Deep Dish Pizza Casserole
This recipe was delicious and very filling (the serving size is huge). I added some seasonings that sounded good to me and also mushrooms, just to fill it out a little more and include a vegetable. You could probably lighten it up even further by using less cheese but I decided to use the amount listed since I’d never made it before, It turned out delicious, so if you like cheese, go ahead and use the full amount. Once it cooled a bit the corner pieces could actually be picked up and eaten like a real piece of deep dish pizza, but I’d recommend using a knife and fork for the most part because that could get a little messy. This was super quick & easy to make and came out great so I’ll definitely make it again.
Deep Dish Pizza Casserole
This Deep Dish Pizza Casserole is full of flavor with huge servings for an easy, satisfying meal!
Ingredients
- 1 lb 95% lean ground beef
- 15 oz can tomato sauce
- Oregano to taste
- Onion Powder to taste
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes to taste
- Cooking Spray
- 8 oz mushrooms, sliced or chopped
- 10 oz can refrigerated pizza crust dough
- 6 oz shredded reduced fat mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425
- Cook meat (seasoned with oregano, onion powder & crushed red pepper flakes to taste) in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, stirring until it crumbles. Add mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are browned a bit as well. Add tomato sauce and cook until heated.
- While meat cooks, coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Unroll pizza crust dough and press into bottom and halfway up the sides of baking dish. Sprinkle half the cheese over the bottom of the crust. Top with meat mixture.
- Bake uncovered in the oven at 425 for 12 minutes. Remove and top with remaining cheese. Put casserole back in the oven for 5 additional minutes or until crust is browned and cheese is melted. Cool 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
317 calories, 29 g carbs, 6 g sugars, 11 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 28 g protein, 2 g fiber (from myfitnesspal.com) MyWW SmartPoints per (1/6 of the recipe) serving: (SP calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com) Green: 8 SmartPoints/ Blue: 8 SmartPoints/ Purple: 8 SmartPoints Weight Watchers Points Plus:
9 per serving (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com) Adapted from Cooking Light
317 calories, 29 g carbs, 6 g sugars, 11 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 28 g protein, 2 g fiber (from myfitnesspal.com) MyWW SmartPoints per (1/6 of the recipe) serving: (SP calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com) Green: 8 SmartPoints/ Blue: 8 SmartPoints/ Purple: 8 SmartPoints Weight Watchers Points Plus:
9 per serving (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com) Adapted from Cooking Light
Calories: 317kcal
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review below!
I made this last night and it is very good. However, my crust definitely didn’t look like that but it won’t keep me from trying it again.
I plan to post pics of it on my new blog today.
I made this for dinner Sunday and have been eating the leftovers for lunch ever since! I even forgot to mix in any spices/seasoning and it was still great!
How do you think it would be with an italian turkey sausage instead of beef? I just think that the texture would be a bit better. But the rest of it sounds awesome!! Definitely going to try it.
I’m sure that would be delicious! I loved it with beef but if it turns out well with Italian sausage let me know and I’ll try it sometime for a little twist. 🙂
Loved this!!!
Tried this tonight and it was delish, the kids really enjoyed it oo so that means it’s a keeper! Thanks for your awesome recipes 🙂
I made this last night! I did make a couple of changes to it though. I gave up beef for lent so instead I used some venison that I already had in the freezer and I also added a can of black olives that I had just lying around at home too. I thought it was pretty tasty! Will definitely be making it again. It was easy and made a lot of food! Not very expensive to make either!
I posted a picture of mine on my blog 🙂
Recently found your blog through a WW’s friend. Made this tonight & it turned out great, just like the pizza I’d order. I added jalapenos because I like spice & I normally order beef & jalapenos on my pizza. Where has this recipe been all my life…lol. Thanks so much for sharing it!
Oh my goodness this is yummy! I made this last night and tonight we had the Best Lasgana Ever…it was wonderful as well! Thanks for all the great recipes!
I just made this tonight! I doubled the mushrooms and added 2 cans of pineapple to up my veggie/fruit servings!
Loved it, but I way over seasoned it!
Just made this tonight, and it was fabulous! My husband (who is very picky) even loved it! It will be a regular in our household every few weeks. Thanks for posting!
Made this for dinner tonight- Excellent! & Very Filling! Thank you!
Glad you all love this recipe! I actually haven’t made it in a while (it’s hard to find time to make repeats when I want to keep posting new recipes) but I’m definitely putting it on the list to make again soon. All your adaptations sound delicious!
emily! this was delicious- a huge hit in my house! i threw some pickled jalopenos on it and it was devoured 🙂
i was wondering if you could help me brainstorm a white pizza version of this? i was thinking diced chicken breast, spinach and broccoli.. but not sure how to put it together lol
-Vanessa
Hey Vanessa that sounds good….made with some sort of Alfredo sauce? Emily what do you think?
