Video | Jump to Recipe | Pizza Casserole | Fajitas | Tacos | Chili | Burgers

You love eating low-carb, and it is working for you as far as weight loss, blood sugar control, and mental clarity, but you cannot get your family members to adopt your new lifestyle. 

It is a common challenge, and the last thing you want to do is cook two dinners every night. This blog post gives you an easy-to-cook recipe to meet your low-carb needs and your family’s higher-carb requests.

And, if you like this recipe, read on for four more meal ideas that can be converted from low-carb-friendly to family-friendly in one step. 

Low-Carb Pizza Casserole to Pasta Pizza Casserole – Family Solution [Video]

In this video, you’ll learn…

• Recipe for a Low Carb Pizza Casserole
• How to convert Pizza Casserole into Pasta Pizza Casserole
• Four other One-Step Conversion Meals

Pizza Casserole to Pasta Pizza Casserole

For an easy dinner solution for a family with different diet requests, you’ll make what we’ll call a one-step conversion meal. In this case, you’ll convert Pizza Casserole into Pasta Pizza Casserole. As you may have guessed, the one additional step is cooking pasta noodles. 

Low-Carb Pizza Casserole Recipe

Pizza Casserole Ingredients

Here are the ingredients I used to make the low-carb Pizza Casserole:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Ground Beef
• 1 cup Frozen Chopped Peppers & Onions
• 1 4oz can Sliced Mushrooms
• 1 tsp Minced Garlic
• 1 tsp Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
• 1⁄2 tsp Chili Powder
• 1 ½  cups Spaghetti Sauce (I used Rao’s brand)
• 1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 1 cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1 oz. Sliced Pepperoni

Note that you can use fresh vegetables or shred your own cheese. This recipe is meant for busy families. The ingredients I used are convenient and less perishable, so you can buy them and keep them on hand for a quick meal that everyone will eat. 

Pizza Casserole Directions

The first thing to do is preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). 

While you are waiting for the oven to heat up, put a skillet on the stove and brown the ground beef. I like to drain off excess grease, just so it’s not swimming in it. Then add the frozen peppers and onions, sliced mushrooms, minced garlic, and seasonings. Cook for a few minutes until the peppers and onions are tender. Then, stir in and heat the spaghetti sauce.

Transfer the mixture to an oven-safe dish. Top it with the cheese and pepperoni, and cook for 40 minutes.

Pizza Casserole with Pasta

While the pizza casserole is cooking in the oven, get a pot of water heated on the stove and cook the pasta for your family according to the package directions. 

And that is it. You are ready to sit down as a family and eat.

Pizza Casserole Nutrition

The pizza casserole makes four servings. Each serving has 11.3 total carbs. If you add a serving of pasta, turning the dish into pasta pizza casserole, the carb count per serving bumps up to 53.3 grams.

Do you have to feed your family pasta? No. It is my hope that this recipe without the pasta is a crowd-pleaser, so by all means, try it first without the pasta. 

Additional One-Step Conversion Meals

I often state that to succeed long-term, your diet must be easy to follow, enjoyable, and effective. Those are my 3Es, and when you have life set up to support those three Es, there’s no reason or desire to go back to your old habits. To get to that place, you need recipes that work for everyone. Here are four more one-step conversion meal ideas for you.

Fajita Bowl to Fajitas

Fajitas are crowd-pleasers, but the flour tortillas that they are traditionally served on are high in refined carbs. To meet your low-carb needs, swap the tortilla for a bowl of shredded lettuce. 

Here again, the ingredients are simple. I used pre-cooked pulled pork from Costco mixed with a packet of Fajita seasoning that I picked up from the grocery store. I also sautéed some bell peppers. Once everything is cooked, all you need is a head of lettuce, cheddar cheese, salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. 

Taco Salad to Tacos

Just like fajitas, taco meat goes great on a bowl of lettuce, allowing you to avoid the refined taco shells. 

Beanless Chili to Bean Chili

Chili can be made low-carb by making it without beans. There are many low-carb chili recipes online. Then, when you are ready to eat, heat a can of beans for those who want the carbs. 

Burger on Lettuce to Burger on a Bun

And for a quick meal that everyone loves, cook some burger patties. You can keep the meal low-carb by swapping the refined bun for a couple of leaves of lettuce. 

Takeaway

Let me close by saying that pasta, tortillas, taco shells, and burger buns are not healthy foods. They are refined carbohydrates that are very low in nutrients. If your goal is to lose weight, stabilize your blood sugar, or generally improve your health – avoid them. 

But I also work with a lot of people who have family members living under the same roof who want carbohydrates. There are times when you have to meet people where they are at. These one-step conversion meals save time and help to keep the peace at dinner time. 

Thank you for reading and have a wonderful week!

About the Author

Becky Gillaspy, DC, is the author of The Intermittent Fasting Guide and Cookbook and Zero Sugar / One Month. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with research honors from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1991.