Whole Wheat Pita Pizza

We loooove pizza. This recipe is the perfect size for a personal pizza and it's a much healthier alternative to the homemade pizza we usually make.

This recipe reminds me of when my mom used to make us little pizzas using naan as the crust...it was so good! There’s something about a whole wheat pita that just gives such a great texture and hearty flavor to the pizza crust...and it's very filling!

The best part about this entire recipe is that it literally took me about 15 minutes to make. Quick and easy?? Yes, please. This one is definitely a winner!

Whole Wheat Pita Pizza
Recipe adapted from Whole Living
Ingredients:
4 whole-wheat pita breads
4-5 sun dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
fresh basil, finely chopped 

Spinach and Basil Pesto
Ingredients:
1 bag fresh baby spinach
1 cup fresh basil
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

For the pesto:

Combine all ingredients in a food processor until well blended. It's that easy! :)
 

To assemble the pizzas: 

Arrange pita breads on two baking sheets. Spread about 4 tablespoons of pesto on each. Scatter chopped sun dried tomatoes on top, and then sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle fresh basil on top. Transfer the baking sheets to the oven, and bake the pizzas until the mozzarella has melted, about 20 minutes. Remove the pizzas from the oven, and transfer to a cutting board. Cut each pita pizza into wedges and serve!

Pesto Pinwheels

This appetizer is soooo easy and soooo good! The best part is that it only has 3 ingredients! 

 

It is a great little appetizer to make up at the last minute. These are perfect when paired with warm marinara sauce.

Pesto Pinwheels

Ingredients:
1 tube (8oz.) refrigerated crescent rolls
1/3 cup prepared pesto sauce
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup marinara sauce, warmed

Directions:  

• Unroll crescent dough into two long rectangles; seal seams and perforations. Spread each with pesto and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Roll each up jelly-roll style. starting with a short side. 
• With a sharp knife, cut each roll into 10 slices. Place cut side down in a 9 inch cake pan. Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with marinara sauce.

Baked Eggplant Parmesan with Pesto Spaghetti

This is one of my favorite ways to eat eggplant. Traditionally eggplant Parmesan is breaded and fried before baking. I made this lighter by roasting the eggplant in the oven instead. 

I stacked the eggplant slices with layers of goat cheese, mozzarella cheese, and freshly torn basil. 

I filled a shallow baking dish with a thin layer of homemade tomato sauce and baked everything until the cheese was slightly melted and had a nice golden crust on top. 

The eggplant and goat cheese are the perfect pair! If you're looking for an easy and delicious Italian meal...this is it!

Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients:

Olive oil, for baking sheets

2 large eggs

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp ground paprika

3/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs

3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus 2 tablespoons for topping

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

Coarse salt and ground pepper

2 large eggplants, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds

6 cups store-bought tomato sauce or homemade

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella 

1 cup crumbled goat cheese 

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

Pesto Spaghetti

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup fat-free ricotta cheese

2 tbsp. reduced-fat Parmesan-style grated topping

2 tbsp. pine nuts

1 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. chopped garlic

1/4 tsp. salt, or more to taste

1/4 tsp. black pepper, or more to taste

1 lb cooked angel hair pasta

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush 2 baking sheets with oil; set aside. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and paprika. In another bowl, combine breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup Parmesan, oregano, and basil; season with salt and pepper.
2. Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture, letting excess drip off, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture, coating well; place on baking sheets. Bake until golden brown on bottom, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn slices; continue baking until browned on other side, 20 to 25 minutes more. Remove from oven; raise oven heat to 400 degrees.
3. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange half the eggplant in dish; cover with mozzarella, goat cheese, and basil. Repeat with remaining eggplant, sauce, and cheeses; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. 
4. Combine all ingredients for pesto in a food processor until smooth. Toss with pasta. 

Baked Penne with Roasted Summer Veggies

This pasta is seriously bursting with every summer flavor possible.  It has a handful of summer vegetables including summer squash, zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes. To add a depth to the sauce, I added some homemade pesto, Greek yogurt, and sun dried tomatoes. There are so many flavors going on in this dish...and it's healthy!

