Recipe of the week.


Ok, well this one is kind of a cheat b/c I've been making it for a while now. It's semi-homemade pizza.

I start with a Boboli pre-made pizza crust. For myself, the individual sizes are sufficient, but they have med and large sizes if you are cooking for more than one person. I apply a layer of pesto/basil pasta spread. These spreads are usually sold in the pasta aisle as spreads for Italian bread. They come with a tomato or garlic base as well, if you aren't much of a pesto person.

Once my sauce is applied, then I dice one clove of garlic and sprinkle that onto the pizza. I then add a thin layer of fresh spinach as well as a few thin slices of tomato.

Now I tend to make this pizza just before my fresh produce spoils, so I top it with whatever produce is in the house at the time...usually slices of green, red, yellow, or orange bell peppers. Mushrooms (rare), olives, and onions also work. Once I've added my toppings of choice, then I cover it with low-fat mozzarella cheese and sprinkle it with oregano and basil.

I prefer a crispy pizza crust, so I bake it (at 450 degrees) directly on the middle rack for about 10 mins, or until the cheese melts and browns on the edges.

Now, I rarely add meat to my pizza, but if I were going to cook it with meat, then I would probably opt for something pre-cooked. The pizza is in the oven for such a short time, that I would probably not rely on it to cook the meat. Pre-cooked chicken, pepperoni, ham, or Italian sausage are probably best.

Enjoy!