Beef pasta cooked in a sugary garlic tomato creamy sauce with Italian seasoning. An easy homemade comfort food that's also single pot cooking!

Creamy Tomato Beef Pasta One Pot

One-pot pasta recipes are quite selective. Today's my only use case for it is saucy pastas. With less saucy pastas such as Puttanesca or pesto pasta, it just doesn't work properly, because there is not enough liquid to really cook the pasta thoroughly.

So any one pot pasta recipe you'll find on my blog is oozing with sauce, because there ya have it, therefore.

Never has anyone complained, I've never heard of it. Everybody loves sauce! 🙂

Today I am sharing a creamy tomato sauce beef pasta. That's basically a Bolognese with Italian seasonings and a cupboard stainless steel full of cream. Total crowd pleaser!

This One Pot Beef Pasta Ingredients

This all came after my one pot pasta sauciness post (nothing will surprise you when you see the name) the cardinal rule of cooking one pot pasta recipes is to ensure the pasta requires liquid to absorb it and so much of it! Liquid picked up by cooked dried pasta is two and a half times that amount. Today we use 4 cups of stock and 1 can of tomato for 360g/12ozs of pasta.

• Beef mince: I used 90% lean beef mince (ground beef), but any fat % will be just fine. Most people use 80/20. The fattier the beef, the beefier the flavor.
• Chicken stock/broth: The cooking liquid of choice. Tastier than water!
• Pasta: I used spirals (fusilli) but other similar sized short pasta will also do just fine.
• Cream: 3/4 cup, stirred in at the very end turns a regular tomato sauce into a creamy tomato sauce.
• Garlic and onion: Essential flavor base.
• Canned tomato: Adds extra tomato flavor and slightly thickens the sauce.
• Italian herbs: For seasoning! Use a store-bought mix or a combination of oregano, basil, and parsley.
• Red pepper flakes: Optional, for a tiny bit of warmth.

1 Pot Creamy Tomato Beef Pasta Recipe

1. Sauté the garlic and onion, then cook the beef until it's no longer red.
2. Add Italian herbs and cook for 30 seconds to toast the seasoning.
3. Add tomato paste and stir for a minute.
4. Pour in stock, canned tomato, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir well, then add the pasta.
5. Bring liquid to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes until pasta is just cooked. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
6. Stir in cream and simmer for another minute.
7. Remove from stove, give a good stir, and ladle into bowls.
8. Sprinkle with parmesan and parsley if desired, and enjoy!

As you pull that sucker off the stove, don't worry how saucy it is... that's what you want. Pasta absorbs liquid quickly, so by the time you serve it, it will have gone from just a little too soupy to the perfect level of ooziness.

If you look above, you know pasta is pretty good at absorbing liquid, which means it'll go from just too soupy to a beautiful oozy perfection you won't be able to resist in the time between pulling it off the stove and eating it. But in either case, saucier is to dry as wet is to dry. No one wants a mound of gluey, stodgy pasta!!!

YUM. That is 100% me in that food. It's not fancy. It's fuss-free to make. It's hearty and cozy and easy, and rustic, and full of flavor.

Although I love Jalapeño poppers — I'm going to refer to them as poppers in this post — it takes such a ridiculous amount of time to make them, that I rarely get the chance to eat them at home. One night, when I'd been going by myself and spending dynamic cooking time in my kitchen—sometimes it's a chore to cook for one—I happened to find a jar of pickled jalapeños and boom took some inspiration.

In the midst of comfort food, I somehow transformed my classic grilled cheese into this beauty. My friends and family instantly took to it.

That's a self indulgent Friday worthy meal I like to have with a cold drink, a blanket and couple of chick flicks, but this jalapeño popper grilled cheese sandwich is the one. And it's also a fun kid friendly lunch (just adjust the spice levels as you like) and an easy party appetizer.

It's cheesy, gooey, and fragrant. It's crispy and buttery on the outside and exactly like a deep fried popper, only hassle free.

GIY (Grate it Yourself) vs Pre Shredded

The thing, however, is that chefs love to talk about how they never use pre shredded cheese for recipes where you want your cheese to melt nice. Unfortunately, however, there's actually a good reason for that. Anti caking agents mean a pre shredded cheese unless you find one that doesn't have them. The superior way to go is grating your own cheese.

A Clever Shortcut

I will not be the one telling you not to use pre-shredded cheese, it'll taste delicious, regardless — do what you want. I do, however, have a counter for alternative.

