Personal Pan Pizzas with My Favorite Salad

I love to make pizzas for dinner because they are so versatile. You can use any combination of ingredients and it's a great way to use leftovers in the fridge. Brady made the below personal pan pizzas for us a couple of weeks ago. The below recipe is so simple, I shouldn't even call it a recipe, more a suggestion for a great pizza combo!

I have also included a recipe for my absolute favorite salad. Every once in a while, on a crazy busy night, Brady or I will pick up a pizza from Homemade Pizza Company. Their pizza is good but I LOVE their Cabo Salad. I recreated The Cabo salad awhile back and it has become my go-to salad because it goes great with any meal.

Personal Pan Pizzas

2 individual pre-made pizza crusts or homemade
1 chicken breast, cooked and cut into small pieces
pesto, homemade or store bought
feta cheese
cherry tomatoes, chopped
kalamata olives, chopped
red onion, thinly sliced
fresh basil, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 350. Spread a little pesto on the pizza crust and top with a handful of chicken, some tomatoes, olives, and sliced red onion. Top with a sprinkle of feta cheese and bake for 10-15 minutes (or according to the directions on the pizza dough). Remove from the oven and top with chopped basil.

My Favorite Salad (aka, Cabo Salad from Homemade Pizza Company)

For the Salad: 
1 bag spring mix lettuce
1 avocado, sliced
a handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
2 corn tortillas, thinly sliced
sprinkle of cumin

Honey-Lime Salad Dressing:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.

Chicken with Mustard Mascarpone Marsala Sauce

I have exciting news to share, I got a teaching job!!! I am going to be teaching a 1st/2nd grade split class at a school in Evanston. I'm extremely excited and so thankful that I was able to find such a great job. I found out I got the position Tuesday afternoon, started yesterday and the first day of school is next Wednesday- needless to say, I have been a little busy.

I've been wanting to post the below recipe for a few days now and just haven't gotten to it. Brady made Giada's recipe for Chicken with Mustard Mascarpone Marsala Sauce for me and it was amazing. I loved the creaminess of the sauce and the addition of the mushrooms. It's not the prettiest dish (hence why I am using Giada's photo instead of mine) but it tastes great!

 

Photo Courtesy of Food Network

Chicken with Mustard Mascarpone Marsala Sauce
** recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

Serves 4
Prep/Cook Time: 45 minutes

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, each breast cut crosswise into 3 pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 T. olive oil
2 T. butter, divided
3/4 c. chopped onion
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 T. minced garlic
1 c. dry Marsala wine
1 c. mascarpone cheese or light cream cheese
2 T. Dijon mustard
2 T. chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves, plus whole sprigs, for garnish
12 ounces dried fettuccine

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cool slightly.

While the chicken cools, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat, then add the onion and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate, about 12 minutes. Add the Marsala wine and simmer until it is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Stir in the mascarpone and mustard. Cut the chicken breasts crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Return the chicken to the skillet. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain. Toss the fettuccine with 1 tablespoon of butter and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Swirl the fettuccine onto serving plates. Spoon the chicken mixture over top. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve.

Chicken Caprese Pasta

Last weekend I made bruschetta and ended up with leftover tomatoes, mozzarella and basil that I didn't want to go to waste. Mixing them in with some pasta seemed like an obvious solution for a quick weeknight meal. Not incredibly creative, but super simple, the pasta tasted great and it was the perfect way to use up the leftover bruschetta fixings!

Chicken Caprese Pasta

Serves 4
Prep/Cook Time: 25 minutes

16 oz. whole wheat pasta, any shape
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 jar Vodka Sauce (I recommend Trader Joe's)
1 roma tomato, diced
1/4 c. fresh mozzarella, diced
handful (about 10) basil leaves, cut into ribbons

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta as directed and drain once the pasta is al dente.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add a tsp of oil to coat the pan. Cook the chicken until done and then remove from the skillet and set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat the vodka sauce. Once heated through turn down to low until the pasta is cooked. 

In the large pot, combine the pasta, vodka sauce, chicken, diced tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil. Stir to combine over medium heat until the cheese starts to melt and then serve.

Summer Squash and Sausage Pasta

The below is a super simple pasta recipe that Brady and I recently made. I love that this recipe requires little ingredients and can be made in 20 minutes. I would have preferred to use spicy Italian chicken sausage as the original recipe suggests, but the grocery store we went to didn't carry it. We used regular spicy Italian sausage and while it tasted great, I think the chicken sausage would have been a slightly healthier option and would have probably tasted just as good.  We served ours with a classic bruschetta- toasted french bread topped with a tomato slice, peice of fresh mozzarella, basil and then a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Delicious and perfect for summer!

