This Whole30 Pizza Casserole is the ultimate in healthy comfort food! Made with wholesome, low carb ingredients, this low carb Pizza Casserole is a crowd pleaser. You can have this yummy weeknight dinner on the table for a variety of diets–including Paleo, Whole30, and AIP!
What is Whole30 Pizza Casserole?
This Whole30 Pizza Casserole is your new favorite weeknight dinner, meal prep lunch, and cozy comfort food! Whole30 Pizza Casserole takes all the best parts of the pizza and makes it low carb and healthy.
The best part is that you can customize this casserole for a variety of diets, including AIP, Paleo, and Keto. Let’s look at the key components of this yummy pizza casserole!
Cheese (dairy free or regular!)
Regardless of which type of cheese you choose (I provide you with 2 dairy free options and 1 full dairy option), it gives this Whole30 Pizza Casserole a boost of delicious fats and turns it into a gooey comfort dish.
If you are following the Keto diet and/or tolerate dairy, I highly recommend including mozzarella cheese! Go for raw, grass-fed, fresh mozzarella if you can find it.
If you can’t tolerate dairy, this dairy-free cheese sauce or this zucchini cheese will give a similar taste and gooey-ness!
Marinara Sauce
It’s not pizza without the marinara! A simple (preferably no sugar added!) marinara sauce gives this Whole30 Pizza Casserole a quintessential Italian taste.
If you’re following the AIP protocol, sub the marinara sauce for this easy, nightshade-free Nomato sauce.
Spaghetti Squash
Spaghetti squash gives this Whole30 Pizza Casserole an amazing toothsome texture while keeping it low carb. Plus, it boosts the nutrient profile of this dish with the antioxidants Vitamin C and beta carotene. If you’re following the Keto diet, you can replace this with cauliflower florets.
How to Make Whole30 Pizza Casserole
This Whole30 Pizza Casserole is really easy to throw together because it only has six ingredients!
First, make sure you have cooked spaghetti squash on hand. The easiest way I’ve found to cook spaghetti squash is by cooking it in the Instant Pot. I share exactly how to cook your spaghetti squash in the Instant Pot in this post.
If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can slice it widthwise (be very careful and use a very sharp knife!), remove the seeds, coat with oil, and roast face down on a baking sheet for about 30-40 minutes, or until a fork just pierces the flesh. This method creates long strands. Create your ‘strands’ by raking a fork over the roasted squash, collecting the strands in a bowl. Set aside.
Now you’ll saute your onions over medium heat until translucent, adding your sausage or ground beef after a few minutes. Brown your meat until it’s no longer pink, then add your marinara (or Nomato sauce, for AIP), salt, and cheese (or dairy-free ‘cheese’ sauce.)
Add your meat sauce to the bowl with your spaghetti squash, along with any additional add-ins like basil, black olives, or mushrooms. Allow the mixture to cool a little so your eggs won’t scramble when you pour them in. Once it’s cooled, stir in your whisked eggs (simply omit for AIP.)
Press your mixture into an 11”x7” casserole dish, bake at 400 degrees for 45-55 minutes, and top with fresh basil, olives, and even pepperoni if desired!
How to Freeze Whole30 Pizza Casserole
I love how easy this Whole30 Pizza Casserole is to freeze and re-heat. It’s perfect for bulk cooking and meal prep!
To store, allow it to come to room temperature then cover the casserole dish with foil or a beeswax wrap. It will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Alternatively, you can slice it into individual portions and store in airtight glass containers for meal prep.
To freeze, it’s best to slice into individual portions and either store each one in its own freezer bag or wrap with parchment paper and store in one large bag.
To re-heat, allow the casserole slices to thaw before warming through in a 400 degree oven until bubbly!
What to Serve with Whole30 Pizza Casserole
This Whole30 Pizza Casserole can serve as a stand-alone dish, but you can up the veggie count by serving alongside a dinner salad or a cup or two of vegetables. A classic Italian salad or a bed of arugula would be amazing choices!
Are you a fan of the classic pizza and ranch dressing combo? Here’s my dairy free Whole30 Ranch Dressing recipe that is very convincing and absolutely delicious! I love drizzling it on top of this dish.
Other recipes you'll love:
- Bacon Cheeseburger Skillet (AIP, Whole30)
- Bacon Chicken Ranch Casserole (AIP, Whole30)
- Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos (AIP, Whole30)
Whole30 Pizza Casserole (Low Carb, AIP)
Ingredients
- 1 large spaghetti squash, about 3 pounds, cooked
- 2 pounds sausage, can substitute ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cups marinara sauce, no sugar added for Whole30 and Keto, use this Nomato Sauce for AIP
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs, omit completely for AIP
- ‘Cheese’ sauce from this recipe for Whole30, Paleo, and AIP, or 1-½ cup mozzarella cheese for Keto or dairy option
- Optional add ins: basil, black olives, diced onion, mushrooms, pepperonis, zucchini cheese (it actually melts!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cook spaghetti squash. My favorite way is in the Instant Pot, which I explained in this blog post.
- Remove seeds and peel from squash and add to a large bowl.
- Saute onion, add sausage and cook through.
- Add marinara sauce (or Nomato Sauce for AIP) to sauce pan, along with salt and cheese or ‘cheese’ sauce.
- Add the meat sauce to the bowl with the spaghetti squash and any optional add ins, and let the sauce cool a bit. Then stir in the whisked eggs.
- Press into an 11”x7” baking pan, and bake for 45-55 minutes.
- Garnish with any add ins you choose.
Notes
For Keto:
- Use 1 1/2 cups fresh, mozzarella cheese in place of the dairy free cheese, and replace the spaghetti squash with 2 large heads of cauliflower, cut into florets.
For AIP:
- Use dairy free cheese option, omit eggs, replace marinara sauce with Nomato Sauce
If using fresh or frozen cauliflower, would you cook prior to putting into the oven?
The portion amounts come to two and a half times the amount that will fit in an 11×7.
My son, a real meat and potatoes man who seems to be allergic to anything that resembles a veggie, actually went back for thirds on this one!