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Potato Pizzaiola – Cheese & Potato Lasagna (GF)

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Vegetarian and gluten-free potato pizzaiola
Potato pizzaiola is an Italian-inspired potato casserole

Potato pizzaiola is a cross between lasagna and scalloped potatoes. It’s a layered casserole made with potatoes, cheese, and tomato sauce. It is a delicious and comforting meal that can be made ahead.

Pizza flavored scalloped potatoes

Pizzaiola literally translates to “in pizza style”.  Typically, it is a dish with meat braised in a tomato sauce. However, this version of pizzaiola is a layered cheese, potato, and tomato sauce casserole.

Reasons to love potato pizzaiola

Pizzaiola is an absolute favorite around my house. My kids love it and I love it too! Here are just a few reasons to make potato pizzaiola:

  1. It can be cooked in a slow cooker, instant pot, or oven. Regardless, it’s a simple make-ahead meal that can be ready when you want it.
  2. Pizzaiola is so versatile. Add in whatever vegetables or pizza toppings you have in your kitchen. (See the section below for some suggestions).
  3. It’s a grain-free alternative to lasagna. And if you have a good mandolin, slicing potatoes is easier than pre-cooking lasagna noodles!
  4. Perfect for potlucks. Serve it as a side dish. Or use a rich sauce and turn pizzaiola into a one-dish meal!

Mix and match ingredients

The recipe is pretty simple, with just three ingredients: potatoes, cheese, and tomato sauce. However, this simple casserole is perfect for using up whatever you have in your fridge.

Here are a few ways to mix up this basic recipe.

  • Kefir Cheese: I actually created this recipe as a way to use up kefir cheese. (Something I accidentally make about once a month!) Just replace the ricotta with homemade kefir cheese.
  • Pizza pizzaiola: For a really pizza-like dinner, add a layer of your favorite pizza toppings on top of each of the tomato sauce layers. Pepperoni, mushrooms, peppers, olives, whatever you like!
  • Veggie pizzaiola: Add a bit more vegetables to this dish by replacing the middle layer of potatoes with vegetables. Zucchini, mushrooms, or greens all work well. Pre-cooking the vegetables isn’t required, however, if you’re using a slow cooker or instant pot, it will come out soupy if the added vegetables aren’t pre-cooked. So I recommend quickly sautéing the vegetables before adding them to the dish.
  • Lentil pizzaiola: For a filling vegetarian meal use a rich lentil sauce. (This is what I used in the photograph below).
Potatoes layered with tomato sauce and cheese
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Potato Pizzaiola

Potato pizzaiola is an Italian-inspired potato casserole
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★★★★★

5 from 1 review

Pizzaiola roughly translates to “in pizza-style.” This version of pizzaiola is a casserole made with layers of potato, tomato sauce, and cheese. It is a comforting and delicious dish that is sure to be a favorite.

  • Author: Emillie
  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 4-6 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Oven/Slow Cooker
  • Cuisine: Italian
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 4 cups of prepared tomato sauce
  • 3 lbs of potatoes
  • 2 cups ricotta cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella
  • 1 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Thinly slice the potatoes. Aim to have them as thin as possible, as the dish will cook faster if the potato slices are around 1/8″ thick.
  2. Mix the ricotta with 1 cup of mozzarella and 1 cup of cheddar. The rest of the grated cheese will go on top of the casserole.
  3. Grease a medium-sized baking dish or medium-sized slow cooker to prevent sticking. Depending on how deep the dish is, you can make 2 or 3 layers. 
  4. Start by covering the bottom of the dish with potatoes. Overlap them to form a solid base. Lightly season the potatoes with salt and pepper.
  5. Cover the potatoes with sauce, then dollop on a layer of the ricotta and grated cheese mixture. This should use up 1/3 of the sauce and cheese for a deep dish (like a slow cooker), or 1/2 of the sauce and cheese for a shallow dish (like a baking pan).
  6. Repeat the layers of potatoes, sauce, and cheese, until it is all used up. Finish the casserole with a final layer of potatoes and top with the remaining grated cheese (1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/2 cup of cheddar).
  7. Baking instructions: Cover the baking dish with tin foil and bake at 400 F for 40 minutes. Remove the tinfoil and bake for another 15-30 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked and the cheese is bubbling.
  8. Slow cooker instructions: set the slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, until the potatoes are well cooked.

Notes

  • I like using my rotating mandolin to make nice thin slices of potato.
  • See the section above for ways of adding more vegetables or other flavors to this very simple dish!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: Approximately 2 cups
  • Calories: 426
  • Sugar: 3g
  • Sodium: 423mg
  • Fat: 17.6g
  • Saturated Fat: 10.9g
  • Carbohydrates: 45.5g
  • Fiber: 6.8g
  • Protein: 23.4g
  • Cholesterol: 45.5g

Keywords: grain free, gluten free, lasagna, scalloped potato, casserole, dinner, comfort food, easy, kid-friendly, slow cooker, instant pot

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Filed Under: Main DishesTagged With: Kefir cheese, Pizza, Potatoes, Ricotta

Previous Post: « Simple & Healthy Ice Cream Cake (5 Flavors!)
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Comments

  1. William

    February 20, 2019 at 7:18 pm

    Kids dig it. Easier to make that lasagna but an easy GF alteration using similar ingredients.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Emillie, an island-dwelling fermentation enthusiast. Fermenting For Foodies features healthy recipes designed to feed your microbiome.
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