Tag Archives: pizza

Comfort Foods for the Holiday Season

December 6, 2018
johnnylapasta
0 comments
acorn squash, bake, biscotti, bolognese, carrot, christmas, comfort, cook, cozy, dinner, food, gnocchi, healthy, holidays, parsnip, pasta, pizza, polenta, recipe, savory, soup, spaghetti squash, spicy, squash, sweet, tasty, tomato soup, vegan, warm

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and it’s my favorite time of the year too! One of the aspects of the holiday season I love the most is simply having wholesome meals with my friends and family. For me, every meal with people I love during the holiday season is a celebration. I cook something warming and comforting, I turn on the Christmas lights, I play the Christmas tunes, and we have ourselves a merry time. So I wanted to share with you some of the comforting dishes I like to make around this time of year. Explore below!

Easy Bolognese

As an Italian-American, I find few dishes more comforting than pasta with a chunky red sauce. Bolognese is a classic sauce you can use for pasta, gnocchi, polenta, spaghetti squash, or by itself with crusty bread. My recipe for Bolognese is simple and warms from the soul outward.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

This is the one to make when you are looking to impress your guests. Sweet, savory, and spicy, Stuffed Acorn Squash is an indulgent, gourmet-style dish that has everything going for it. Get the recipe here.

Butternut, Brussels, and Bacon Pizza

I love making seasonal artisan pizzas. For Fall and Winter, my go-to pizza is this Butternut, Brussels, and Bacon Pizza. Truly, this is one of the best pizzas ever. This is great for a weekend night in with friends while watching a Christmas movie. Get the dough here.

Honey Roasted Carrot and Parsnip Soup

This soup is a great easy weeknight meal served with salad and bread or can be used as an appetizer course. Both sweet and savory, this soup feels very seasonal and like something you would have in a Christmasy cottage somewhere in a fairy-tale. Learn to make it here.

Johnny’s Tomato Soup

Sometimes, tomato soup just cannot be beat. While tomato soup isn’t the fanciest of dishes, it is often a great choice on a busy weeknight or when your guests are wanting to still eat healthy while also eating cozy. My Tomato Soup is warming, earthy, and slightly spicy and is completely vegan. I will serve this with a nice winter salad and some crusty bread and before you know it you have a full holiday meal. Get the recipe here.

Christmas Biscotti

I am not much of a baker, but once a year I get in the kitchen and whip up a batch of my Christmas Biscotti. These biscotti have the flavors and colors of the season with cranberries, pistachios, orange zest, vanilla, Amaretto, and dark chocolate. These are an incredibly festive dessert and are also a great baked good to bring to potlucks or even present as a food based gift. Learn to make them here.

Whatever you decide to cook for your loved ones this year, I hope that you have a very merry and tasty holiday season!

7 Johnny La Pasta Recipes To Make This Fall

October 6, 2016
johnnylapasta
0 comments
acorn, Autumn, bolognese, Brussels Sprouts, butternut, dinner, fall, food, healthy, italian, lunch, pizza, recipe, sauce, sausage, seasonal, soup, squash

Fall is here in all its glory! I, like so many others, adore this cozy and colorful season (even if Southern California still gets random Summer heatwaves).There is something special about this time of the year, you can just feel it in the air, and what’s more, you can taste it in the food! Fall centric food is definitely my favorite; the warming flavors and seasonal ingredients, it’s all so good!

I have several recipes of mine that are perfect for this time of year; a few of them even embody Autumn themselves! And as we move ever into October, I thought it would be nice to consolidate all those recipes in one place for you to peruse, study, and cook! So, here are 7 Johnny La Pasta Recipes you should make this Fall!

(1) Stuffed Acorn Squash

My Stuffed Acorn Squash is the foodie personification of Autumn! Sweet and warming acorn squash contrasted and complimented by a stuffing of spicy Italian sausage, crisp celery and onions, tart green apples, crunchy bread crumbs, and earthy sage. All topped with melted Havarti Cheese. This is my favorite Fall recipe.

(2) Vegan Cauliflower, Mushroom, and Red Bean Chili

A Vegan’s delight! This Chili is so hearty and rich while being completely plant-based! One of my most popular recipes!

(3) Butternut, Brussels, and Bacon Pizza

My Butternut, Brussels, and Bacon Pizza is THE Pizza of Fall! Roasted Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprouts, Crisped Bacon Pieces, Caramelized Onions, and Balsamic Sauce make this one incredible gourmet, artisan pizza!

(4) Garlic Rosemary Chicken

Garlic Rosemary Chicken – the simplest and most flavorful roast chicken recipe ever! My go to especially in Fall and Winter! Healthy and hearty all at once!

(5) Johnny’s Tomato Soup

A hearty and healthy Tomato Soup that feeds both the body and the soul. This soup is made hearty in flavor by bold rosemary and bay leaf, and is made creamy by pureed cannellini beans that also add a punch of protein. Mindless to prepare, easy on the wallet, and tasty to the tongue!

