Tomato Ricotta Pie

{originally published in 2013 and updated in 2025}

This tomato-forward ricotta pie is light and in the same vein as a quiche but fluffier and was due for a refresh! It works well with really good tomatoes. I used a refrigerated pie crust making this come together so quickly.

Ricotta Tomato Pie
Ingredients (serves ~5-6)
1 pie crust, thawed
3-5 tomatoes, sliced
1 cup whole-milk ricotta
3 eggs
½ cup grated parmesan
¼ cup cream
1 tsp chopped garlic or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt & pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Gently unroll pie crust into a pie dish sprayed with non-stick spray, poking a few holes into the crust with a fork and bake for 10 minutes.
While crust is pre-baking, whisk together ricotta, eggs, parmesan, cream, garlic, salt and pepper.

Remove crust from oven and pour the cheese mixture in.
Lay the tomatoes over the top slightly overlapping.

Sprinkle with salt and bake for 30 minutes.
Let sit for at least 5 minutes before slicing. Serve warm, room temp, or cool.
Enjoy!

I liked that this was light but filling. It’s a summery dinner, lunch, brunch, or breakfast.

Add some fresh basil or oregano! A savory crumb crust would be good too! It freezes well but is best defrosted at room temperature.

Pepperoni Pizza Caesar Wrap

This is the best of all the worlds – caesar salad + pepperoni pizza all formed into a wrap!

I saw this on TikTok but it was shaped like a quesadilla and I thought it would be better this way like a wrap – I cooked it like a quesadilla or like a skillet pizza. After I let it cool briefly, it gets topped with the caesar salad, then I folded it up like a wrap. It was so good.

Pepperoni Pizza Caesar Wrap
Ingredients: (serves 2)
2 large flour tortillas
1/2 cup tomato sauce
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella
pepperoni
sprinkle of chili flakes and/or Italian seasoning (optional)
1 small head of romaine lettuce
3 tablespoons Caesar dressing
croutons (optional)
1 teaspoon parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat a skillet to medium heat and spray with nonstick spray. Warm the tortillas on the pan, topping with sauce then cheese then pepperoni on each.
Remove from the heat when melty and cooked through but not super crisp – it needs to be pliable and mostly soft. Sprinkle with chili flakes and seasoning, if desired.

Let it cool for ~2-3 minutes.
Chop the romaine and toss in the dressing. Season with cracked pepper and parmesan.
Pour the salad onto the centers of the quesadilla pizzas.

Wrap them up by folding the bottom up 1/3 of the way, and then roll/fold the left to right.
Enjoy!

This a nice zing from the pepperoni and cool creaminess from the salad – it has to be cool enough to not immediately wilt the lettuce. I loved this and appreciated it as a use for some small amounts of sauce and cheese! This is an excellent speedy way to have the flavors of pizza or to have salad and pizza on the go!

Loaded Italian Fries

Think disco fries…but give it Italian vibes! They look like an app but eat like a meal! I added chicken, mozzarella, pesto, tomatoes, and balsamic glaze on seasoned fries.

Loaded Italian Fries
Ingredients: (serves ~2-3 as an app or 1 as a meal)
1 1/2 cups frozen fries
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning + salt + chili flakes
2 teaspoons pesto
2/3 cup roasted chicken
2/3 cup mozzarella
2 small tomatoes
balsamic glaze to drizzle

Directions:
Air-fry or bake the fries according to the package.
While the fries crisp, chop the tomatoes, shred the chicken, and mix up the seasoning.
Right when the fries come out, toss in the dried seasoning.
Layer some of the fries, cheese, chicken, pesto, and tomatoes then broil for a minute to melt.

Then top with remaining and melt again!
Out of the oven, drizzle with balsamic.
Enjoy!

This was so good. It’s a perfect way to use some small amounts and end up with a satisfying meal that feels festive. Melting the base layer is critical to having consistency throughout…like nachos, you don’t want only the first few to have stuff on them!

July 2025 Recap

July forever has me settled into summer but also feeling like there’s so much I want to do before it is over! We have been swimming, attending lots more parties than usual, and trying to stay cool. Meals feel more about speed and ease than being well thought out or unique.

I re-made Chicken Caesar Salad Pizza from 2012 and it was as delightful now as it was then.

This Pickle Lemonade was really fun and works well spiked or plain!

Mojito Slaw on Fish tacos feels restaurant-ish at home

Peach Crumble Parfaits were a cool breakfast when it has been too hot to function!

August is already upon us. I have such a pull to do all the things before summer is over! Meals have taken a backseat to anything else we might want to do. Also, our fridge kicked it so we have to be a bit creative. We have vacation, a 7th birthday to celebrate, and several parties and adventures ahead this month!

The Big Kid:
He has had some fun camps – and one “not favorite” but he made the best of. He’s all sports all the time – maybe with an exception for a new Star Wars obsession. He quietly hates the heat but doesn’t let it slow him down until it knocks him out. He did the biggest and most intense ride at the theme park and I was so proud that he really decided for himself if he was ready for it.

The Littler One:
Her swimming has advanced to include more underwater and more strokes. She is blowing through chapter books and can’t stop – which we love to see. She cannot wait for her birthday. This summer we have seen her build more friendships. Summer dance class has been fun!

Goals for this upcoming year:
Year of replacements/upgrades! I upgraded 2 new workout tops and let one favorite go
Restaurant Recreations – nope
Special ingredient focus – not really
More fish – fish tacos!
What I’m reading – I read Project Hail Mary which I liked, but could have been 150 pages shorter…then I read The Nature of Fragile Things and was obsessed with the twists and San Fran quake. I just finished the Lost Letters from Martha’s Vineyard and was very into it…60s Hollywood vs grandmother’s past life.

Pickle Lemonade

I love pickle flavored anything and am very into all the pickle snacks around lately! This drink was inspired by Popeye’s pickle extravaganza (possibly named something different) with so many pickle flavored foods and a frozen pickle lemonade. This drink has lemon and pickles plus some cucumber and sugar to cut the extreme sour. Spike it with some lemon vodka if desired!

The rest of my fam isn’t as into pickles so making a single serve option was my method. I’ve confirmed my preferred chips (Utz pickle ones are best, Aunt Vicky’s are spicy pickle and in 2nd but hard to find, Doritos pickle ones are 3rd, Pringles pickle chips are 4th).

Pickle Lemonade
Ingredients: (for 1)
8 oz lemonade
2 slices lemon
3 slices cucumber
1 teaspoon white sugar
4 pickle chips or 1 spear, chopped
2 tablespoons pickle juice

Directions:
Add lemon, cucumber, and sugar to a glass or shaker and muddle it to get it crushed, mixed, and all the flavors out.

Add in the lemonade, pickle juice, pickle slices, and vodka – if using. Shake or stir well.
Add ice and a pickle garnish. Enjoy!

I loved it. The cucumber adds some nice freshness against the strong pickle and lemon. This would be great to offer as an option to spike or not per drink. It wouldn’t be everyone’s pick(le) but I loved it and will totally repeat as a fun treat…a drink with a pickle garnish to snack on is the best!