A delicious low-carb, keto pizza casserole for families! The flavors of your favorite pepperoni pizza of the past will come alive in this comforting casserole dish!
With spaghetti squash as a base, this casserole is not only low carb, but even those not monitoring their carbohydrate intake will enjoy dinner!
A sneaky way to get your pizza fix with no dairy and no grains.
This dish is so darn convincing, that my super picky veggie-averse children even gobbled this down. And not just the first time: we have made this four times already! A delicious, comforting casserole perfect just about anytime of the year!
Anything that resembles pizza is definitely worth a try since my kids happily consume just about any pizza in any form.
Every single person who has had this dish LOVES it, and asks for the recipe…so TRUST ME!
Spaghetti squash may be new to some of you, but this simple, mild squash has a lovely little secret: when cooked al dente, the squash shreds in to noodlely (not a word, sue me!) threads that resemble noodles…but better! With only 40 calories a cup….and no difficult grains to digest, this casserole is a low-carb gem.
Dig in people…any dish so loaded with veggies and flavor should be a must on our menus!
Keto pizza casserole ingredient notes:
- To roast a spaghetti squash, please see my post on how to PERFECTLY cook your squash! I have found the key to enjoying this squash is to NOT overcook it! While there are many methods, I consistently come back this oven roasting method as it gives me more control over the doneness!
- I have used ground beef in this recipe…but any ground meat or sausage are delicious too!
- While any jarred spaghetti sauce will work, we like to use my homemade tomato sauce whenever I have some on hand!!
- Here’s a similar idea if spaghetti squash isn’t your thing! Mushroom pizza stuffed zucchini boats.
Want more low carb dinners to try?
- This keto pesto casserole uses spaghetti squash too! SO make plenty of squash in one sitting, and you’ll have enough to make TWO dinners!
- My family loves this bacon cheeseburger soup! It also sneaks in a whole of undetectable veg!
- Instant Pot chicken abobo is quick and easy to make!
- I was so happy to perfect this Instant Pot cube steak recipe!
- I love this cabbage with keilbasa!
Keto Pizza Casserole Recipe:
If you try this low carb casserole, be sure to come back and leave a comment and rating!
Paleo Pepperoni Pizza Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 8 ounces pepperoni, chopped & divided (we like Applegate Farms w/ no nitrates and dairy free)
- 1 onion diced small
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon oregano basil, and thyme
- 4 cups spaghetti squash noodles apx, see cooking notes above
- 2 cups favorite spaghetti sauce - we use my Homemade Blender Pasta Sauce
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup Daiya mozzarella cheese or pecorino romano and few tablespoons extra for sprinkling, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the ground beef, 1/2 of the pepperoni, onion, and garlic.
- As the ground meat cooks, sprinkle in the seasonings. Taste (when cooked!) and add more to your liking if necessary.
- In a large bowl, mix the warm beef mixture, spaghetti sauce, squash threads, eggs, and cheese of choice.
- Place into a greased casserole dish ( I used a 9 X 9).
- Top with the remaining pepperoni and a sprinkling of cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.
Nutrition
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This is too good! I made it for myself because it sounded delicious never thinking my husband would eat spaghetti squash, but he devours it every time I make it. Great recipe!
I know Dottie…this one wins over the skeptics over and over! Glad you liked it! Thanks for coming back and letting me know!
I loved this!! And I didn’t even use cheese. Thanks for a great recipe.
Nice! I am so glad you enjoyed it! So much flavor from the pepperoni. ground beef, and tomato sauce anyways!
Made this last night for the 2nd time but without meat (just because). I added a few more pepperoni. Hubs went back for seconds!
Thanks Danielle!!
My sister in law gave me this recipe and it was a hit! (And my husband doesn’t like spaghetti squash) 😉
This is a good recipe to win over skeptics Danielle! Glad it worked in your house too!
I would love to try your blender pasta sauce
This was delicious! I thought it would be good but it was even better than I expected! My husband, who usually isn’t a big fan of Italian type foods, really enjoyed it, and my 16 month old had three (toddler size) servings! The only thing I did differently was to use less pepperoni. I had about 4 oz left over from a different recipe and I thought that was just the right amount. I will definitely be making this again!!
I agree Jessi, it is surprisingly good…even for the picky ones! Thanks for your feedback!
You’ve answered my pizza-craving prayers! I used turkey pepperoni and skipped the cheese, but otherwise prepared the recipe as written. Delicious! This is going into the regular rotation.
Yay Bake Up Little suzy! I am glad it satisfied some cravings!
Just made this for the second time and it is still amazingly delicious. It is easy to pack and I make it for the week for lunch. Thanks for a great recipe! 🙂
Thanks for the feedback Suzette!
We just had this for dinner – it was so good! I will definitely make this again! Thanks for the great recipe.