Baked Penne with Roasted Summer Veggies (Recipe adapted from Food Network)

Ingredients:

1 eggplant, quartered and cut into cubes

2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into cubes

2 summer squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into cubes

1 yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tbsp sun dried tomatoes, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 lb whole wheat penne pasta

3 cups good marinara sauce

1/4 cup homemade or store bought pesto

3/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt

1 cup Italian blend shredded cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 cup grated mozzarella plus more for topping

 

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• On a baking sheet, toss the eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, and onions with olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning. Roast until tender, about 20-30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta for about 8- 10 minutes. DO NOT OVER COOK.
• In large mixing bowl combine marinara sauce, pesto, sun dried tomatoes, and Greek yogurt. Mix until combined.
• In a separate bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted veggies, sauce mixture, Italian cheeses, Parmesan, and 1/4 cup mozzarella. Gently mix until the pasta is coated with sauce and the ingredients are combined.
• Pour the pasta into a 9x13-inch pan. Top with some extra mozzarella. Bake until the top is golden and the cheese melts.

Grilled Vegetable Lasagna

Lasagna is our go-to meal during the week. I usually make it ahead of time and freeze it. By the time I get home from a long day with crazy teenagers...cooking is the last thing I want to do! 

Although this lasagna is meat-free, there’s nothing boring about it. Every layer is designed for maximum flavor: a spicy tomato sauce with an extra kick from sriracha, pesto-infused ricotta, grilled summer vegetables, and freshly grated mozzarella.

You can any variety of vegetables you have on-hand rather than the combination in the recipe. I used zucchini, eggplant, spinach, and onions, but mushrooms and/or squash would add a lot to the mix.

Grilled Vegetable Lasagna

• 1 box lasagna noodles, prepared according to package directions
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces mozzarella, coarsely grated
• Tomato Sauce
• Grilled Vegetables (recipe follows)
• Pesto Ricotta (recipe follows)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, then spoon 1/2 cup of Tomato Sauce onto the bottom of the dish.
3. Cover with a layer of lasagna noodles.
4. Top the lasagna with a layer of pesto ricotta, then a layer of grilled vegetables, a layer of spinach, a layer of mozzarella, and a layer of Tomato Sauce.
5. Repeat layering the lasagna, ricotta, vegetables, mozzarella and sauce in this manner until all ingredients have been used, ending with mozzarella on top.
6. Bake until the lasagna is bubbling and golden brown, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.

Pesto Infused Ricotta 

• 8 oz ricotta cheese
• 2 cups loosely packed basil leaves
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt

In the bowl of a food processor or blender place the ricotta, garlic, and basil and process on high while adding the olive oil in a steady stream. Continue to process until well blended, season with salt to taste and set aside until ready to assemble lasagna.

Grilled Vegetables

•  2 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 package frozen spinach
• 1 large eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
• 2 large yellow onions, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp chili powder
• Pinch of salt
• Cracked black pepper

1. Light the grill or preheat the broiler.
2. In a large shallow bowl, toss the vegetables with oil, garlic, chili powder, salt and pepper. If using the broiler, arrange the vegetables in a single layer on 2 lightly greased or non-stick baking sheets. Grill or broil in batches, turning the vegetables once, until they are tender, lightly browned, and have released most of their moisture, about 5 to 6 minutes per side.
3. Thaw and drain the spinach. 

 

Meatless Monday

Foodista is an awesome website that posts vegetarian recipes every Monday. Be sure to check this one out...it's tasty!
 
Pesto Manicotti
Ingredients:
15 oz ricotta cheese
1 box of manicotti noodles
1 bag fresh baby spinach
1/2 medium onion (diced)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2-4 tbsp of pesto (Store bought would work but I like to make my own, so I have also added that recipe!)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
seasonings: black pepper, salt, parsley, oregano, thyme & garlic powder.
16 oz marinara sauce (Store bought or homemade)

Spinach and Basil Pesto
Ingredients:
1 bag fresh baby spinach
1 cup fresh basil
1/3 extra virgin olive oil
1/4 toasted pine nuts
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 cloves chopped garlic
salt and pepper to taste

*In a food process combine all ingredients until well blended. It's that easy! :)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

Gently boil shells for about 11-13 minutes or until tender. Drain & arrange cooked noodles in a glass baking dish with a thin layer of marinara sauce on the bottom.

Saute the onions and garlic in 1/2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil until tender. Add salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, and garlic powder. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, fold ricotta, parmesan cheese, pesto, and spinach together. Next, add the onions and garlic to the mix. Stuff the noodles gently and pour the rest of the marinara sauce on top. Sprinkle the top with mozzarella cheese and bake for approx 20-30 minutes.