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Cassi will be home in one more month!!! {insert happy dance}. I am excited for her return, and a little bit nervous about meeting a new daughter. The Cassi that left Iowa last year has grown and changed, and I am pretty sure she is a lot more independent! Just think about being 18 years old and traveling around Europe with your friends, with no supervision (remember the blue kamikazes?)
The Cassi that left here was a picky eater, not the worst, but she refused to eat certain things. She would not eat fish, Mexican food, or anything with spices, but now she does. The moms in Europe put food on your plate, and you eat it with no questions asked! Now that I know the secret, I can make whatever I want and make her eat it…like this Cheesy Pizza Pasta Casserole! 🙂
One thing that has not changed…..
Cassi’s love of McDonald’s french fries! It is nice to find familiar food when you are traveling:)
Cheesy Pizza Pasta Casserole is one of the dishes that last year’s Cassi would not have eaten. It has pepperoni and bell peppers…..the horror! She does like pizza, so this one is definitely going to be in rotation. Alex and I could not stop eating it. Some leftovers go into the refrigerator and never see the light of day again, but not this one.
How to make dairy-free Cheesy Pizza Pasta Casserole:
The first change that I made was the cream cheese…..not gonna happen! I substituted canned coconut milk…..
then I used veggie shreds mozzarella cheese which I apparently keep forgetting to get a picture of, but you get the idea. I topped the whole thing off with dairy-free Parmesan cheese…..
Boil pasta as per package directions, then drain and set aside.
In a skillet, saute onions and pepper in olive oil over medium-high heat.
Place pizza sauce in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat.
Add the coconut milk and stir.
Add the drained noodles, onion, pepper and pepperoni.
Pour half of the noodle mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish.
Sprinkle half of the cheese over the noodle mixture.
Cover with remaining noodles mixture. Cover with remaining cheese.
Sprinkle olives and oregano/parsley over the cheese.
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper (if using).
Turn on oven broiler. Place casserole dish on the bottom rack of the oven. Allow to broil until the cheese is melted.
So, so delicious!
More pizza inspired recipes:
Instant Pot Pepperoni Pizza Meatloaf
Meat Lover’s Pizza Rolls – like Italian egg rolls!
Just in case you need a Homemade Pizza Sauce recipe. 😉
Enjoy!!
Cheesy Pizza Pasta Casserole {dairy-free}
Ingredients
- 8 ounces penne pasta
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion sliced thin
- 1 medium red bell pepper sliced into thin strips
- 1 cup pizza sauce
- 1/4 cup full fat coconut milk substitute cream cheese if you do not need dairy-free
- 1/3 cup un-cured pepperoni slices sliced in half
- 1/4 cup sliced olives
- 1 Tablespoon fresh oregano or Italian parsley chopped
- 1 Tablespoon dairy-free Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper optional
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese I used veggie shreds
Instructions
- Boil pasta as per package directions, then drain and set aside.
- In a skillet, saute onions and pepper in olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Place pizza sauce in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat.
- Add the coconut milk and stir.
- Add the drained noodles, onion, pepper and pepperoni.
- Pour half of the noodle mixture into a 2qt casserole dish.
- Sprinkle half of the cheese over the noodle mixture.
- Cover with remaining noodles mixture. Cover with remaining cheese.
- Sprinkle olives and oregano/parsley over the cheese.
- Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper (if using).
- Turn on oven broiler. Place casserole dish on the bottom rack of the oven. Allow to broil until the cheese is melted.
Nutrition
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Your version looks good! I must have missed it (but I remember you saying that you don’t use dairy) but why don’t you use dairy? Do you have a food allergy?
I might have to try this sometime. Maybe make a vegan version. I like to make meat free recipes sometimes. I usually don’t make vegan recipes but it can’t hurt to try a few, right?!
You have one lucky daughter getting to travel Europe. I didn’t get to until I was 30! I love coconut milk, and replace it for milk often. Luckily there are many dairy free choices these days! It looks delicious!
This pasta looks so good Lisa!! Definitely am going to try this one out! Pinned 🙂
I would gladly eat your casserole Lisa, and am very intrigued with the coconut milk! I´m happy your daughter will be back soon!
I make a recipe similar to this that is a family favorite! So yummy!
Yay! So glad your daughter is coming home 🙂 Sounds like a great trip! The casserole looks delicious. I haven’t cooked with coconut milk before..I am looking forward to trying it!
Oooh this looks yummy! I’m a vegetarian and will definitely have to try this out. Thanks for sharing!
~Katie
This sounds delicious, and your daughter is beautiful! 🙂
holy moly delicious!!! As a gigantic pizza + pasta lover, this recipe caught my eye in just a second on the Wonderful Food Wed. linkup. I used to be so much like your Cassi when I was younger. My college travels from Seattle to Syracuse, NY taught me to slowly begin trying the foods that my diverse group of friends enjoyed, though my tastes grew the most during my 6-month study abroad in Ecuador and Chile. I’ll eat almost anything these days {aside from sushi and Thai, lol} that I would have easily refused before. How exciting that you will get to see her soon and get to know the new adult she’s becoming!
How wonderful that your daughter was able to travel. My daughter just graduated from college and is in Thailand right now! I am glad you will be able to try more recipes with your baby now. This one looks really great.
Thank you for linking to the In and Out of the Kitchen Link Party! I look forward to seeing what you bring next week!
Cynthia
In our house {mostly!} it is also – eat what you get or stay hungry 😉 So awesome that she is able to travel in Europe! Love your recipe, Lisa 🙂 Thank you for sharing at our ALL MY BLOGGY FRIENDS party !
THanks for sharing, lady! Pinned this one as well as your watermelon margarita cocktails!
Your recipe looks amazing! & yummy! I can’t wait to try it. I am featuring it tomorrow @ DearCreatives.com thanks for linking your posts up! Your daughter is very lucky to have a chance to travel like that. Drop by tomorrow & pick up your featured button, along with linking up again.