If You Give a Kid a Casserole Dish: Upside-Down Pizza Casserole

Over the next several weeks, we'll be bringing you recipes for beginning cooks designed to teach basic cooking skills. So be on the lookout for all the recipes in the series. Today's recipe is part of the Cooking Challenge series.

This easy Upside-Down Pizza Casserole will includes all your favorite pizza toppings to make a quick and filling weeknight meal. With the help of a boxed biscuit mix, you'll have dinner on the table in no time flat!

Upside-Down Pizza Casserole

Casserole

1 lb. sausage

1 small onion, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

2.25 oz. can sliced black olives, drained

24 oz. jar pasta sauce

6 oz. pepperoni

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Crust

11.36 oz. box Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix

1 1/4 cups water (note this is 1/2 cup more than required per box instructions)

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Herb Butter Sauce

Seasoning Mix from Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix

1/4 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 425° F. Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Dice onion and bell pepper. Sauté in a large skillet until onion is translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
3. Add sausage and use a spoon to break it into pieces. Cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, about 4 to 6 minutes. Drain excess grease.
4. Add olives and pasta sauce to the skillet and mix well. Add the mixture to the casserole dish.
5. Layer the pepperoni evenly over top of the mixture. Then, layer the mozzarella evenly over top of the pepperoni.
6. Prepare biscuit mix as directed on package instructions, adding an extra 1/2 cup of water to make the mixture more spreadable.
7. Pour the biscuit mixture over top of the mozzarella cheese layer, and spread evenly using the back of a spoon.
8. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, until biscuit topping is browned.
9. While casserole is baking, prepare the Herb Butter Sauce according to package instructions.
10. Brush Herb Butter Sauce onto casserole when you remove it from the oven. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

You Can Get with This or You Can Get with That (Recipe Substitutions):

• Substitute a bag of frozen chopped pepper and onion blend for the fresh chopped onion and peppers to save time on this recipe.
• Add a can of mushrooms stems and pieces (drained) to include more vegetables in the recipe without adding a lot of prep time.
• Customize this casserole to your own tastes by adding or omitting your favorite vegetables. If omitting vegetables, suggest serving this casserole with a side salad for a complete meal.
• Substitute 3 cups Bisquick, 3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, 1 tsp garlic powder, and 1 cup milk for crust instead of Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Mix. (For this recipe, can substitute 1/4 cup butter, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp Italian seasoning for the Herb Butter Sauce.)

This Is How We Do It (Kitchen Skills You'll Learn in This Recipe):

• Browning ground meat
• Chopping vegetables
• Measuring ingredients
• Preheating an oven
• Reading and following a recipe
• Sauteing vegetables
• Setting a timer

If You Give a Kid a Cooking Challenge

This recipe is part of the three-part If You Give a Kid a Cooking Challenge recipe series. These recipes are designed to: 

• be easier to make
• have a minimal number of ingredients (minus pantry staples like oil and spices)
• be quick to prep 
• make enough for one person to have leftovers for a few days