Easy weeknight pizza recipe.
So I’m starting out all wrong, I realize. This isn’t technically a style, but imagine the millions of stressed out full-time employees struggling through 40+ hours a week at work and still trying to put something on the table more imaginative than a sandwich or salad. The internet is full of food websites where people insist that they make dinner from scratch every night after working all day, driving carpools, keeping a clean house, tending the garden, and maybe doing a little light plumbing. They insist that they do this. Well bully for them, I say. I am not a cyborg, and therefore am sometimes tired and cranky after work, and the last thing I want to do is shop, measure, bake, sauté, plate, serve and then DO DISHES. Insult to injury, I think.
I have a few easy pizza-type creations that can serve as a complete, balanced meal (almost) that just take a few minutes of assembly. You can even get creative with them – Kentucky Hot Brown Pizza, Mashed Potato Pizza with Cheddar, Bacon, and Scallions, etc. They all involve highly processed, unhealthy, pre-made purchased ingredients, which is okay by me. Here’s one that’s perfect for large groups or make-your-own pizza parties. It can even be pretty and elegant if you choose your toppings wisely.
Ingredients:
Pita pockets – The basic white ones are the best, and try to avoid the ones already cut in half if you can. The whole wheat pita pockets may be slightly better for you, but are denser, chewier, and I think the flavor competes with the toppings. Thick, fancy bumpy ones are not right for this. Flat is good.
Canned pizza sauce. Dei Fratelli is my top choice for all canned tomato products, if you can find it – the ingredients are all pronounceable, the quality is consistent, and the price is right. Not as cheap as a store brand, but maybe only $.50 more. Also jarred pesto, which is just fine. Don’t tell me about homemade – I’ve made enough pesto to fill a bathtub in my day. But basil is expensive in the quantities needed, and I can’t grow it. I try, but I just can’t. Plus cleaning a 7-part food processor is not in the “easy weeknight” category.
Shredded mozzarella for the Hufflepuff in all of us. There is not going to be much difference between Kraft or store brand block cheese and pre-shredded. This recipe is built for speed, not comfort. No need to waste expensive fresh stuff on this.
Toppings – here is simply pepperoni and the one sad tomato that I’ve managed to produce out of hours of gardening effort. I think my dog is eating them.
It’s a simple matter of assembly – the first variety gets tomato sauce, cheese, and pepperoni.
The second gets pesto, tomatoes, and cheese. Slice the tomatoes as thin as possible and keep them in one layer. Sprinkle the top with Italian seasoning or chiffonnaded basil (I did end up with a couple leaves to play with). You do not have to do this step – it’s only for appearances, which do not count for easy weeknight dinners.
(That’s my one tomato – isn’t it gorgeous?)
Preheat the oven to 450, and you’re off.
This will get the “crust” crispy and eliminate some of the chewiness. Bake until the cheese is melted completely and starting to bubble and brown.
The pesto-based pizza is lovely and with a few minor tweaks (I’m thinking dots of ricotta on top) could make an easy and attractive appetizer. Use a cookie cutter to make little discs of pita for a bite-sized, fancier version. The standard pepperoni is not quite restaurant quality, but it’s food. It’s cooking.
It’ll do, pig.
illdothedisheslater 