Now that the New Year is here to stay, it’s time to get started on all those resolutions. If you’re like so many other people, you probably have a resolution to eat a little healthier to one degree or another… but that’s so hard! How can you keep that resolution when pizza is right there, tempting you with its delicious unhealthiness? Fight the temptation with Healthy Supreme Pizza Casserole. This twist replaces the carbs with healthy, nourishing, tender quinoa while still serving up plenty of your favorite pizza toppings like bright green peppers and savory Italian sausage (using turkey sausage to help keep that resolution alive)! With less fat but just as much joy, Healthy Supreme Pizza Casserole helps ring in the new year and keeps an eye on your waistline!
Ingredients
- 2 Italian turkey sausages, casings removed
- 1/2 cup red onion, diced
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 (2.25-ounce) can sliced black olives
- 2 teaspoons dried basil, plus more to taste
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon parsley, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, pus more to taste
- red pepper flakes, optional, to taste
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and uncooked
- 1-2 cups water
- 3/4 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
Directions
Step 1 –Over medium heat, spray a large skillet with cooking spray.
Step 2 –Add the sausage to the skillet and cook, crumbling it with a wooden spoon, until it is no longer pink, about 5-8 minutes.
Step 3 –Add the red onion, the bell pepper, the garlic, the spinach, and the olives to the sausage and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Step 4 –Add the basil, the oregano, the parsley, the garlic powder, the red pepper flakes, the tomato paste, and the tomato sauce to the sausage mixture and stir until everything is combined.
Step 5 –Add the quinoa and 1 cup of the water to the sausage mixture and stir to combine.
Step 6 –When the mixture starts to bubble, cover the skillet with a lid and cook on medium-low heat until the quinoa is cooked and the liquid is mostly absorbed, about 20 minutes. Add more water if the mixture starts to seem a little dry.
Step 7 –Top with the mozzarella cheese and cover the lid again until the cheese is melted, about 1 minute.
Step 8 –Taste for seasoning and add the salt and the pepper as needed.
Step 9 –Serve immediately.
