Healthy Pizza Casserole

POP QUIZ !!

Fill in the blank:

You've had a long week. You've finished your fourth final. You want to lay in bed with a splash over 5 ounces of Cabernet, cuddle with your snuggie, watch Mean Girls, and INHALE a plate of ____ .

What's your answer??

Regina George would prob say cheese fries.

I'd flip a coin to decide between a THICC slice of Chicago pizza or a casserole OOZING with cheese.

There's just something SOOO comfy and cozy about pizza & casseroles, especially after a 60 multiple choice Nutri Sci exam. ( ironic much !! )

The freezing Wisco winter and stress from finals have me CRAVING comfort food, so I decided to make 4 weeks of comfort food recipes that won't pack on the lb's. Summer bodies are made in the winter after all!

This week, I couldn't decide between my two favorite savory comfort foods ( I also don't have any coins to flip - just venmo... ) SO I decided to make a recipe with both!

Who says you need to pick one comfort food? AND why not add a healthy spin to slash calories, carbs, and fat?

How FETCH is that? 😉

This recipe is everything you need after a long week of finals in the dead of winter... AND MORE !! The secret to healthifying this recipe is almost too simple - swap out your regular pasta for Banza pasta!

Get this:

Banza pasta is made from chickpeas, so it has more fiber and protein! I also love Banza because it looks, tastes, and feels exactly like regular pasta BUT gives you more bang for your bite:

BANZA

25 grams of protein

13 grams of fiber

43 net carbs

AVERAGE JOE PASTA

13 grams protein

3 grams fiber

71 net carbs

What better way to rally through a Netflix binge that with a nutrient packed slice of Pizza Casserole?!

RECIPE

1/2 lb. ground turkey

4 ounces Banza pasta (dry)

1 1/4 cup marinara sauce ( Raos )

1 cup low fat mozzarella

1/2 cup mushrooms

1/4 onion

turkey pepperoni

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cook the Banza pasta to al dente. While the Banza pasta cooks, brown the ground turkey with the onion. Drain excess fat. Stir in Banza pasta, marinara sauce, mozzarella, and mushrooms. Pour into an 8x8 pan. Sprinkle turkey pepperoni and extra mozzarella on top. Cover with foil and bake for 20-30 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

What is your go-to comfort food?

ENJOY !!

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