If you couldn't be bothered to grater cheese for your casserole or lasagne this technique will appeal to you if you find it easier to toss the food processor bowl in the dishwasher than deal with a grater. Place all of the filling ingredients into your food processor and pulse until all of it breaks down into a smooth, easy to spread paste. That's really helpful if you're itching to scale up this recipe.

Use the Oven to Scale It Up

Small grilled cheese sandwiches are my thing to make when I have friends over. It feels like fancy finger food, but it's comforting enough to satisfy the masses. Served with shots of warm tomato soup for that nostalgic kick a la Anton Ego in Disney's epic, Ratatouille film, if you want to kick things up a notch.

If I can, I'll bake these big batches in the oven — I can put 6 of them at a time on a sheet pan to come out, about 24 bite sized sandwiches. Preheat the oven to 425 (F) and put up rack in upper third of the oven. Take a knob of butter and place it on rimmed baking sheet and into preheat oven until melted, about 5 minutes. Coat the pan and sprinkle the Parmesan (if using) over the tray and tilt it. Put the hot sheet pan with bread slices. Fill the cheese filling evenly and bake for 5 minutes until gooey.

Remove from the oven carefully and add the remaining layer of buttered bread (buttered side up), pressing it down with a spatula, sprinkle with the second time with Parmesan then return to the oven until golden brown. After cutting each sandwich in half once for a half sandwich gap, then each half of the sandwich into four mini triangles (the superior grilled cheese shape), serve.

Savvy Swaps

For making grilled cheese, one can instead use mayo that lends a slight tang and a perfectly crisp exterior without burning as fast as butter. I, however, am a purist. As far as I'm concerned, butter does make things better. Fresh rinejalapeños can be used instead of pickled and the same or more or less, the flavour will be a little sweeter, but we can be more spicy depending on your jalapeños.

But if you want a little bit of sweetness, then use candied bacon. Good things do cost extra — it is what it is.

Grilled Cheesy Goodness

• Sheet Pan Grilled Cheese Sandwich.
• Mozzarella, Red Peppers with Arugula on Grilled Cheese Sandwich
• Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
• Grilled Cheese Sandwich Instructions
• Grilled Cheese BLT
• Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Jalapeño Popper filling.

If using garlic and herb cream cheese, replace the garlic and herbs with regular cream cheese mixed with the remaining crushed garlic clove, a pinch of freshly ground pepper, and a few teaspoons of your favorite chopped herbs, I highly recommend cilantro and chives.

Ingredients

• 6 strips bacon
• Softened garlic and herb cream cheese (6 tablespoons)
• Freshly grated: 2 ounces Cheddar cheese
• 2 ounces of freshly grated Monterey Jack
• about 2 to 4 tablespoons finely chopped, pickled jalapeños, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin, optional
• 4 slices sourdough bread
• 1 to 2 tablespoons butter
• Finely grated Parmesan, 2 tablespoons optional

Method

Step 1: Cook the bacon

Lay a layer of bacon in a non stick skillet and over medium heat. Turn the bacon, and cook until crispy. Set aside in the pan and drain on a plate lined with paper towel.

Step 2: Make the filling

Mix together the cream cheese, Cheddar, Monterrey Jack, chopped jalapeños and cumin (if using), all in a small bowl. After we let the bacon cool a bit chop it up with the cheese mixture.

Step 3: Assemble the sandwiches

Put the butter on one side of each slice of bread, butter side down, on a plate. In 2 sandwiches arrange 2 slices of bread that you've slathered the filling on and top with remaining slices buttered out sides up.

Step 4: Toast the sandwiches

Pour out the bacon fat from the skillet, then give the inside of the skillet a good wipe out with a dry paper towel. Place skillet on medium heat.

If using, sprinkle the tops of the sandwiches with Parmesan cheese. Once the skillet is hot, add Parmesan side down to the sandwiches. Finished in the oven by sprinkling it with more Parmesan.

Golden brown in 10 to 12 minutes, uncovered. Cook these people on each side until golden for a total of 4-5 minutes.

Step 5: Serve

Pull off the heat and let cool a few minutes. Serve right away, slice with a serrated knife.

The filling in this recipe makes ahead friendly but best served from pan as a grilled cheese sandwich. Put the mix in a covered bowl and refrigerate it for up to 3 days, then bring it back to room temperature before using.

My mom keeps newspaper clippings and index cards in her recipe box, and rifling through it resembles watching an old photo album. There are lots of 'Do you remember that?' and 'I have not met X for ages!'