I love this recipe. I’ve made it a few times, and even the hubby loves it!
I made this last night and had to use pancetta b/c we were out of pepperoni. My kids saw me cooking the squash and kept saying “do we have to eat that?” I just smiled and filled the kitchen with delicious smells of hamburger, onions, and pancetta cooking. They gobbled it down and asked if there were enough leftovers for tonight! When I asked them how they liked the spaghetti squash in it they said “Oh, we just thought you forgot to feed us that and kept our mouths shut about it! It was in the hamburger stuff?”
I tried this recipe this week and it is AMAZING! Even my co-workers that do not eat Paleo loved it so much I brought in the leftovers for everyone for lunch! SO GOOD!
We eat in 2 shifts (kids first and my husband and I eat later). Have you reheated? Just wondering how the spaghetti squash would hold up.
yep, this casserole will work well for you Sara!
Well I have to say this is my first attempt at dealing with spaghetti squash. I have been trying to switch to a paleo diet (trying being the key word!) and stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest. This was pretty easy to make, though i am not sure how you fit it in a 9×9 pan cause it filled my 13×9 quite nicely.
Well it definitely passed the taste test! I will be keeping this in my recipe box. Hope it keeps well as leftovers 🙂
Spaghetti sqaush come in all sizes, yours could have been a biggy! Thanks for sharing your feedback SHannon!
Can you make this ahead and bake the next day?
I have done it for a couple of new moms to rave reviews!
Could you leave out the eggs for egg-allergy? What would be a good substitute? Chia egg?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Kristy, the egg helps bind the casserole as the spaghetti sqaush releases water. I have done this without eggs and noticed a very subtle difference…just a bit more moist is all. Any binder that absorbs water should work fine too!
Made this last night to rave reviews. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you for sharing this goodness! I am a real person feeding real people and I loved it…It feed a deep craving for pizza & so much more! Thanks!
I think it is super satisfying too Emily’ thank you for taking a moment to let me know!
Was looking for an alternate recipe for Spaghetti Squash and this is fantastic. Was worried after test tasting that it would be bland, but the finished product has a lot of flavor. Next time I’ll add some red pepper flakes, just ‘cuz I like them on my pizza, but this is great as as. Thanks for the recipe. This is going in my favorites.
So glad…I know I always worry about the bland thing too…I love full flavors!! We add pepper flakes to ours, our kids just won’t go for them! Thanks for commenting and providing feedback…always valuable!
This sounds great – I have just found spaghetti squash and am excited to have a new recipe!
I would love to have you share this on Thursday at Tasty Traditions: http://myculturedpalate.com/
Featuring this tonight my friend. Such a great recipe! 🙂
What a fun idea.Who needs the crust anyway. This looks heavenly.
I love the word noodlely 🙂 This sounds like such a delicious casserole and I love that it uses spaghetti squash instead of noodles.
Hi Tessa,
This looks so amazing and simple! Thanks for another great dinner recipe my friend.
Hope you’re all well! Miss you…we need to catch up soon. Busy on this end with the big move coming up here soon. But right now I’m focusing on our Nutcracker performances and Thanksgiving. (each year me and Sky dance in a local ballet production of the Nutcracker…and rehearsals are off the hook…and we perform the Fri/Sat/Sun after Thanksgiving…it’s a busy few days, but fun). 🙂
I think you will love it Amber…a must try! It has been so quiet over your way..but it doesn’t mean I am not thinking of you! There are only so many hours in a day…and it sounds like you are spending them well with your daughter! Have fun!
Oh my WORD! I made this for my crew (and my daughter’s friend) and last night and they absolutely LOVED it! Still talking about it today and having leftovers for lunch.
Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
Jen
I know Jen,it is a real people pleaser, regardless if you have food restrictions or not! I might be making this for dinner tonight again….sounds better than my other plan!
Got this tweeted and pinned! We do this all the time!! 🙂
This is on my menu plan this week! I can’t wait to make it! I LOVE spaghetti squash al dente too. It’s easy to make and takes on sauces well. I’ve used it as a side dish with pesto tossed in. So easy and yummy.
Thanks for posting! My kids are gonna love me for making this.
Jen
Hope you all love as much as we do Jen…al dente is the KEY!!
Um, yes. Holy cow, this looks gooood! Thanks for sharing on GAPS Friendly Friday, Tessa!
YUM! I want this for dinner tomorrow night! Super tasty dish my dear.
Tessa, you’re recipes ALWAYS catch my eye! I’m a paleo fan and an allergy-free baker. In fact, I’m making your pumpkin snickerdoodles today! Thanks for all of the inspiration!
Angie@ConsciousEatery
Tessa,
This looks amazing! What a great, practical, and EASY recipe! If I could have tomatoes, I’d make it in a heartbeat.
Megan
I made this the other day and my kids loved it too!