Testing My Culinary Skills

I am not a good cook neither am I very interested in trying to churn out a variety of cuisines in my kitchen, I would rather go and treat myself at a restaurant when I get cravings for different cuisines. But every once in a while, I feel an urge to test my culinary skills and I pick out a recipe that I think my son will enjoy. Most of the times, I stick to the ‘not-so-difficult’ baking little treats area. However, this time, I decided to get a little bold and try out this new recipe I saw online.

When I read ‘Stuffed Pizza Bread’ as the title for the recipe, I thought “ah it’s a calzone”. However, it is not a calzone, this is simply stuffed pizza, a healthier version of pizza. In any case, I decided to try it out and I am happy to say that it turned out pretty well, and my family did enjoy it. Since it was so good, I thought I must share the recipe with all of you.

The prep time is about 30 minutes and cooking time about 20 minutes and affords 8 servings. Well then, here goes!

Here are the ingredients you will need:

2 packs (11 oz) Pillsbury pizza flour

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz)

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon thyme

4 tablespoons of marinara sauce

1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves

3 cups cooked chicken meatballs

½ cup thinly sliced roasted red/green bell peppers

½ cup crumbled feta cheese (2 oz)

½ cup thinly sliced mushrooms

2 tablespoons chopped kalamata olives, patted dry

Steps to follow

• Heat oven to 400°F. Spray large cookie sheet with cooking spray. In medium bowl, mix 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, the Parmesan cheese, garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Set aside.

• Mix the pizza dough in a bowl and set aside for 10 minutes. Then using a roller pin unroll the dough into sheets and place them on the cookie sheet. Using a spatula, apply marinara sauce on it. Then sprinkle some mozzarella cheese lengthwise over half of the dough.

• Pour some olive oil into a pan and sauté the red/green bell pepper, chopped chicken, mushrooms, spinach and olives in it. Sprinkle some garlic powder into the mix. Add a pinch of oregano, thyme and Italian seasonings and sauté it again.

• Add the sautéed mix on top of the mozzarella cheese on the dough. Add more mozzarella cheese on top of the sautéed mix.

• Fold dough in half lengthwise to enclose filling, pressing to seal on each side.

• Don’t forget to poke all over with fork. Then sprinkle the top with cheese-garlic mixture. You will have enough dough and mix to make 4 stuffed pizzas.

• When the oven has been preheated to 400°F, keep the tray into it and bake for 17 to 20 minutes or until deep golden brown.

• Let it cool for about 5 minutes, then cut into halves and serve with sriracha sauce.

My family certainly enjoyed it, needless to say, we wiped the dish clean. I hope you will try this recipe and let me know if you enjoyed it as much as we did.