Vikki
Vanessa I made a white pizza version with chicken, bell peppers and pineapple, and I used light alfredo sauce! It turned out really yummy!
Where do you get 95% lean ground beef? The leanest I’ve found around my area in Ohio is 92% lean. Where are you shopping? Does it have a special name or brand?
Thanks!
Hm, I’m not sure what grocery stores you have near you but all the grocery stores in my area sell ground beef by 5% increments (80%, 85%, 90%, 95%) so 95% is what I have available to me. I live in Buffalo, NY and shop at either Wegmans or Tops. The beef isn’t a special brand, it’s just what they carry in the meat dept.
Can anyone in Ohio help Ashley out?
Ashley, let us know what grocery stores you have available near you and I’ll see if anyone knows anything.
There’s a Kroger, Community Market, Meijer, Wal-Mart, and Bassett’s IGA. I know Bassett’s is only a local thing in a few areas as I think Community Market is. We prefer not to buy meat products at Wal-Mart, however, because their products are not the best.
I appreciate your fast response! There used to be a Tops in the area, but went out of business before I was even in high school.
Hey Emily do you remember the old pt value for this? thanks!
Sorry, I never made this before the switch to Points+! I always just use the current WW recipe builder to determine the P+
On the subject of ground beef. If you cannot find extra lean ground beef, buy a lean cut, chunk it and process it in a food processor a few pieces at a time. It is fresh and you know exactly what is in it! In Ohio there are Giant Eagle super stores that carry extra lean ground meat. (They tried to copy Wegman’s but nobody can) You can also ask the meat person to grind your meat for you and they will be happy to do so.
Thanks! Hopefully Ashley will come back and read this! 🙂
Does this freeze well? Its such a good recipe but hard to make for just 1 person!
thanks
I just made this for a second time and added green pepper along with the mushrooms. lets see how it turns out! 🙂 First tummy was super yummy!
Yum, I’m sure it will be great. Sound like a good add in!
This is by far my favorite recipe on the site, I have been making this at least once a week since I saw it (I lovvvve pizza!) I just use Ground Chicken vs Ground Beef. Soooo good!
So happy to hear you love it! 🙂
I made this tonight but only used .5 lb of meat. I was looking for a super quick meal and we had that much in leftovers. Everyone loved it. Thank you
Glad it was a hit, Miranda!
Made this tonight and it was a success! LOVE the portion size!
Happy you loved it, Sam! 🙂
This was FANTASTIC!! My husband and I both absolutely loved it! I’m so excited to try some of the other dishes now. Thanks so much for posting!
I’m so glad you and your husband both loved this! Let me know what else you try 🙂
Made this tonight and it was fabulous!! Just found your site and am so looking forward to making some new recipes!
I’m so happy you loved it! Let me know what else you end up making!
I made this for me and the DBF last week and we both loooooved it. I actually swapped the beef for a 9.6-oz package of Jimmy Dean turkey sausage crumbles (yes, they are apparently made for breakfast but they went great on the pizza!) and added about 3/4C chopped onions as well. Afterward I also thought some black olives would have been great on it. Switching the meat (and using less) brought it to 8PP a serving, and VERY satisfying! Love all your recipes, thanks!
This was good, but left me unsatisfied.
MMMM mine is in the oven right now! I accidentally added all the cheese at once but I’m sure it won’t be too big of a tragedy! I also did italian turkey sausage and zucchini instead of beef (it’s what I had!). Looks and smells great. 🙂
I would be very interested in any tips anyone has for working with pizza dough. This was certainly delicious but with the amount of time it took me to work with the dough to get it spread evenly in the pan (and up the sides), I am not sure I would make it again. My mom, a seasoned Italian cook, was even like “Oh yeah. Pizza dough is a pain in the arse.” Thanks for any feedback!
I didn’t worry about spreading it evenly. Just stretch it out and spread it up the sides a bit. The sides of mine and especially the corners where it overlapped were thicker than the bottom. You can’t tell a difference in unevenness when you’re eating it. It’s all still yummy!
Was GREAT!! Will definitely make again!!
How would I go about freezing this? Before or after it is cooked?
Made it tonight! Love it! thank you!!!!
Just made it last night, it was delicious! I added a yellow bell pepper, an onion and some tomato paste to the mix. Since I had a 16 oz pizza dough (from TJ’s), I made a bigger casserole, yielding eight pieces (8 PP+ each) in total. My husband and two-year-old loved it too! I froze some leftover pieces and hope they’ll still be as good when I have them for lunch next week. Thanks for the great recipe!
Made this for dinner tonight. It was so yummy. I also added red and green peppers and made my own dough instead of using frozen. It was super good and am looking forward to leftovers for dinner tomorrow night!
we had this for dinner tonight and it was excellent. thanks for the great recipe.
Made this for dinner tonight and it was wonderful! I added sliced green olives to half and I can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow. Even my picky husband loved it, thanks!
