Perfect Pizza Pasta

We are full swing in school mode over here and desperately trying to find our groove with our new routine since returning to work after a busy summer and maternity leave.  As you know, when it comes to the day to day grind - I am all about anything that saves a little bit of time.  This recipe is no exception.  It is super easy to throw together, can be eaten warm or cool and can be customizable to your child's (and your) individual taste.  This recipe is also a perfect way to use up some leftover veggies you have in your fridge and introduce them in a fun way to get your kiddos excited!

Last week, Benjamin moved up to a preschool classroom at school (wahhhh, where has the time gone!?).  He is absolutely loving his new class and enjoying his new teachers and new room (with all new toys!).  At home, I have had to adjust the way I pack his lunch as well. With this new class, they no longer heat up the children's lunches - which is a major adjustment for us since all of my boys love a warm lunch! (Yes, my husband takes a warm lunch almost everyday).  Until I can find a thermos that works well for his lunches, I'm trying to stick to a main course that travels well, is fun to eat and can be eaten cold/room temperature.  I found some really handy (and thin) ice packs which fit perfectly in our personalized Pottery Barn lunch boxes.  (FYI - to keep the box as cool as can be, I use two of these ice packs in the zipper pouch of the lunch box)

I have recently started purchasing turkey pepperoni and Benjamin is a huge fan.  It makes for a perfect snack and also travels very easily. A week or so ago, we had homemade pizza night and Benjamin had such a blast helping add the toppings to the pizza.  I had some left over toppings so I decided to add some pasta for a new family favorite.  This recipe is a lot of eyeballing and really adding whatever your heart (and tummy) desires.  The best part of this recipe, is that you can make it different every time.  You choose a few options from each of the main ingredient categories and mix and match!  This is a wonderful way to engage children in the process of preparing food.  Toddlers especially love helping in the kitchen and by encouraging this you, in turn, get them excited about helping pack their lunch.  The more fun you make these experiences for them, the more excited (and proud!) they will be to open up their lunch box and scarf their meal down.

I hope your kiddos love this recipe and it puts a smile on their face!  The possibilities are endless... have fun with it!

Perfect Pizza Pasta

Basic ingredients: Pasta + Meat + Veggies + Cheese + Sauce PASTA options (cooked and cooled) - Wheat/Whole grain pasta Cheese tortellini Veggie pasta MEAT options (cooked, cooled and chopped) - Turkey pepperoni Mild Italian sausage Chicken sausage Ground beef Ham cubes VEGGIE (and one fruit!) option - Mushrooms Cherry tomatoes Peppers Black Olives Pineapple Scallions Yellow/Red Onion (chopped) CHEESE options - Mini mozzarella balls Mozzarella chunks Cheddar chunks (white or yellow, mild or sharp) Pepper Jack chunks (for a little spice) Monterey Jack chunks SAUCE options - Marinara sauce Meat sauce Pesto Alfredo sauce White sauce (garlic + butter) Combine all desired ingredients in a bowl until blended and Mangia!

A Pizza Pie

I hope everyone had a fantastic Easter.  This year, Carl and I spent the holiday with my family and it was great.  My Grandma made sure our bellies were full to the brim and happy.  Along with a 18lb ham (yes, there were only four of us + Henry dog!) - she made homemade scalloped potatoes, my fav mac+cheese, corn bread, broccoli, chocolate cream pie etc etc etc.  To say that I ate a lot was an understatement.  And in true Nicole fashion, I came home and made the recipe below and then proceeded to stuff my face yet again. 

A few days ago on the BIOMO Facebook page, I posted this delicious picture with a caption that said, "Recipe including these tasty morsels on the blog this week.  LIKE if you love caramelized onions!"

 

The post only got four LIKES but that was enough for me to get really excited about posting this recipe.  This is definitely my type of pizza - ALL. THE. WAY.  I love the sweetness of the caramelized onions and the smokiness of the chorizo.  The brie just sends it over the top and it is perfect. Aireen, Charlotte, Kate and Sarai - this one's for you!

Brie, Chorizo and Caramelized Onion Pizza

Serves 4

1 medium vidalia onion
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
few pinches kosher salt
4 oz chorizo, chopped
8 oz brie, sliced
3/4 cup pizza sauce
16oz pizza dough
1 oz grated fresh parmesan

Peel onion and slice in half.  Lay the onion cut side down and slice lengthwise to desired thickness.

Heat oil and butter in a medium or large saute pan at medium/high heat until it starts to shimmer. Add the onion slices and stir to coat with the oil and butter mixture. Spread the onion slices out evenly across the pan and let cook, stirring occasionally.   After 10 minutes, sprinkle a few pinches of kosher salt on onions. 

Let cook for at least 45 minutes (or until golden brown).  Stir onions every few minutes.  This is the tricky part - you want to leave the onions alone enough to brown, but not long enough that they burn.  If you stir them too much, they will not brown.  If you see them starting to cook too fast, lower the stove temperature a little and add a touch more oil.  The onions should be golden and soft upon completion.

While onions are caramelizing, preheat oven and pizza stone to 425 degrees F.  Let oven and stone heat for at least 25 minutes.

Stretch or roll pizza dough and place on hot stone.  Cook dough for 6-8 minutes until a light crust forms. Remove dough from oven/stone using a large spatula or pizza peel.

Spread pizza sauce evenly over crust.  Add slices of brie, followed by chopped chorizo and caramelized onions. Grate the parmesan over the top of the pizza.

Place in oven and cook for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.  Let pizza sit for 5 minutes before slicing.  Enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.