Summer Squash and Sausage Pasta
** adapted from Eats Well With Others
print recipe

Serves 3-4
Prep/Cook Time: 20 minutes

8 oz whole wheat rigatoni
2 or 3 links spicy Italian sausage or chicken sausage
1 zucchini, cut in half down middle and then in cut into half moons
1 summer squash, cut the same as zucchini
2 T. Parmesan cheese
1 lemon
salt and pepper
basil

Start boiling a large pot of water. Once water is boiling, add the water and cook till al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta liquid and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and saute spicy Italian sausage. Use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage and create crumbles. When the sausage starts to get crispy, add the cut zucchini and yellow squash to the pan and saute until browned.

When the pasta is done, drain and add the pasta to the skillet. Stir to combine the pasta, sausage and vegetables. Add in the reserved 1/2 cup of pasta liquid and the juice of one lemon. Sprinkle in the Parmesan cheese and stir until melted.  Season with salt and pepper as desired and serve with torn fresh basil.

Pasta with Asparagus, Pancetta, and Pine Nuts

If you are a regular reader of this blog you have probably picked up on the fact that I love Cooking Light recipes. I subscribed to the magazine for years and would clip out recipes and put them in a big binder. Over the years my binder multiplied into numerous binders. Now, in an effort to cut down on paper, I no longer have a subscription and instead check out the Cooking Light website regularly. Yes, I know, I am so eco-friendly :)

The below recipe is yet another Cooking Light success. I was anxious to see how it would turn out, anytime there isn't much of a sauce I get a little nervous, but it was great. This is a perfect dish for this time of year because asparagus is in season and super cheap at the grocery store and farmers market. And let's be honest, anything with Pancetta, aka Italy's version of bacon, is going to taste good!

Picture taken from Cooking Light- my camera is broken and the phone picture didn't turn out

Pasta with Asparagus, Pancetta, and Pine Nuts
** adapted from Cooking Light
print recipe

Serves 2-4
Prep/Cook Time: 30 minutes

8 ounces cavatappi pasta (thick spiral pasta)
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into 1 1/2 in. pieces
1 garlic clove, minced
3 T. pine nuts
2 ounces pancetta, diced
1 lemon
2 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400.

Cook pasta according to directions, omitting the salt and oil; add asparagus to pasta water during last 3 minutes of cooking. Drain.

Meanwhile, arrange pine nuts in a single layer in a small baking dish. Bake at 400 for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Once browned remove from pan and set aside.

Increase oven temperature to 475. Arrange pancetta in baking dish and bake for 6-8 minutes or until crisp. Make sure to keep an eye on the pancetta so it doesn't burn. Skim out fat and remove the pancetta to a small bowl lined with a paper towel to soak up some of the fat.

Combine juice of the lemon, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over pasta mixture; toss well to coat. Sprinkle with pine nuts, pancetta, and cheese.

Healthy Eggplant Parmesan

Most people assume that Eggplant Parmesan is loaded with calories- and in most cases it is.  Typically the eggplant is fried and covered in tons of cheese. Sounds good right?  It is good, but it isn't very good for you.  Luckily there is a way to make this dish healthier and still maintain the flavor of the original dish.  By simply coating the eggplant in breadcrumbs and then baking it, you get the same crispy eggplant as the fried version but with a fraction of the calories and fat.

The ingredient list and preparation directions may look like a lot but the majority of the ingredients you should already have and the dish really isn't challenging to make.  I made the recipe in just under an hour- perfect for a Sunday evening when you have extra time.  The original recipe, which I have provided a link to below, serves 10, which is great for a crowd but since I am just feeding myself this week I halved the recipe and will have leftovers for the next few night.  Luckily this is a dish that I won't get sick of by the 4th night!

Healthy Eggplant Parmesan
** adapted from Cooking Light
printable recipe

Serves: 4-5
Prep Time: 10
Bake Time: 45

Eggplant
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 T. water
1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/8 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 (1 pound) eggplant, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices
Cooking spray

Filling
1/4 cup torn fresh basil
1/8 cup grated fresh Parmesan
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp salt
8 ounces light ricotta cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten

Remaining Ingredients
12 ounces pasta sauce- any brand or style
3 slices thinly sliced mozzarella cheese- cut into 4th's
1/4 cup finely grated fontina cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Combine egg and 1 T. of water in a shallow dish. Combine panko and 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese in a second shallow dish. Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture; dredge in panko mixture. Place eggplant 1 inch apart on baking sheet coated with cooking spray.  Bake for 12 minutes, flip eggplant over and then bake for an additional 12 minutes on the other side.

To make filling, combine basil and next six ingredients (through egg).

To assemble, spoon 1/4 cup pasta sauce on bottom of 9x9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Layer half of eggplant slices over pasta sauce (my pan had room for 4 large and 1 small eggplant slices). Top each piece of eggplant with a large spoonful of sauce and then use half of the ricotta mixture to cover each piece of eggplant. Place a fourth of a piece of mozzarella on each piece of eggplant and sprinkle with 1/8 cup grated fontina cheese. Repeat layers once and then top each piece of eggplant with a large spoonful of sauce.  Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.  Serve with torn basil and any remaining fontina cheese as a garnish.

** According to Cooking Light one eggplant stack has 318 calories and 15 grams of fat.  Pair with a side salad and you have a healthy and filling dinner!