(6) Easy Bolognese

Nothing is more comforting than a bowl of pasta with Bolognese sauce; and no recipe is easier than this!

(7) Vegan Pumpkin Nice Cream

My Vegan Pumpkin Nice Cream is the perfect healthy Fall dessert! Just a few ingredients for this nutritious treat!

Fig, Goat Cheese, Prosciutto, and Arugula Pizza

One of my absolute favorite foods to make is artisanal pizzas; I love rolling the pizza dough into rustic, oblong shapes that are perfectly imperfect and then topping them with gourmet flavor combinations of quality ingredients. I don’t know exactly what it is that makes me enjoy cooking these types of pizzas so much, but I love the process of cooking them and am really proud of the original recipes I’ve developed!

A couple of my other artisan pizzas!

Most recently, I published my recipes for my Butternut, Brussels, and Bacon Pizza and my Bleu BBQ Chicken Pizza. Today, I giveth onto you the recipe for one of my favorites; my Fig, Goat Cheese, Prosciutto and Arugula Pizza – I know, it’s a mouth full literally and figuratively!

Can you say, “BELLISIMA!”???

This pizza is born of summer and is reminiscent of Tuscany in the warmer months. Imagine this; the sweetness of fresh figs, caramelized onions, and balsamic, contrasted with the saltiness of prosciutto and the tang of creamy goat cheese, and finished with the fresh and peppery bite of arugula. I am telling you, this is one incredible gourmet pizza!

Pour yourself a glass of wine and turn on the old world Italiano music, because with this pizza, you are about to feel like you’re enjoying a beautiful summer meal in the Tuscan countryside! Buon Appettito!

Fig, Goat Cheese, Prosciutto, and Arugula Pizza

Servings: 3-4
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy
Print

Ingredients:

1 pound store bought pizza dough (I highly recommend Trader Joe’s whole wheat dough)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic glaze or reduced balsamic (Again, I highly recommend Trader Joe’s balsamic glaze or check out this balsamic reduction recipe from Joyful Eats)
1 ½ cups caramelized onions (check out the instructions for caramelized onions in this previous pizza post or this recipe from Food Network)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup goat cheese, crumbled
7-8 black figs, sliced
¼ fresh basil, torn
3-4 slices prosciutto, torn into large bits
½ cup arugula
Parmesan cheese, grated, for serving

Cook’s Note: Vegetarians can certainly omit the prosciutto here to make this a veg friendly option!

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a thin, oblong shape and place on an oiled baking sheet. (Pro-tip: sprinkle course cornmeal on the baking sheet to help prevent the pizza dough from sticking).

Drizzle the surface of the dough with the olive oil and balsamic. Use the back of a spoon to smear evenly over the dough. Arrange the caramelized onions in an even layer over the sauce. Sprinkle evenly with the mozzarella, goat cheese, and half of the basil. Arrange the fig slices and prosciutto pieces evenly across the pizza.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the dough is golden brown, the cheese is melted and bubbly and the prosciutto is crisped. Sprinkle with remaining basil, then the arugula in an even layer.

Cut into rustic squares, sprinkle with parmesan, serve, and enjoy!

Bleu BBQ Chicken Pizza

We all love pizza. We all love BBQ. Thus, it makes sense to combine these two marvelous genres of foods, right?? Right! Almost every American-style pizza place (alla BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse and California Pizza Kitchen) has some sort of BBQ Chicken Pizza these days, and it fantastic; you really can’t go wrong with ordering one. I and many of my friends love BBQ chicken pizza so much that we have taken to making these BBQ flavored pies in our own homes because it really is so simple to make something so good and so beloved.

My dear friend and former blogging partner from my Confessions of Two College Foodies days, Nicole, first taught me how to make BBQ Chicken Pizza. Her and her family made a version very similar to that of California Pizza Kitchen and it was phenomenal; it quickly became a staple in my own household; for that recipe click here. Since then, however, I have sought to make a recipe that is unique to me so that I am not thieving!

Here is a throwback to the classic version, sans bleu cheese and peppers.

When developing this new recipe, I thought about some of the ingredients and flavors I like to add to more traditional BBQ dishes. When it comes to BBQ burgers, my favorite cheese is bleu cheese; the pungent tang of the bleu plays perfectly off of the sweet richness of BBQ sauce. I also enjoy adding the freshness of red and yellow bell peppers to BBQ dishes as they seem to really brighten up a thick BBQ feast. So, I have added those few ingredients to my friend’s original BBQ Chicken Pizza recipe to make this unique Bleu BBQ Chicken Pizza.

The new Bleu BBQ Chicken Pizza! Could you resist???

This pizza is insanely easy to make, rather inexpensive, and completely delectable. This recipe is perfect for the summer months for those times when you need the texture and ease of a pizza but still want that summery, smokey BBQ flavor. I hope you enjoy!

