The roots of our perennial favorite, Pizza, lie in the Mediterranean, and traditionally, pizza never has pineapple, chicken or any of the other "fancy" ingredients we've come to think of on it. But that doesn't mean it has to be either boring OR expensive!!
Make your own tasty mediterranean pizza at home for a cheap, tasty meal that the whole family will love.
Mediterranean Pizza
Your favorite pizza sauce**
Half a cup or so of grated cheese - use your own favorite, but LastPenny uses any brand of Tasty
1 or 2 fresh tomatoes, diced
Baby spinach leaves
Fresh basil leaves
Store-bought pizza base!
Heat oven up to 200C. Spread your pizza sauce on the pizza base, top with baby spinach leaves and basil leaves, a sprinkle of cheese and tomato over the top.
For extra flavor, add sliced mushrooms or chopped bacon.
**LastPenny's Quick and Cheapy Pizza Sauce
1 tin Watties Pasta Sauce (any flavour)
3 tablespoons tomato sauce
1/2 tablespoon mixed herbs
Bring gently to the boil on the stovetop, stirring often, and cook for 10 minutes or until sauce starts to thicken and reduce.
This makes heaps: refrigerate in glass or plastic for use. You can also freeze it in single-serve (about 3-4 tablespoons) portions!
Great for a quick and easy dinner, for entrees, or weekend lunches.
Try making it on a pita bread, and folding it over to take to work for lunch!
Showing posts with label light meals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label light meals. Show all posts
Hash Brown Stacks
Quick, tasty and cheap hot lunch or light supper - also yummy if you want a hot breakfast! And kids love these tasty treats.
Ingredients:
1 or 2 hash browns per person (frozen are fine)
1 tin spaghetti in tomato sauce*
A few rashers streaky bacon (if desired)
Grated cheese - about half a tablespoon per stack.
Preheat your oven to 200C (or heat as appropriate for your brand od hashbrowns) Grease an oven tray by spraying lightly with cooking spray, or rub with a little oil on a paper towel. (Don't pour the oil on or your hashbrowns will go soggy.) Lay hashbrowns on tray, and top each with a generous spoonful of spaghetti. It should heap, but not overflow. I find a small tablespoon is about right for most hashbrowns.
Top with a sprinkle of grated cheese, and if you're having bacon, chop it finely and sprinkle around a teaspoon on top of each.
Pop into your oven and turn on the grill, or best of all fan grill. time will vary depending on your oven - mine take about 7 or 8 minutes but it might be as little as 3 or 4. Basically, your hashbrown should be warm through, your spaghetti nice and toasty, and your cheese melted and bubbly.
Serve!
*Use the budget kind for recipes! They cant taste the difference! Trust me!
Ingredients:
1 or 2 hash browns per person (frozen are fine)
1 tin spaghetti in tomato sauce*
A few rashers streaky bacon (if desired)
Grated cheese - about half a tablespoon per stack.
Preheat your oven to 200C (or heat as appropriate for your brand od hashbrowns) Grease an oven tray by spraying lightly with cooking spray, or rub with a little oil on a paper towel. (Don't pour the oil on or your hashbrowns will go soggy.) Lay hashbrowns on tray, and top each with a generous spoonful of spaghetti. It should heap, but not overflow. I find a small tablespoon is about right for most hashbrowns.
Top with a sprinkle of grated cheese, and if you're having bacon, chop it finely and sprinkle around a teaspoon on top of each.
Pop into your oven and turn on the grill, or best of all fan grill. time will vary depending on your oven - mine take about 7 or 8 minutes but it might be as little as 3 or 4. Basically, your hashbrown should be warm through, your spaghetti nice and toasty, and your cheese melted and bubbly.
Serve!
*Use the budget kind for recipes! They cant taste the difference! Trust me!
Kids' Nachos
These nachos make an inexpensive, quick and easy-to-prepare snack or meal. Perfect for kids' teatimes on those days when they need something fast and nutritious.
It's light on vegies, so I like to include some raw carrot and cucumber fingers on the side; or raw peas, snow peas or broccoli heads depending on the season and cost!
A nice dollop of sour cream or my own preference, greek yoghurt (cheaper and healthier!) makes a wonderful dipping sauce for the vegies and also a nice topping for the nachos.
Corn chips (or sliced up pita bread, dried in oven)**
Baked beans (buy the plain-pack budget kind for this dish! They're usually no more than $0.99 (New Zealand Dollars!) for a 385g tin. And when mixed with the corn chips and cheese, no-one will taste the difference.) A 38sg tin feeds three kids or two teenagers :)
Grated cheese
Thick plain yoghurt or sour cream (optional)
Arrange the corn chips on a plate - a shallow dessert plate is what I find works best. Top with baked beans, and microwave for two minutes on high. Depending on your microwave, you might like to stir once during cooking. *
Top with grated cheese, and a dollop of sour cream if your kids like it!
**Top tip: Buy your corn chips in the largest bag you can find, and seal them in single-serve portions in freezer bags, in the cupboard. Each portion will stay fresh until required.
*Alternately, heat the baked beans on the stove pot in the saucepan, and finish the dish (with cheese, but without sourcream) with a few minutes under the grill - long enough to warm the corn chips and melt the cheese.
It's light on vegies, so I like to include some raw carrot and cucumber fingers on the side; or raw peas, snow peas or broccoli heads depending on the season and cost!
A nice dollop of sour cream or my own preference, greek yoghurt (cheaper and healthier!) makes a wonderful dipping sauce for the vegies and also a nice topping for the nachos.
Corn chips (or sliced up pita bread, dried in oven)**
Baked beans (buy the plain-pack budget kind for this dish! They're usually no more than $0.99 (New Zealand Dollars!) for a 385g tin. And when mixed with the corn chips and cheese, no-one will taste the difference.) A 38sg tin feeds three kids or two teenagers :)
Grated cheese
Thick plain yoghurt or sour cream (optional)
Arrange the corn chips on a plate - a shallow dessert plate is what I find works best. Top with baked beans, and microwave for two minutes on high. Depending on your microwave, you might like to stir once during cooking. *
Top with grated cheese, and a dollop of sour cream if your kids like it!
**Top tip: Buy your corn chips in the largest bag you can find, and seal them in single-serve portions in freezer bags, in the cupboard. Each portion will stay fresh until required.
*Alternately, heat the baked beans on the stove pot in the saucepan, and finish the dish (with cheese, but without sourcream) with a few minutes under the grill - long enough to warm the corn chips and melt the cheese.
