{Freezer Friendly} Pizza Casserole

Enough is enough.  This post has hung out on my computer in draft form for over a year, waiting for me to take a picture and finally post it.  I made this last night, and forgot to get a picture.  So today, my friends, it's going live.

Over the next couple of weeks I'll be cleaning up the rest of my draft posts, either deleting or finishing and posting.  Lucky you :)

{Source}

It looks sort of like this, but not really.

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Today I'm going to share one of my favorite recipes--one that I come back to again and again.  The kids ALL like it (an extreme rarity around here), and it is super simple to double or triple and freeze.

I got this Pizza Casserole recipe years ago from my mother in law, Beaver-ly.

{Freezer Friendly} Pizza Casserole

Serves ~8

1.5 pounds hamburg (that's ground beef, for the uninitiated :)
1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup
1 can (10.5 oz) tomato soup
1/4 c. water
small can (4 oz) mushrooms, drained (I leave these out)
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t oregano
1/4 t basil
salt to taste (I usually leave it out)
1/2 pkg egg noodles (8 oz)
3.5 oz pepperoni
16 oz (or so) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1. Brown and drain ground beef.
2. Cook noodles according to package directions.
3.  In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except about 1 c. of the cheese
4. Pour into a greased 2.5 qt baking dish or 9x13 pan.
5. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

At this point, you can freeze the pizza casserole.  Cover with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, label, and place in the freezer.  Thaw completely before baking.

6. Bake at 325* F for 30-40 minutes or until warm.

Healthier modifications:
--Substitute ground turkey or chicken, or kidney beans for the ground beef
--Use a low fat version or make your own cream of mushroom soup
--Use whole wheat egg (or eggless) noodles
--Use turkey pepperoni
--Use lowfat cheese, or leave it out.

I usually double this recipe, and divide it into 3 8x8" pans to make 3 meals for my family.  You could also divide it up into Ziploc freezer bags.  Freeze them flat, then you can stack them in your freezer like file folders.  On serving day, thaw, dump into a pan, and sprinkle with cheese, then bake.

Enjoy!