I had even noticed generic boxes of Velveeta at the grocery store the other day which made me ask her to get it down for me. I can't honestly say that I thought about Velveeta recently but adding it was what made one of my family's favorite meals – cooked ground beef, canned beans, Ro-Tel tomatoes. The Velveeta went in at the end and it all melted into sort of a brownish mess called creamed tacos.

We ate it in bowls accompanied by tortilla chips and shredded lettuce; it was nowhere close to deconstructed tacos as it was more of cheesy chili. Years I used to think it was called "cream tacos." But the name doesn't matter at all. It's just good.

A True Texas Recipe, Kind Of

It is a mother's recipe that I related to creamed tacos but actually, it was inspired by Janey Hays my parents knew her in the late 1960s. One day, as newlyweds, mom and dad journeyed from Ohio to the Air Force base in Laredo, TX For dad and a host of other arrogant young men, it was pilot training. People married in this country and others lived on the base in simple concrete structures; many of the residents became good friends. They organised very noisy sessions where they served lots of food, beer among other beverages.

They were one of many couples stationed there and while the Hayses thought they knew everything they needed to about each other's relationship, they never really knew what was going on at the base between couples. Janey (or, as I later came to discover was her name, Mrs. Hays) was from Texas. All of the wives shared recipes with each other, and this turned out to be a most exciting period of cookery experience for many of the wives. I think mom had resided in Ohio her entire life and dishes such as Tex-Mex enchiladas and a Southern tomato pie were unfamiliar to her. Instead, she presented her friends to their first cabbage rolls ever.

Some of those people never ever talked to me again after I completed pilot training but my parents by some twist of fate got to know the whereabouts of those couple of families. His company transferred him to Marietta in the 1980s but he and his company were obviously unaware that we lived there. They were looking at homes in my family's street as we kids and I were playing television tag in our lawn one summer evening. One day, a strange man came over, and literally, I saw him staring at our mailbox with stick-on letters = BIR. "Sorry miss can I ask if your father IS Jim Bir?" Who can blame him? I think I would have probably blanked on him, because it is not a very popular name, but I am almost certain I have heard it before. He took a piece of paper and scribbled something, and said I should give it to my parents and take any calls for him.

The Hayses had a daughter my age and our families would spend some time together Socializing my mom and Mrs. Hays resumed swapping recipe. It was with this thought in mind that creamed tacos came into our lives. When years elapsed, Hayses relocated and as always, people lost touch with the family. Mrs. I remember you often Hays, whenever I am passing by the house you used to live in.

A Filling, Super Easy Meal

What was this Mrs. Hays doing preparing creamed tacos in the first place I do not know, but growing up me and my two brothers creamed tacos on a school night meant that there is party at home later. For my working mom probably too because creamed tacos are ready from zero to table surface within about 15minutes.

Mom hasn't made creamed tacos in years, in part because they are presumably dreadful for you. One day after mom found the recipe I prepared it for my daughter and her dad and recalled what the fuss was all about. It's like your own small bowls of chili con queso for dinner. Who can say no to that?

Jose's Creamed Tacos: Telling the Story of How My Mom Modernized Creamed Tacos

Mom altered the ingredients to prepare according to Mrs. Hays' recipe slightly. First of all, it calls for either a can or a brick of chili. Anyways, mom excluded the chili since she doesn't think that we need it in the recipe since it's already quite starchy. I say you could even leave out the ground beef altogether and use extra beans for vegetarian dinner or even substitute the plant-based grounds.

Mrs. Hays also requires one pint of half and half. Creamed tacos are quite rich and still a dietitian's disaster before you pour half and half over it. But really what mom did was that instead of taking an easiest recipe she make it even easier than that by removing it from the refrigerator.

As for this, it is indeed a perfect meal that young children and growing chefs could do on their own. That must have been the case when I was about 10 or 12 years old making the first one, although I do not remember ensuring I cleared the mess.

