Looking for more fun ways to make pizza for a small crowd? Also try my easy French bread pizzas or bagel pizzas.

Easy Grilled Pizza Recipe

I've used this method to make pizzas regularly each and every summer. It's a fun family recipe to make together, and also great for serving to friends at parties and gatherings. Everyone loves to customize and top their own to just how they like.

You'll love this versatile recipe because you can use store-bought dough and sauce, or when time allows homemade of both is an excellent option. Just keep in mind with the shortcuts you can easily have these ready in under 30 minutes especially with friends or family help.

They are perfectly adaptable too. You can use other sauces, cheeses, and final toppings.

The key is just to stick to the simple process. That is to grill the crust on one side first, remove from the grill, flip it to that grill mark side, add your toppings, then grilling to finish after that. This way you end with a non-soggy crust that's not overly charred, and so much flavor throughout!

Coconut Lentil Curry

This meat-free lentil curry recipe is such a tasty main dish that pairs beautifully with white rice, cauliflower rice or naan.

It has a delicious complexity of flavor, the lentils make it a nutritious choice, and the coconut milk adds some body to make it more substantial.

It makes an excellent vegan dinner and any extra that's left is perfect for lunch the next day (you can even freeze it).

If you haven't yet had lentils this is a great place to start. With the rising prices of meat these days it's a great recipe to add into the dinner rotation since lentils are a much cheaper alternative to meat.

And by using a the homemade spice blend here (which is basically a curry spice blend) you can control the amount of heat that goes into the dish making it as mild or spicy as you prefer.

Easy French Bread Pizza Recipe

All be honest, going into this with recipe testing I was thinking it would more so be a recipe the kids would love - but it turns out that equally as well adults will absolutely love this French bread pizza too!

But of course that only makes sense because it's layered with so much goodness and it's extra cheesy!

It has incredible flavor, perfect texture (crisp exterior, soft interior) and it's so easy to customize (see below for ideas, or just think of your favorite creative pizza and make that here!).

Not only is it a great after school snack, but it is definitely something I would proudly serve to guests on the weekend (just pair it with a simple salad topped with Spaghetti Factory copycat creamy pesto dressing).

It's just so tasty! Especially if you go the easy homemade pizza sauce route.

Who doesn't love a recipe that's this simple, that can taste this good??

And I should mention it makes great leftovers too (and I'm a leftover snob). That is if you're lucky enough to have any left for lunch the following day.

Spread it over homemade pizza dough for the ultimate pizza or use it as a dip for breadsticks!

Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe

A DIY recipe that's perfect for busy days! This quick and easy pizza sauce from scratch is made of basic ingredients, most all of which you likely already have on hand.

And no waiting hours for a sauce to simmer here. Instead we add tomato paste to thicken it up.

The best kind of recipe right? I'm all about simplifying things when possible for easy weeknight dinners.

This sauce is naturally vegan, has has intense tomato flavor, it's deliciously seasoned with fresh garlic, and it has the best Italian herb taste.

It also has a great consistency because to me that is key to a perfect pizza sauce. I want the sauce to still exist once the pizza is done baking rather than all of it being absorbed into the crust.

What's not to love here? It's a delicious recipe you'll have on repeat!

Looking for more healthy soup recipes? Try my classic Vegetable Soup, Cabbage Soup and Lentil Soup.

So this is me, I eat pretty healthy most of the time so I can make room for dessert all the time. I'm kidding (sort of). But really, I think balance is important, which doesn't really mean dessert every day but sometimes I think it's necessary.

I've said it before, all the healthy food is definitely good for your physical health but I say the sweet stuff is good for my emotional health because how could I survive without sugar (especially chocolate)? Addicted? Maybe. Content with that, definitely.

This soup has got to be one of the healthiest I've ever made though. It is packed with so many fresh, healthy ingredients and it really does taste amazingly delicious!

I've learned that light and healthy recipes don't need to be boring, they just need to have the right blend of flavors and good seasoning and it makes such a big difference.

