Pizza Hash Casserole

Pizza Hash Casserole

Ingredients:

Rotini pasta
Spaghetti sauce, 
Cooked and seasoned ground beef
Pepperoni, 
Olives, 
Mozzarella cheese 

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and bake at 350 until warmed through and cheese melted and bubbly.

Upside-Down Pizza in a Pan

This picture comes from the Family Fun website.  I usually like to take my own picture so that you can see what it really looks like when someone who isn't a professional chef or a professional photographer cooks a meal, but life lately has been craaaaaazy between shuttling kids to piano, football practice, etc. and having Z come home at all kinds of weird hours with his work schedule... so anyways, we made this, the picture didn't get taken, but what matters is the dinner was delicious and EVERY person in my family loved it and wanted seconds.  Here is the recipe...

Upside-Down Pizza in a Pan

From: Disney's Family Fun

*I halved the recipe and it was enough to feed my family of 6, though there were no leftovers, if that gives you any indication of how much to make.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onion (My family isn't huge fans of onions, so we did about half of what this called for)

1 cup chopped mushrooms (Again, no mushroom lovers here, these were left out)

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 pounds ground turkey, (We used ground beef and it tasted great)

2 (15-ounce) cans Italian-style tomato sauce (I used a 14 oz. can of pizza sauce, worked great)

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 cup chopped pepperoni

1 teaspoon pepper

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 (13.8-ounce) package prepared pizza dough

Directions:

1.Heat the oven to 400°. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, mushrooms, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the turkey and continue to cook and stir, breaking the meat into small pieces, until it is no longer pink, about 8 minutes.

2.Stir in the tomato sauce, basil, and pepperoni and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Add the pepper, then transfer the mixture to a 9- by 13-inch casserole dish.

3.Scatter the cheese on top and layer on the pizza dough. Bake the casserole until the dough is golden, about 20 minutes. To serve, spoon out portions with a large serving utensil.



Pizza Pasta Bake

Pizza Penne Bake

(from www.onedishdinners.com)

Ingredients

1 lb. pasta noodles, such as penne, ziti, mostachioli or other “medium” shaped noodle
3/4 cup pizza sauce
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
About 30 pepperonis, cut in half
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
About 1 cup pizza blend shredded cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Cook the pasta as directed on the package in an ovenproof saucepan or Dutch oven.  Save 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid and then drain.
• To the same saucepan or Dutch oven, add the reserved cooking liquid and the pizza sauce and whisk together.  Then stir in the chopped peppers and halved pepperonis.  Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the drained pasta noodles.  Toss together.
• Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the pasta and then sprinkle the pizza blend shredded cheese over top.
• Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, or until cheese begins to melt.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve Pizza Penne Bake and kill that pizza craving!

Stromboli

The name might sound fancy, but it is actually a really simple and delicious meal idea!

Plus it just looks so darn pretty!

Stromboli

Ingredients:

For the dough:

1/4 cup warm water

1 tbsp. yeast

1 tsp. sugar

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tsp. salt

1 cup water

3 1/2-4 cups flour

Directions:

1. Combine 1/4 cup warm water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl and stir to dissolve.  Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.  Stir in remaining warm water, olive oil, and salt.  Gradually add 1 1/2 - 2 cups flour, mixing until smooth.  Gradually add enough remaining flour until you have a smooth dough that comes away from the bowl.  

2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, working in more flour as needed.  Shape into a ball, place in a greased bowl and cover with a kitchen towel, let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a large baking sheet.

4.  Punch down dough and cut in half.  On a lightly floured surface, roll each dough half into a rectangle about 10" by 8". 

Ingredients for Filling (mix and match as you like):

1/2 cup spaghetti or pizza sauce

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

4 oz. sliced pepperoni

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg beaten

sesame seeds or poppy seeds (optional)

 1.  Arrange fillings over dough, finishing with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.  Roll the dough, much like you would if you were making a jelly roll (cinnamon rolls).  Pinch the edges of the seam and tuck the ends under.

2.  Cut long diagonal slashes, about 1/2 inch deep, along the top of the loaf every 3 inches.  Brush the top of the loaf with a beaten egg.  Sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds if desired (this is mainly for looks).

3.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until bread is golden brown.  Cool slightly, then cut and serve.

This is what my finished product looked like, I filled it a little full and it leaked out the seams, but it was still delicious.  We NEVER have left overs when I make this dinner!

Pizza Bites

 These were so stinking good and easy to make too, I don't think I will ever make homemade pizza again!  The pictures don't do these justice.  Someday, I will learn to be a food photographer.

Pizza Bites
Recipe Courtesy of: Food, Folks, and Fun, check out her food blog, it is amazing!

1 tube of pizza dough (found in your grocer’s refrigerator section)
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed (about 20-24 pieces)
Sliced pepperoni

For topping:
Olive oil
Italian seasoning
Grated Parmesan cheese

Pizza sauce for dipping

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate or cake pan.  Divide the pizza dough into 20-24 roughly equal sized pieces.  Take one of the dough pieces, top with a cube of cheese and a slice or two of pepperoni.  Pull the edges of the dough around the fillings and pinch closed.  Place seam-side down in the baking dish.  Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.

Lightly brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil.  Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and grated Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.  Serve warm, with dipping sauce as desired. 

My little kitchen tip of the day:  Sauce Cups

At Easter time, I always buy the Easter egg dye kits that come with the dye cups.  Then after Easter, I wash them out really good and use them for EVERYTHING!  Mainly, we use them for snack cups, but they also come in handy for dinners that require dipping sauce.  Then I can give each kid their own cute little dipping sauce cup!