ZUCCHINI PIZZA CASSEROLE

Okay- This might be a long story. I cooked today and that in itself is a long story. It seemed to take forever! Judy posted this recipe on Facebook a while back and since someone had blessed me with a humongous zucchini I decided to keep the recipe, you know, in case I became inspired to actually cook the darn thing and not sneak it into the garbage can in the middle of the night. So today I became inspired. Who knew!! This dish calls for a 9 x 13 glass casserole. I do not have a 9 x 13 glass casserole and that is why you see two dishes in the pictures above. Hey, it worked out just fine. This recipe is a three step recipe. I have not tackled a 3 stepper for, let us guess, many, many years. It is delicious!!!

I plan to put it in my "When someone gives you a really big zucchini " file. And for those of you who know Butch and his aversion to vegetables he ate it and liked it! So I guess this story isn't very long after all. Thanks Judy for the really great recipe.


   ZUCCHINI PIZZA CASSEROLE        8/24/2013

Author:    Judy Lowary

* Ingredients:
* 4 cups shredded zucchini (about 5 small zucchini's)
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 2 eggs
* 2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
* 2 oz. cheese (I used mozzarella and cheddar)
* 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
* 1 lb. ground beef
* 2 oz. pepperoni, chopped
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 2 cups spaghetti sauce
* 1 medium bell pepper, chopped
* 4 oz. cheddar or mozzarella cheese (or a mix of both)
* Directions:



Shred zucchini. Mix the zucchini with 2 eggs, Parmesan cheese, 2 oz. of
cheese
and Italian seasoning. Press the zucchini mixture into the bottom of a
lightly
greased 9 x 13 in. glass baking dish. Bake the crust uncovered for 20
minutes at
400 degrees.

While the crust bakes, brown the ground beef in a large pan. Add in the
onion, pepperoni and spaghetti sauce and cook until onion is soft, about 5 - 7
minutes.
Remove the crust from the oven. Pour the meat and sauce over the
crust. Top with peppers, sprinkle with 4 oz. of cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes at 400 or until the pizza is heated through and the
cheese is melted and slightly browned. Allow the dish to stand for 2 - 3 minutes
before slicing and serving.