. Alternate layers until the pan is nearly full.

Top the last layer with the provolone slices. You could certainly use mozzarella too, but we had provolone on hand. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes at 375 again. Uncover and cook another 10 minutes.

Yum! We all agreed we’d eat this again! I paired mine with a spinach salad and got one n a ton of veggies for this meal! The family each had garlic bread with it. Anybody got a recipe for carb-free garlic bread? Haha! Enjoy!

Pizza Stuffed Bell Peppers

I miss pizza, it’s true. We went to Aldi last night and all I wanted was pizza and pizza ingredients. I found turkey pepperoni and got a little excited! We made this one up, and I’ll share what we did.

• 3 bell peppers cut in half, seeds removed
• 1 bag riced cauliflower
• 1 chopped onion
• 6 Provolone slices (sub for mozzarella if preferred)
• approximately 8 white mushrooms, sliced
• 1 jar pizza sauce
• Italian seasoning, to taste
• Minced garlic, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Sauté the cauliflower rice until tender with the onion, 1 clove minced garlic and Italian seasoning. Place the peppers in a foil lined pan and fill with the cauliflower rice and onion mixture. We sautéed mushrooms separately for some family members, but you could put them in there too. Bake the peppers for 15 minutes or until the peppers are tender. Add a spoonful of pizza sauce to each pepper. Add the pepperoni and provolone to the top of each one, then bake again for 15 minutes or until the cheese is golden.

You could certainly add pepperoncini peppers if you like some spice, or whatever other vegetables you’d like! I’m also not sure if turkey pepperoni is “on plan” but I’m calling it “turkey sausage,” which is right on the list of lean protein! Ask your coach if you’re worried about fat content. I like the turkey pepperoni because it’s not greasy but that great flavor of regular pepperoni is still there!

It’s not terribly pretty, but it’s pizza enough for me!