Bleu BBQ Chicken Pizza

Servings: 3-4
Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Print

Ingredients:

1 pound store bought pizza dough, plain or wheat (I like Trader Joe’s dough)
3/4 cup store bought BBQ sauce
2 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped into cubes
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup bleu cheese crumbles
½ medium red onion, sliced
½ red bell pepper, sliced into strips
½ yellow bell pepper sliced into strips
¼ cup parsley or cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to according the directions on your store bough pizza dough.

Roll out the dough into a thin, oblong shape and place on an oiled baking sheet. (Pro-tip: sprinkle course cornmeal on the baking sheet to help prevent the pizza dough from sticking)

Pour half the BBQ sauce on the surface of the dough and spread with the back of a spoon or a pastry brush in an even layer right up to the edges of the dough. Sprinkle the mozzarella and bleu cheese crumbles evenly over the pizza.

In a medium bowl, toss the cooked chicken in the remaining BBQ sauce and distribute evenly across the surface of the pizza. Arrange the sliced red onion and bell peppers all over the pizza.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until the dough is cooked golden and the cheese is melted and bubbling. In the last few minutes of cooking, sprinkle with the parsley or cilantro. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a few minutes. Cut into rustic squares and serve!

Follow the directions for your dough, and make sure to put it on a floured surface.

Roll, roll, roll it out!

I like a rustic, perfectly imperfect shape.

Toss the chicken in the BBQ Sauce.

Colors and flavors!

Spread the remaining BBQ sauce over the pizza, as if it were pizza sauce.

Sprinkle with the CHEESE!

Arrange with the BBQ chicken.

Arrange with the onions and peppers.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until the crust is golden and the cheeses are gooey! In the last few minutes sprinkle with the herbs.

Slide onto a cutting board.

Look at that PIZZA!

Cut rustically and serve!

Butternut, Brussels, and Bacon Pizza

I am a human being, and therefore, I LOVE PIZZA! I love it all; round pizza and oblong pizza, thick crust and thin crust, plain cheese and the works, and so and so on.

However, I have a particular pro-potency for rustic, artisanal pizzas; pizzas whose dough has been rustically rolled and topped with quality toppings in unique and artistically flavorful ways. I have a few artisan style pizzas that I make at home when I haven’t had pizza in a minute and will die if I do not get some in my system, and this Butternut, Brussles, and Bacon Pizza is quite possibly the best of them!

BAM! Look at that!

Roasted butternut squash and Brussels sprouts, crispy bacon, caramelized onions, balsamic reduction, and mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses all come together to create a fully-loaded and totally delectable pizza. Sweet balsamic reduction, caramelized onions, and tender butternut squash are contrasted by smoky, salty, and earthy bacon bits and Brussels sprouts which are married by mild gooey mozzarella and of course the ever distinctive Parmesan. It’s crispy, crunchy, and hearty all at once. Honestly, this is a pizza that could be served at a high-end restaurant off the “fancy” (boogie) pizza menu for a pretty penny, but you can make this in your home for under $15 for 4 people.

Ever since making this pizza this past winter, it has become an instant go-to for pizza night because it so deeply enjoyable! Serve with a nice salad and a glass of wine, and you are in for the perfect pizza experience!

Butternut, Brussels, and Bacon Pizza

Servings: 3-4 people
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: intermediate
Print

Ingredients:

1 pound your favorite pizza dough (I use Trader Joe’s Whole Wheat Dough)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups Brussels Sprouts, quartered
1 ½ cups butternut squash cut into small cubes
4-5 strips bacon
2 yellow onions, sliced thin
1 ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 tablespoons balsamic glaze (I use Trader Joe’s)
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Prep work on the toppings for the pizza –

Preheat the oven to 425̊F. Place the Brussels sprouts and butternut squash on a baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Toss together, roast for 25-30 minutes until the squash is tender and the Brussels sprouts are crispy.

Cook the bacon your favorite way until crisp. Cool and break into ½ inch bits. (I cook my bacon on a baking rack in the oven, so much easier!)

In a medium pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions. Sprinkle with a pinch of both salt and pepper. Cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are caramelized. (Tip: Add a tablespoon of water if the pan starts to get too sticky)

Assembling the pizza –

Turn up the heat to 450̊F. Roll out the dough into a 12-14 inch long rectangle or oblong shape, making the thickness about ¼ inch thick (that’s quite thin).Place on a baking sheet that has been sprayed or rubbed with a bit of oil and sprinkled with a couple tablespoons of cornmeal.

Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over the surface of the crust followed by the balsamic glaze. Using the back of a spoon, spread the oil and glaze all over the crust evenly.

Sprinkle with 1 cup of the mozzarella and ½ of the parmesan. Spread the caramelized onions over the cheese. Spread the butternut squash and Brussels sprouts over the onions. Sprinkle the bacon bits over the vegetables. Top with the remaining cheeses.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the outer rim of the crust is golden brown.

Remove to a cutting board, slice into rustic squares, and serve!