How To Make Creamed Tacos

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 cans chili beans (15.5 ounce size each; do not drain)
• 1 (10-14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chili
• 1 pound processed cheese, for instance, Velveeta
• 1 to 2 tsp chili powder, optional
• Tortilla chips, for serving
• Shredded lettuce, for serving
• Diced tomatoes, for serving

Instructions:

1. Place the ground beef in a large pot for example a 4 to 5-quart Dutch oven as shown. Place this over medium heat; then fry the ground beef until pink is no longer present and it is crumbled up. This'll take 5 to 8 minutes. Skim most, but not all, of the fat and then pour it down the sink.
2. While the meat is being cooked, it browns and you can set this time aside to do the lettuce and fresh tomato preparation.
3. Put in the beans, canned tomatoes and any other ingredient required. Stir and let it boil gently and achieve a hot and thin consistency at the same time.
4. On the other hand, the cheese should be cubed in large pieces. When the pot starts to simmer add the cheese. Lower the heat and keep stirring until the cheese has melted completely—it doesn't take long.
5. Take a sip and if you believe it needs more of that fire, you can add 1 or 2 teaspoon of chili powder. (Beware of these one- because they are very salty, and, yes, the chili powder contains salt too.)
6. It's typically the case with creamed tacos as we always serve them very thick and you can tell that it really lays heavily on your stomach. But if yours is thicker than you would like it to be, you can dilute it by adding a little amount of water or milk.
7. Spoon the creamed tacos onto bowls and garnish with the tortilla chips, shredded lettuce and fresh diced tomatoes.

If you have any remaining food on the dish then store it in a refrigerator for 4 days at most. As for freezing, I have never done it with creamed tacos but am sure it should be quite all right.

In the Italian family, soup is always appreciated. From the soup that you make to get back your health overnight pastina soup to the Italian wedding soup and my grandma's soup which has escarole and is consumed during the Xmas, all the soups give a sense of comforting and has bliss of yester years. Simply and to the point, to our mind, soup does indeed comfort the spirit.

Creamy vegetable dumpling soup was formatted by such mere thought as instead of pasta can we use dumplings for the soup? A great shortcut was included in the recipe too. It takes time to prepare the potato gnocchi but it becomes a substitute for homemade dumplings, and placing it directly in the broth helps enhance taste.

The end result is so easy, tasty, and so yummy that it has become one of our 'go to' dishes. For extra Italian flavor, a dollop of coconut milk, the zest from half a lemon, and a sprinkle of fresh parsley, this soup is an easy way to warm the soul.

What Kind of Gnocchi To Use

I am not very keen on gnocchi and so far, after trying several types, I prefer the classic potato gnocchi that we get from Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. You should find it packed shelf-stable packages in the aisle where pastas are located.

I also like Trader Joe's Cauliflower Gnocchi that is gluten-free. Besides, we also use jar sauce that has a longer list of ingredients and is set at 3pm. However, as one must cook the product from the frozen state, the soup takes longer to come to boil and the gnocchi to cook compared to other shelf stable products. Surprisingly, the cauliflower gnocchi are denser than normal and bigger in the soup which is not a bad thing at all.

It's the easiest soup you can ever imagine and any gnocchi works greatness in this soup—just cook the gnocchi according to the heating instructions in the back of the package. The only thing that is going to change about the method is the title.

Easy Recipe Variations

There is another point why I always serve it – it is very versatile: It's also very flexible depending on which type of flavor you fancy as well as which ingredients you might have at any given time. Often we add spinach or kale, soy curls and more about fresh herbs you can imagine.

Some other welcome additions:

• Spinach, kale, or escarole
• Shredded rotisserie chicken
• Cooked, crumbed sausage
• Discarded chickpeas or canned white beans
• Norms such as broccoli or peas receive the very best of treatment and are put in the freezer as vegetables.

This also now means you can change the dried spices and include dried rosemary, sage and Italian seasonings with the dried thyme and oregano used in the formula list.

If you're using Better than Bouillon paste, mix 1 tsp./cup water and then 1 more tsp for a total of 7 teaspoons.

With frozen gnocchi, simply heed the same direction as mentioned above. They will only take a few minutes longer to boil and the cook time for the gnocchi could be slightly more.

If you're using Trader Joe's Cauliflower gnocchi, use 1 1/2 of a 12-ounce bag.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small white onion
• 3 stalks celery
• 3 medium carrots
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3/4 teaspoon, freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 250ml reduced sodium vegetable stock half the amount of one standard cup. 6 cups of meat free reduced-sodium vegetable broth or stock, for example Knorr Cube.
• 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
• 16 ounces potato gnocchi
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• ¼ fresh parsley, chopped
• Salt, to taste

Optional for serving

• Parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top or a cheesy flavoring called nutritional yeast.
• Crushed red chili flakes

Method

Chop the vegetables and heat the oil:

Finely dice one onion, one celery stalk and one large carrot. And while you're at it, you should also chop up 1 cup of onion, 1 cup of carrots, and 1 1/2 cups of celery. Finely chop the garlic and put it aside.

Turn the stove to medium high heat and place a 4-quart pot or a Dutch oven and then followed by putting the olive oil.

