This recipe can be made ahead and reheats well. It can be adapted and changed for the veggies you like or have on hand. You can use ready made sauce or make your own. It makes a family sized 9 x 13 portion, but you can cut the recipe in half if necessary. It makes great left overs for lunch.
Paleo Italian Bake
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This recipe can be made ahead and reheats well. Use the veggies, sauce and meat options you like.
Author: Melanie Dearing
Course: Main
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 12
Ingredients
- ½ lb. gluten free Italian sausage (can make your own with ground pork and Italian seasonings)
- ½ lb. ground beef (can also use ground chicken or turkey)
- 1 large spaghetti squash (or 4 large zucchini spiralized or julienne cut, can add carrots as well)
- 2 tbsp. healthy oil of choice (oil, avocado, sesame...)
- ½ cup diced onion
- ¼ cup diced green pepper (optional)
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
- 3 cups Italian red sauce of choice ( ready made pizza, marinara, spaghetti or homemade)
- 3 eggs whisked
- Dairy free/soy free cheese (optional - I use Daiya mozzarella)
- Italian seasons of choice (garlic, basil, oregano, parsley)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Prepare and bake veggie choices. ( I cut 5 or 6 deep slits into a whole spaghetti squash and bake for 30 minutes until tender, then cut in half, clean out seed and shred with fork. This can be done ahead of time and kept in refrigerator in a closed container. Zucchini and carrots can be spirilized or julienne cut and baked flat on greased cookie sheet until barely tender and moisture is reduced.)
- Veggies can be tossed with 1 tbsp. oil and seasoning if desired.
- Add whisked eggs to veggies and mix well
- Place vegetable mix into grease baking dish.
- Brown meat together and drain.
- Sauté onions, peppers and mushrooms in 1 tbsp. oil and add to meat mixture.
- Add red sauce to meat mixture.
- Place meat mixture on top of vegetables in pan and bake 45 minutes until bubbly. Add cheese if using and heat until cheese is melted (10 min.)
- Remove and allow to cool 5 min. before serving
