Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Pizza

So, you know how the 70s are back in full force via fondue? Well, I had a fondue party errr. maybe it was a party where we ate fondue. Then I made some up again since the party was a “girls gathering” and Mr. J didn’t get any. So 2nd time around, I had leftovers. It seemed like something I should keep and use wisely since it is ohh so delicious (and the price of fancy cheese isn’t going down anytime soon). I split the leftovers into 2 containers and froze it.

Then it got to come alive again. I was thinking how it could be used again, and duhh. I had leftover steamed broccoli and leftover cheese fondue in the freezer. Pizza!

Ingredients:

pizza dough
1 1/2 cups broccoli (steamed, roasted, or raw, as you like it)
1 cup cheese fondue (or cheese sauce, or alfredo sauce) warmed slightly.
3 chicken tenders
8 oz shredded mozzarella

Directions:

Preheat the oven and pizza stone (if using one) to 400-degrees.
Cook the chicken and broccoli, if needed.
Spread the pizza dough onto at hot pan or pizza stone before poking a few holes into it.
Bake 10 minutes.
The Three Bite Rule
Spread or spoon the fondue onto the crust.
The Three Bite Rule - Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Pizza
Then sprinkle the mozzarella on top.
Next add broccoli florets and pieces of chicken.
Return to the oven and bake for 15 minutes.

The Three Bite Rule - Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Pizza
Remove from the oven and let sit for 3-5 minutes before slicing.
The Three Bite Rule - Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Pizza
This was so good. I used breaded chicken tenders because they’re so quick and easy. They could cook while the pizza stone was preheating. The fondue acting as my “alfredo” sauce, and broccoli both were rescued & frozen after fondue.

The Three Bite Rule - Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Pizza
The touch of mustard from the fondue is really great here. The flavors are subtle, but decadently cheese, plus the juicy chicken, and the broccoli freshness…ahhh! It’s all you need.

Fondue is fun and the price of the cheeses definitely made me want to use the leftovers. This could have easily become pasta, or calzone (like I made eons ago), or into lasagna, or become cheesy garlic bread. The possibilities are endless for cheese sauce. I have one more leftover use ahead. Stay tuned! Have leftovers “left” you inspired to make something else lately?

Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza

I love all veggies roasted. Seriously, roasting is the best. all. the. time. I made pizza last year with butternut squash, bacon, and gouda but this time I kept the roasted squash in chunks and I used ricotta as “sauce”. While I haven’t seen it in person, the menu at Otto has a pizza with butternut squash, ricotta, and cranberry. I wonder how theirs is so I started with just those ingredients….somewhat. It was so good.

The Three Bite Rule - Butternut Squash Cranberry Pizza

I really loved the slightly rehydrated dried berries. I was trying with contain myself and not go overboard (umm unlike when I made this salad) actually wished I had more! I also unearthed a million partial bags of dried cranberries. I guess I need to use them more often. I used dried cranberries that were infused with blueberry juice. They taste like blueberries but are actually cranberries. Whatever. They’re cranberries pretending to be blueberries.
The Three Bite Rule - Roasted Butternut Squash Cranberry Pizza

Ingredients:

Pizza dough
1 1/2 cup ricotta
1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 butternut squash, cubed
1/3 cup dried cranberries, blueberries, raisins, cherries
2 tbs butter
1 tsp garlic, minced

Directions:

Preheat the oven and pizza stone (if using one) to 400-degrees.
Roast the butternut squash drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, flipping once while cooking the dough.
The Three Bite Rule - Roasted Butternut Squash Cranberry Pizza
Spread the pizza dough out and poke a few holes into the dough.
Cook the dough for 10-15 minutes until lightly cooked.
Remove from the oven and spread ricotta onto the dough. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.
The Three Bite Rule - Butternut Squash and Cranberry Pizza
Spoon roasted squash onto the pizza.
Return to the oven for 10 minutes, until the cheese melts and the crust browns a bit.
In a small pot, melt butter and garlic over medium heat.
When it starts to gently bubble, add in the dried berries. Cook for 5 minutes over low heat.
The Three Bite Rule - Butternut Squash and Cranberry Pizza

Once the pizza is cooked, remove from the oven and spoon the butter/garlic/berry sauce over the top.
Let sit about 2 minutes before slicing.
The Three Bite Rule - Butternut Squash Cranberry PizzaEnjoy!

I loved this. I think the garlicky, buttery, and fruity flavors were perfectly contrasted against the nutty and salty squash.
The Three Bite Rule - Roasted Butternut Squash Cranberry Pizza
This pizza would be great if you were making a few pizzas. It might not be everyone’s first choice for pizzas but I swear, try the garlic/butter/rehydrated berries on the pizza before you knock it.

Suggested adaptations:
roasted butternut squash pizza + caramelized onions + toasted walnuts = super topped pizza
roasted butternut squash pizza – ricotta + other cheeses (fontina, gouda, swiss) – dried berries = more flavor if dried fruit isn’t your thing
roasted butternut squash pizza + sliced chicken sausage or chopped prosciutto = non-vegetarian pizza

What I Ate: Pizza Grilled Cheese

What I Ate’ is a series of posts for so-easy-this-doesn’t-need-a-recipe but I’m sharing with you for the idea or inspiration.

I love grilled cheeses packed with all sorts of crazy stuff in ’em. Enter: pizza stuffed grilled cheese. I had a few extra ingredients to a basic grilled cheese with some marinara for dipping. It was a super fast dinner without any leftovers clogging up the fridge. I appreciated the use of some ingredients getting put to good use.

