We don’t eat a lot of red meat in our household, but one of our favourite, easy dishes is my lightened up cheeseburger casserole. We just spent 10 days at the cottage and one of our favourite rituals is ending the day together on the boat watching the sunset (check out our view here and here with lots of bonus pictures and stories on Instagram). Evenings are already starting to get chilly and the sun is setting half an hour earlier than it did in July, so it was time to break out a grill alternative and start making my lightened up cheeseburger casserole again!

After putting Buster on an elimination diet where he can only eat kangaroo protein for 30 days (we’re halfway there!), we learned that he is allergic to beef, liver and all dairy products. So while Buster is pictured with me and the casserole, he was definitely not allowed to have any. We’re so happy that his allergies have cleared up and he’s feeling better on his new food, which we have decided to stick with since it’s agreeing with him so well. Sometimes getting a second opinion is all it takes! Do you or your furbabies have any allergies?

EXCITING NEWS! Over the next month, I’m going to be hosting several giveaways on the blog in partnership with some of my amazing author friends from Instagram. Who doesn’t want amazing free books from talented AF ladies who also happen to be awesome humans? Have you subscribed to my newsletter yet? If you do, you’ll be automatically entered to win ahead of everyone else and learn how to get bonus entries! What are you waiting for? Exclusive content is ready for you. Don’t delay, sign-up for the OPwrites.com newsletter today!

This lightened up cheeseburger casserole is:

Easy
Tasty
Filling
Healthier
Popular with kids and adults alike
A great way to sneak in vegetables (we have an abundance of massive zucchinis from our organic vegetable garden, and they made their way in!)
Use-whatever-is-in-your-fridge-friendly
Freezable
Easy to customize (you don’t have to use extra lean ground beef!) 

What’s your favourite casserole?

Lightened up cheeseburger casserole

This delicious lightened up cheeseburger casserole tastes exactly like the perfect burger without the grill! It’s an easy weeknight dish that freezes well and will provide lunch the next day.

This casserole serves 6 and goes well with a garden salad.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of brown rice pasta (or gluten free pasta, or any pasta alternative of choice)
• 1 pound of extra lean ground beef (or extra lean ground meat of choice)
• 1 tablespoon of high heat cooking oil, such as avocado or grapeseed oil
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder (or you can use minced garlic)
• ½ teaspoon of paprika
• 1 can of organic tomato paste
• 1 medium white onion, diced
• 1 medium zucchini, diced
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 3 tablespoons of mozzarella cheese (or cheese of choice), grated
• 2 large dill pickles, diced

Directions

1. Prepare your brown rice pasta according to package directions
2. Brown your extra lean ground beef (or extra lean meat of choice) in a frying pan using a high heat oil, such as avocado or grapeseed oil
3. Season your meat with the garlic powder (or minced garlic) and paprika
4. Add the organic tomato paste, diced onion, zucchini and tomato to your mixture, stirring until it gets thick and bubbly
5. Combine your meat mixture with the cooked brown rice pasta, top with the grated cheese and diced pickles, and bake for about 20 minutes at 350º

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