Sauté the vegetables:

Once they are sparkling, add the onions, celery, and carrots and sauté till the onions are only slightly browned, approximately 4 minutes. Reduce the warmth and stir into the sauce the garlic, pepper, thyme and oregano. Stir the mixture and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes until the vegetables start developing a somewhat discretionary aroma.

Add the liquid and bring to a boil:

Also incorporate the vegetable broth coconut milk. Add more heat to medium high and allow the soup to boil, the boiling should take about five to six minutes.

Cook the gnocchi:

Mix the gnocchi with the mixture and return to a boil. Prepare according to the package ambience, which is 2 to 3 min for shelf-stable potato gnocchi, or until the gnocchis float to the top.

Season and serve:

After that, pull the soup off the heat and then stir in the lemon juice and chopped parsley. Taste, adding salt to taste. Consume it freshly cooked with your red chili flakes and Parmesan cheese, or nutritional yeast if preferred.

Any remaining portions should be put in a sealable container and refrigerated for up to 4 days. Heating it up in a pot over medium low heat until the soup is warm.

Did you ever get a Frito pie or walk around with a taco in a bag? A few summers back, this Texan friend of mine asked me if I would like to go for a pop up in Brooklyn, since we both resided in the area. I had never even heard of Frito pie – or Fritos, for that matter – before I moved to the South from the Northeast as a child.

Honestly, I did not expect to get a bag of Fritos filled with chili, sour cream, corn chips, and cheese, but I was amazed. One sunny and oppressive afternoon we lay on the fresh green of one of the parks, talking and tasting the good combination of meat and potatoes.

Today, whenever I want to get that taste from back in the day, I grab my favorite skillet for a homemade dish called walking taco casserole. What you get from the convenience of the bag is all the components of a walking taco casserole, served in a casserole dish. It is versatile and very delicious so you can take it with any toppings of your choice.

Walking Tacos and Frito Pie: A Brief History

Writing for Eater and Heavy Table, it has been determined that there is no definitive source for the invention of Frito pie. But it was perhaps first observed in the region now known as Texas and then migrated across the continental United States to the Midwest.

The Frito pie is typically a popular food item purchased at schools, occasions that include sports games or community field days. My friend Joseph who used to have this at school lunches describes it as being made with Hormel canned chili, topped with a spoonful of sour cream, shredded cheese and chives.

Swaps and Substitutions

• If you do not like pinto beans you can replace them with black beans if you like!
• For a less spicy type use plain canned diced tomatoes instead of Rotel brand which has chilis.
• Of course, you can use a ground beef substitute; however, you should know that you may need more oil because of fat.

Make-Ahead Instructions

It also makes this casserole very easy to prepare in advance using some handy tips. Yes, prepare the filling up to the final stage of adding the toppings but don't add the toppings, you can prepare the meat and bean filling 2 days before and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Just before serving prepare the oven, preheat it to 350°F. Carefully, pour the filing to another casserole dish and sprinkle the cheese and Fritos on top. Bake as directed, then increase by 5-10 minutes to heat the entire casserole.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. neutral oil (usable Canola oil)
• 1 white onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, fine chop
• 1 pound 80/20 ground beef
• 3 tablespoons taco seasoning mix (either homemade or bought ready-made from the grocery store)
• 1 scallion, finely diced
• 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans
• 1 (10-ounce) can RO*TEL Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies
• 1 cup thick and chunky salsa
• Salt and black pepper according to taste
• 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese (300g), plus more if necessary
• 1 (9-ounce) bag Fritos Corn Chips

For serving (optional)

• Sour cream
• Pickled jalapenos
• Diced scallions
• Shredded lettuce

Method

Saute the aromatics:

Pour the oil into a big 12 inch skillet with heat level set to medium. Stir in garlic and onion and cook for 6-8 minutes until the garlic and onions are softened and have turned translucent.

Cook the meat:

Add the beef and start breaking it down with a wooden spoon to desired pieces. Stir in for 6-8 minutes to make the vegetables appear golden brown.

Note: If your taco seasoning does not contain salt incorporated in it then season the meat with salt liberally.

Preheat the oven:

While the meat is grilling, turn on the oven to 350°F.

Simmer the casserole:

Lower the heat down and put the taco seasoning, the scallions and the pinto beans in the pot. Stir for additional 1-2 minutes until it is well combined with the rest of the ingredients.