The Three Bite Rule - Pizza Grilled Cheese
Pizza fillings:
american cheese
mozzarella cheese
chopped basil
sliced pepperoni

So good. Many of these items were lasagna leftovers (post coming soon!). Saving even small bits of something comes in handy, especially for instances such as this! This was super comforting with great flavor.

suggested adaptations:
grilled cheese + tomato slices + basil leaves/pesto spread = caprese grilled cheese
grilled cheese + ricotta schmered in there + tomato sauce spread inside = lasagna grilled cheese
grilled cheese + pepperjack + avocado slices + salsa to dip = nacho grilled cheese
seriously, the possibilities are endless.

Some other grilled cheeses I’ve loved:
Grilled cheese with balsamic onions
Grilled cheese with bacon and peach compote
Grilled cheese with breaded eggplant and pesto

Neapolitan Margherita Pizza & Pizza Tips

I figure you need some non-Thanksgiving-y foods this week. Did ya miss me? I took Black Friday off from blogging…not for shopping, but Thanksgiving week is suuuuper busy at work and my poor puppy Windsor had a lot of seizures on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

I wanted to talk pizza today. I make it all the time but figured I was due to share some tips. I fell further in love with pizza on a stop in Italy to Naples on my honeymoon. I really didn’t love Naples but the pizza made it all worth it.

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Seriously. Look at that! Doesn’t get much better. I don’t pretend that this can be exactly replicated but it is such a good one to make at home. Try this tomato “sauce” and you’ll love it. I never make pizza without it.

Ingredients:

ball of refrigerated pizza dough
1 1/2 cups Pastene kitchen ready crushed tomatoes
8 oz fresh mozzarella
8 basil leaves

Directions:

Preheat oven (and pizza stone if using one) to 400 degrees.
Gently start working the pizza dough in your hands, flattening it out. Slowly, with patience, it will grow in size as your hands warm it. Carefully work the edges to make it bigger and to avoid getting holes or too-thin crust in the middle.
Place the flattened dough onto the pizza stone, or hot pizza pan. Reshape if needed. The bottom will cook a bit keeping it from shrinking right in front of you.
The Three Bite Rule - Margherita Pizza
Poke a few holes with a fork into the crust. It stops it from bubbling up too much.
Bake for 10-15 minutes. It should be slightly cooked and not sticky to the touch.
Top with tomato sauce spreading it evenly and far enough to the edges to leave some room for the crust to hold it in. Then add slices of mozzarella.
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Brush the crust with some olive oil for a shiny brown crisp look (optional).
Return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes. Set a timer and look at the pizza to decide when it is cooked enough for your liking. The pre-cook step helps it be cooked through by the end.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with basil.
The Three Bite Rule - Margherita Pizza
Let sit for 5 minutes before slicing.

I love margherita pizza. The mozzarella and basil make it just so amazing. I was so happy to make this simple pizza and pair it with some pinot noir. Love.
The Three Bite Rule - Margherita Pizza
I’ve found that the fresh mozzarella sold in the diary case, by the cream cheese & ricotta, works so much better than the wetter mozzarella balls sold in the produce or cheese cases. These dairy section blocks of mozzarella are drier, easier to slice, and hold up better to the oven than the softer mozzarella from the produce or cheese area that I would prefer to use for caprese salads. If that’s confusing just grab both and look at them in the store. This will all make a lot more sense in-person.

Top 5 Pizza Tips:

1) If you make pizza regularly, get a pizza stone. The first time the crust might stick but it has been fool-proof ever since.
2) Pre-cook the crust without any toppings to get it started with a 10-ish minute head start. This keeps it doughy and slightly crisp without being raw. This also helps avoid the toppings getting overcooked.
3) Try using fewer ingredients, but better quality ingredients. (insert: Pastene Kitchen Ready tomatoes)
4) Get the oven really hot, like 400-degrees hot.
5) Don’t try to assemble then move the pizza. Assemble & top it on the pizza stone/pizza pan you are baking on. Pizza from the floor does not taste as good.

Pizza with Eggplant Spread and Zucchini

I was thinking about pizza with tapenade but happened upon a Mediterranean eggplant spread.  I thought it would be a great spread on pizza or as a sauce. Pre-made jarred sauces are great pizza toppings.

The Three Bite Rule - Eggplant & Zucchini Pizza

Ingredients:

1 ball pizza dough
1 cup eggplant and garlic spread (or tapanade, or roasted red pepper spread)
8 oz shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 small zucchini
1 tbs garlic, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven and pizza stone (if using one) to 400 degrees.
Spread pizza dough out onto a pan/stone poking a few holes with a fork.
Bake for 10 minutes until lightly browned and not fully cooked.
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Spread eggplant spread onto the dough.
The Three Bite Rule - Eggplant & Zucchini Pizza
In a large skillet, saute zucchini and garlic over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes and then remove from the heat.
Sprinkle pizza crust with mozzarella, and spoonfuls of ricotta.

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Spoon zucchini onto the pizza as well.

The Three Bite Rule - Eggplant & Zucchini Pizza
Bake for 10-15 more minutes until cheese is melted and zucchini still has some texture.

The Three Bite Rule - Eggplant & Zucchini Pizza
Let it sit for 5 minutes before slicing.

The Three Bite Rule - Eggplant & Zucchini Pizza
It was really good and had some different flavors. I loooove ricotta on pizza or in calzones. It’s such a light cheese with some creaminess.

Tapenade, or pesto, blended roasted red peppers, or spreads are great for pizzas. I used some zucchini but eggplant or butternut squash would be good too. If pizza dough isn’t your thing then make this on naan, pitas, or flatbread.

What else would be a good fall pizza?