This was great, even the kids loved it. Thanks for sharing!
This was delicious! I added black olives and turkey pepperoni. I’m going to love the leftovers!
Second time making this. First time I made it as is. This time instead of mushrooms I added half of a small diced onion to the ground beef while it browned, sliced black olives on top of the sauce mix before it was cooked, and then a little reduced fat parmesan cheese before I added the last layer of Mozzarella. Yummo! This is so versatile to add your own toppings to and still keep it light. Thanks Emily!!!!
I made this tonight and it was great. The serving size was awesome. I was completely stuffed, and you would never know it was a light meal.
I sauteed an onion along with a bunch of mushrooms before adding them to the sauce. I think I’ll add more veggies like spinach and zucchini next time.
Hi Emily – I’m one of your stalkers lately, here and on IG. LOL! I’m trying to make every single recipe, if I can. Anyways, I don’t have any pizza dough – do you think refrigerated biscuit dough would work?
I added some onion, garlic and green pepper to the meat (I used ground turkey) and omitted the mushrooms and this turned out really well. It was pretty messy, so we ate it in bowls with a spoon, but the flavor was great with a little added zest.
Made this last night and it was easy and delicious! I put spinach under the first layer of cheese and it cooked beautifully. Thank you for another great recipe!
This is one of my go-to favorites. I switch out the ground beef for a 9.6oz bag of Jimmy Dean Breakfast Ssauage Crumbles. In this mix you don’t get “Breakfasty” taste at all and I add chopped onions and garlic along with the mushrooms, chopped finely. Takes it down to 8PP!
This was delicious & I will definitely make it again! My hubby enjoyed it too 🙂
Made this last night and it was wonderful – quick, tasty, huge portions! My family enjoyed it. I’ll see tonight how leftovers of it go over – thanks Emily! Next on my list is the chicken parm casserole 🙂
So glad you loved it! 🙂
Emily, I was introduced to your page by a fan and scoured your pages for this recipe and I’m so glad I did!! I didn’t spray the pan so it stuck a little, I used turkey instead of beef and added onion, green pepper, pineapple and tomato to the mushrooms. Huge hit with my kids and I will DEFINITELY be making this again!! Loved it! You have just gotten a fan! Keep the recipes coming!
My husband and I love this recipe and it is a regular in our house. Neither of us like mushrooms, so in place I add sauteed green bell pepper and red onion (our favorite pizza toppings!). It turns out fabulous every time and fills that craving for pizza. One of the many recipes from here that I love!
I’m using turkey pepperoni, banana peppers, black olives and onion. So nice to have a delicious and healthy pizza recipe! I also like to bake the crust for about 5-8 minutes before adding the toppings. That way I can be sure it won’t be soggy.
Hi Emily
Your recipes are SO GOOD! Last night, I made the Ruben Muffin Cups. I’m doing Smart Points, and I’m really liking it. I want to make this recipe tomorrow (Deep Dish Pizza Casserole) I calculated 9 WW Smart Points using the WW calculator, & the nutritional information you supplied. Is that the correct way to figure, or should I put the ingredients in the recipe builder?
I suggest using the recipe builder. With the new program, the WW recipe builder no longer counts the points for “free” fruits and vegetables in recipes (a change from the recipe builder used for PointsPlus), so the SP values you get from the recipe builder can be very different than the ones you calculate using the nutrition information, depending on a recipe’s fruit an vegetable content. I’m working my way backward calculating the SPs for all my recipes using the recipe builder, but this is an oldie so it might be a couple weeks before I get to it. I promise I’m moving as quickly as I can! Thanks for your patience. 🙂
Hi Emily…
I absolutely love your recipes! I’ve made this pizza recipe several times. It’s a hit every time I make it! Tonight, I decided to make it a thin crust pizza, so I used a cookie sheet. I spread the dough thin, added the beef mixture, baked it for 12 minutes, took it out of the oven, added the cheese, and baked it for another five minutes, until the cheese melted. It was fabulous!
Thanks again for all of your wonderful recipe.
Could you make this recipe using a package of crescent rolls instead of pizza crust? I only have crescent rolls on hand and don’t feel like running to the store, ha! Do you think it would still bake the same?
I’m enjoying reading all your posts, gals and looking forward to trying this recipe. I do have a questions I’ve asked WW Chat but got no specific answer. I’ve browned 80/20 hamburger and then rinsed it with boiling water to get rid of the extra grease. I’ve also boiled hamburger and drained off the water. It might seem like I’ve washed/rinsed away flavor but haven’t found that to be so…by adding seasoning and sauces it has tasted fine. Could this be an alternative to the extra lean hamburger question? Any input will be greatly appreciated!
Made this tonight using a 2 ingredient pizza dough recipe for the crust. Added some onion, peppers, and pepperoni. This will definitely be on our dinner table regularly. Thanks for a great casserole recipe!