Update: Good news from Bonnie regarding my ironing protest this morning. She tells me there is a product that sprays away the wrinkles. I’m going to “Michaels Arts and Crafts” to see what I can find!
In the oven, to the plate
Tonight I made crustless pizza. That’s what I told Ted. I had to go about this production kind of on the sly because if he saw the ingredients, he would have gone to the freezer and pulled out a Hot Pocket.
What is a “Pizza ” anyway? I mean, does it really have to have a flour based crust? I’m not defining pizza by a flour crust. I am defining pizza based on the Latin verb “pinsere” translation which is “to press”. That means as long as I PRESS something on to my pan, it counts as pizza. How’s that for justification?!!!
Spinach and White Bean “Crustless” Pizza
- 1 pkg. Gimme Lean Sausage style meat crumbles
- 1 to 2 TBS olive oil
- 1/2 jar your favorite marinara/pasta sauce
- 1/2 large onion, chopped
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 3/4 cup Fat Free Ricotta Cheese (or part skim if preferred)
- 1 1/2 tsp Italian spice mix
- salt and pepper to taste
- 15 oz Great Northern Beans (or your favorite)- drained and rinsed.
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (or mozzarella or other favorites)
Preheat oven to 425F
Coat the pan with olive oil. Press the “sausage” onto your pizza pan so it is even in all areas. * You need to keep wetting your hands because it will stick. Drizzle with olive oil and bake 8-10 minutes and remove. Make sure you don’t brown the crust too much. Top with the desired amount of sauce and set aside.
In a saute pan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, when hot, add onion and saute 2 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add the spinach, just until it wilts, about 1 minute or less. Remove from heat.
In a bowl, mix together the ricotta, Italian spices, salt and pepper. Add the spinach-onion mix and stir. Spread on top of your “meatless” crust. Top with the beans. Add the Parmesan cheese and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Line your oven rack with foil for easy clean up in case of spill overs. Bake 10 -12 minutes or until cheese is melted.
As for the Vegetarian review, I liked it. It had flavors that were not overbearing. The crust was a bit soft which is why I increased the oven temp. and time in the directions above. I liked it.
The NON-Vegetarian review, “It’s edible. [some questions from me]… well, I don’t want to hurt your feelings”.
The conversation continued and Ted said that he ate WAY too much last night and that he wanted to cut down at dinner time. … This was my in 😉 “Great! If I keep making dishes like this, you won’t like it and therefore, you won’t over eat! Who loves you, honey?!” 🙂
He had to agree. And that’s it for tonights episode of “Dining with Ted and Jo.
One more item to share, Ted snapped a shot of Shane busy at work today….
Too Much Green Beer?
We should all be so lucky!
*Please note: Shane is NOT allowed on people furniture. That is a love seat in Ted’s office and I have no say as to what goes on in Ted’s office. Gotta admit Shane is kinda cute laying there.
What a clever idea! It looks really good. I would have never thought of sausage for a crust… great job!
What a neat idea! 🙂 Very creative to try it without crust. 🙂 Looks just as good!
Thanks for your comments!
A few years ago my parents did the south beach diet so we used super lean ground beef to make a crust, it was good but I bet this was a lot better!
The thought was actually keeping carbs reduced, hence using the “meat” as a crust. Ted would’ve liked it with the real ground beef base.