Craving a little Italy in your life?

This could literally be your answer!

   At my usual grocery store, they have a 'bulk foods' section with all of the barrels of nuts, dried fruit, candies and more. They also have bulk seasonings and one of my very favorites was "Pizza Blend". It was salt-free and hit all of the right notes to give nearly anything that pizza flavor: oregano, garlic, crushed red pepper, fennel, etc. Well.....they stopped carrying it and even though I pitched a big, fat tantrum, it was a corporate decision and "It ain't comin' back, lady." 

   I didn't realize just how often I actually used pizza blend seasoning until I didn't have it anymore. Apparently I used it all the time! So I looked up a recipe and went back to the bulk foods section. A dash of this, a sprinkle of that and voila! Pizza Blend is back on my spice rack again! 

   While fat-head dough pizza is amazingly delicious, I was craving more of a casserole dish....lasagna, to be exact, so I went to work in my creative kitchen. I brought all of the flavors of lasagna together in this dish, and added a non-traditional pepperoni layer for flavor and color. I served it over zucchini noodles, ribbons would do too, as would hollowed-out zucchini boats. I've also had it on a plate with a side salad, and you know what? I don't even miss the lasagna noodles, not one bit. All the flavors are right there, and my mouth is happy. 

   Buon appetito!!

Italian Casserole

(Serves 8)

2 lbs. ground beef, 80/20

1/2 c. chopped white or yellow onion

1-2 Tbl Italian seasoning (or pizza blend, if you have it)

1 Tbl. crushed red pepper, if desired

2 c. fresh basil leaves, roughly torn

2 Tbl. tomato bouillon powder, not cubes 

5 oz pepperoni slices

4 c. whole milk ricotta cheese (look for no more than 2gm carbs per 1/4 c. serving)

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1c. shredded parmesan cheese

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Preheat oven to 350*. 

Brown ground beef in large pan on stove. When half way cooked through, add chopped onion to pan to sauté with beef. Cook beef until done; do not drain. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper, to your liking, and stir well to combine. 

Using a spatula, evenly spread the beef and onion mixture into a 9x13 baking pan.

Place pepperoni slices evenly on top of beef layer.

Spread fresh basil leaves evenly across pepperoni layer.

Stir ricotta cheese to loosen it up a bit and then place large dollops (about 1/2 c. each) of ricotta cheese on top of basil leaves. Using the spatula, spread ricotta from dollop to dollop, trying to not disturb the basil leaves. The goal is to cover up the leaves completely so they do not brown and become bitter. 

Once ricotta is spread evenly, top with all of the mozzarella cheese, followed by the parmesan cheese. 

Sprinkle the top of the casserole with more Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper, if desired.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until bubbly and cheese is melted and brown around edges.

Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

This casserole is wonderful served over barely steamed zucchini noodles, or alongside a bright green salad with Italian dressing. 

Nutrition info: 

Calories: 749, Protein 54g, 55g Fat, 7 gm Carbs, 0 Fiber