Bubble Up Pizza Casserole

Well folks, Sunday is the Super Bowl.  I'm not even going to pretend that I'll be watching it.  I'll probably be channel surfing for a chick flick or a cooking show.  Or better yet, maybe I'll take a nap!  However, one thing that I WILL participate in are the food festivities.  Pizza is a normal football staple, but it can be pretty expensive on the points (and the money, for that matter).  So if you're looking for a lighter alternative that will feed a crowd, look no further...

I give you: BUBBLE UP PIZZA CASSEROLE.  It's a lovely casserole made with...wait for it...refrigerated biscuits in a can!  Yay for convenience items!  You stir pizza sauce and toppings together with the cut up biscuits and the mixture sort of bubbles up (hence, the name) into this lovely, pizza-like casserole.  It reminds me of my mom's homemade pizza dough she used to make when I was a kid.  Thick and doughy, with fun pizza toppings mixed all throughout.  It's definitely a keeper.

One note: In the past, I have doubled the amount of veggies, added a little bit more sauce, and cooked this in a 15 x 9 pan, thus yielding bigger servings for the same amount of points. But do note that these are pretty substantial servings, even if you use a 9 x 13 pan.

A second note:  This casserole tastes best on the day it is made.  While I certainly enjoy leftovers of it the next day, I always try to keep in mind that it loses something upon reheating.  It's not bad, just not nearly as good as when it's fresh out of the oven.  A little bit more red sauce for dipping usually helps on the second day.  Just a thought.  You do what you like.        

Bubble Up Pizza Casserole
Serves: 8
Points per serving: 7

• 1 lb lean ground beef or turkey, 93% lean (whichever is cheaper)
• 1 onion, chopped 
• 1 bell pepper, chopped (red or green)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 16 oz tomato sauce
• Veggie pizza toppings of your choice.  I use the following:
• 1-2 cans sliced mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 cup green olives, chopped
• 1 can roasted red bell peppers, chopped
• 17 slices turkey pepperoni, roughly chopped
• 15 oz. refrigerated buttermilk biscuits, uncooked, quarted (I use my kitchen shears to cut the biscuits into quarters. See step #7 below.)
• 1 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese  

1. Preheat the oven to 350.  Spray 9 x 13 (or 15 x 9, see note above) pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a skillet, brown meat over medium heat, stirring to crumble. 
3. Once meat is cooked, add onion and pepper, and allow to cook down a bit, to take the raw bite off the veggies. 
4. NOTE:  Before you take on the next step, get your garlic, italian seasoning, and tomato sauce ready to go. That includes taking the top off the can of sauce!  Trust me.
5. Once beef and veggie mixture is cooked down to your liking, add garlic and italian seasoning.  When the divine smell of garlic wafts up to you (probably 30 seconds later) IMMEDIATELY add the tomato sauce.  This will keep the garlic from burning.  You know how I feel about burnt garlic.  It makes me very unhappy!
6. Add veggie toppings and pepperoni. Mix well. 
7. Add quartered biscuits. I usually stand over the skillet, kitchen shears in hand, and snip the little suckers into quarters, dropping them into the pan as I go. 
8. Stir gently until biscuits are covered with sauce. 
9. Transfer mixture to the greased pan. Spread everything out so it is evenly distributed. The biscuits have a tendency to clump together.  
10. Bake for 25 minutes.  It may take longer, depending on the size of the pan and the moisture content of your veggie toppings.  Just make sure that the biscuits in the middle are mostly cooked through.
11. Sprinkle with cheese and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until biscuits are done.  
12. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.  Divide casserole into 8 servings. 
13. Enjoy.