You’ll love how this soup is very filling without all lots of added fats or empty carbs. Plus it makes a big pot-full so you can have some for lunch for the next few days.

And yes, this minestrone soup recipe does call for quite a few ingredients but don't shy away from this recipe because of that. It's worth it!

Photography credit: Jess Larson

Chicken Tikka Masala the Quick and Easy Version

Who knew you could get a perfectly delicious Tikka Masala ready in 30 minutes? Yes, start to finish in 30 minutes!

This is a classic Indian dish that is super popular here in the U.S. and one of my favorite Indian recipes.

It's a healthy chicken recipe is totally worthy of being added to your dinner rotation. It is brimming with delicious spices and rich flavors and it's a dinner the whole family will love!

In fact this has already become a regular dinner at my house. We love it served with basmati rice and naan too! 

For this recipe I added in all my favorite components of good meatballs - two kinds of ground meat (not too lean), fresh bread crumbs, plenty of herbs, light on the eggs so they aren't dense, a nice browning before simmering in sauce for added depth of flavor, and of course a good marinara sauce to cover, that's not too thick or thin and that won't be labeled as bland.

This hearty dish is one that will satisfy everyone at the dinner table and will likely become a recipe you'll turn to time and time again.

]]> https://www.cookingclassy.com/rigatoni-with-creamy-spicy-marinara/feed/ 20 8272 https://www.cookingclassy.com/caprese-lasagna-roll-ups/ https://www.cookingclassy.com/caprese-lasagna-roll-ups/#comments Tue, 23 Oct 2012 00:58:00 +0000 https://www.cookingclassy.com/caprese-lasagna-roll-ups/ Caprese Lasagna Roll Ups are a cheesy and delicious way to reimagine your comfort food. Single lasagna noodles are filled with three kinds of cheese, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, then rolled and finished with a simple marinara sauce. So delicious!

Caprese flavors in Lasagna Form!

Aww, just look at all the gooey, soon to be stretched and strung (upon my no longer empty fork) cheese and dream of what could be yours! Italian comfort food at its finest.

The saying third times a charm, it's true. Yes this is my third attempt at creating what I'd envisioned, and at last a beautifully delicious success.
The first time I tried Chicken Caprese lasagna roll ups - strange texture and not my favorite flavor, the second time around I omitted the chicken and made them using fresh Mozzarella - far to soupy and (I was expecting some liquid but I'm telling you half the baking dish was filled with the liquid from the fresh Mozza).

The texture of the fresh Mozzarella seemed a little gummy when it melted too. So, the third time I went with a more traditional cheese filling with the average low-moisture part skim Mozzarella cheese and lots of it, a bit of Parmesan for flavor and a little Ricotta to help bring it together.

The egg white also helps glue and bind the mixture together, I decided to omit the yolk because I wanted to keep my cheese filling nice and white so it has that Caprese-y look.

Besides, omitting the egg yolk is my attempt at making them healthier. That's laughable I know. I say cheese = calcium, so this is somehow good for me.

This dish has everything you find in the traditional Caprese flavors and many of the traditional lasagna flavors. Really this is lasagna simplified both in flavor and preparation. With that I don't mean to say their flavor is bland and boring, they are just simple yet incredible flavors.

How to Make Caprese Lasagna Roll Ups

To create the Caprese style filling, you begin with a cheese filling that's mostly Mozzarella, then it's layered with fresh Roma tomato slices and sprinkled with fresh basil.

Then you roll it up and top it with a simple marinara sauce made from crushed Roma tomatoes, and you sprinkle over more Mozzarella cheese, bake it and then garnish it with fresh basil ribbons.

So, they are Caprese inside and out. I love the fresh flavors of this entree and all that heavenly cheese of course! Who knew vegetarian could be so good? Enjoy!

This is how the layering should look, this was attempt 2 with fresh Mozzarella (which I highly don't recommend). I just didn't want to take a third round of pictures of the prep, so the only difference when you make them will be the use of shredded mozzarella rather than the fresh Mozzarella in the bottom layer.

The top picture was end result of recipe listed.