High-Protein Pizza Pasta Bake (Printable version)

Baked pasta with pizza flavors, creamy Greek yogurt sauce, lean beef, and pepperoni.

# Ingredient List:

→ Proteins

01 - 10.5 oz lean ground beef
02 - 2 oz turkey or regular pepperoni, sliced

→ Pasta

03 - 12 oz high-protein pasta (penne or fusilli)

→ Cheese & Yogurt Sauce

04 - 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (0–2% fat)
05 - 1.5 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
06 - 0.25 cup grated Parmesan cheese
07 - 1 large egg

→ Vegetables

08 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
09 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
10 - 14 oz canned crushed tomatoes
11 - 1 red bell pepper, diced (optional)
12 - 3.5 oz baby spinach, roughly chopped (optional)

→ Spices & Seasonings

13 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
14 - 1 teaspoon dried basil
15 - 0.5 teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
16 - Salt and black pepper to taste
17 - Olive oil for sautéing

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a large 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil or cooking spray.
02 - Cook the high-protein pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until just al dente. Drain and set aside.
03 - Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and bell pepper if using; sauté for 3–4 minutes until softened.
04 - Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more until fragrant.
05 - Add the lean ground beef and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until browned and cooked through. Drain excess fat if necessary.
06 - Stir in the crushed tomatoes, dried oregano, dried basil, chili flakes if using, and spinach if using. Simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
07 - In a mixing bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, half of the shredded mozzarella, grated Parmesan, and egg until smooth. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
08 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked pasta, beef-tomato mixture, and yogurt-cheese sauce. Mix thoroughly until all pasta is evenly coated.
09 - Transfer the combined mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining mozzarella and arrange pepperoni slices evenly over the surface.
10 - Bake for 20–25 minutes until the casserole is bubbly and the top is golden brown. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • You get legitimate pizza flavors without the dough fussing, and the pepperoni stays crispy on top while everything else gets creamy underneath.
  • The Greek yogurt sauce trick means you're sneaking in massive protein without it tasting like you're eating chicken breast for dinner.
  • It's genuinely easy to throw together, bakes while you do something else, and tastes even better as leftovers the next day.
02 -
  • Don't overcook the pasta initially—it keeps cooking in the oven and nothing is worse than a bake where the pasta turns into mush.
  • That Greek yogurt sauce might look thin when you mix it, but it sets up beautifully in the oven; trust the process and don't add extra ingredients trying to thicken it.
03 -
  • Use a mixture of cheeses if you can—the Parmesan adds savory depth that keeps the dish from tasting one-note.
  • Brown the beef hard enough to get actual color on it; that caramelization is where the flavor lives, not in the seasoning alone.
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