Finally, add the Rotel and salsa and again stir in well, required 8-10 minutes depending on the time required to blend in the salsa, meat and other seasonings. If necessary you can add more salt and pepper to bring the best flavor you want to achieve.

Add the toppings:

Right after that spread the mixture on a 9x13-inch casserole, make sure it forms an even layer. Cover with cheddar cheese and 2 cups Corn Fritos chips and additional 2 cups chips, if using more chips.

Bake for 10 minutes, depending on the level of cheese meltage.

Serve

Place the hot mixture on the top casserole dish with decisions to add a swirl of sour cream, pickled jalapenos, scallions, shredded lettuce. And tada!...separate and serve it on plates and you're ready to indulge!

We love macaroni and cheese in all forms at our house: made completely on the stovetop, baked perfectly in the oven with crumbs of browned butter and most of all made out of a boxed mix. Orange or blue boxes have been my companions since my childhood. These stories symbolised basic, reassuring dishes which I could cook for myself. Same to all the years I had as a dumb grown up trying to survive in society. Rarely a week before the birth of our daughter her father and I would completely relish indulging ourselves in Trader Joe's mac and cheese with hot dog and frozen peas addition.

Now my daughter's the one who eats boxed macaroni and cheese like it's some kind of separate food group. I wanted to feel that I had a little more say in what gets inputted into it, so I came up with my own. We are happy with the outcome and I am sure you will be the same. For the "box" version, you only need three ingredients, and for actual preparation, you just add milk and/or butter, just like in the real thing.

It Starts With Dry Cheese Powder

This is essentially the neon orange paste that people who use boxed macaroni and cheese probably already know as the cheese component. Online purchases of good-quality brands will have real cheese as the first item on the ingredients' list. As it turned out, buying in bulk tends to be cheaper so I ended up ordering a 1-pound tub of Hoosier Hill Farms cheddar cheese powder at $23.69 with shipping included. If you wish an original colored brand of Cheddar Cheese Powder, try this Anthony's Cheddar Cheese Powder. I liked its taste, however, some starches in the product prepared for me had formed lumps that did not disintegrate well.

Tapioca flour, therefore, is the secret weapon.

What I learned of other brands that included in their cheese sauce mix helped me to deduce a creamy sauce. The only experiment my daughter did was sampling boxed macaroni and cheese so I kept all the used boxes and scanned through the list of ingredients. Out of all the mac and cheeses that were tested none of the Trader Joe's Shells and White Cheddar and Annie's Shells & Real Aged Cheddar had any ingredients that didn't pass the 'no-no' list except for a modified starch as a thickener, which could be either cornstarch or tapioca flour.

Such kinds of starches set almost instantly – on reaching the boiling point and produce a sauce that is generally thicker with more body. The interesting thing about tapioca flour is that it sort of becomes somewhat stringy, and thus approximates cheese pull.

Tapioca flour is easy enough to locate in the gluten-free aisle of the grocery store when you are browsing the baking section. I get Bob's Red Mill brand. Perhaps it is seldom used in households' daily cooking, however the good news is that saffron can be stored for a long time in a cool and dark place. Miraculously, tapioca flour is the main component in our simple Brazilian cheese bread recipe which means buying a bag is totally justified.

It is optional to add the tapioca flour for your homemade mac and cheese mix if you or your people prefer a runnier macaroni and cheese.

The Best Pasta for the Job

Loose crinkling packing peanuts, or plain old cheapo macaroni, overwhelmingly seems the most appropriate here. And that indeed will work, but your result won't be quite like the mix because the pasta in those boxes is generally much more delicate and cooks faster. Al dente – even the most basic elbow macaroni is much more robust than the pasta found in the mac and cheese boxes – so take note of that with expectations.

I found that the best pasta options were shelved with the small pastas meant for soups: that is where you'll see tiny shells. I did mini-penne for them, and that meals were well received. The above pastas are usually retailing at a price of a dollar or two more per box than economy brands but we found the additional enjoyment sustainable.

Instead of semolina pasta as it is usually preferred in recipes, whole-wheat macaroni was not quite as good. So, it became a very thirsty sponge for the liquid, that, to make the sauce, we had to add additional milk, which watered down the cheese. There was also a sensation imbalance that wilted from the slimmer pasta and to the heartier, wheaty texture. Despite this we opted to remain using the traditional enriched wheat pasta and make up for the whole grain during the remainder of the day.

More butter is used in order to create Creamier Mac and Cheese.

Similar to most mac and cheese mixes, my homemade mac and cheese mix requires incorporation of a range of butter. So after years of mac and cheese immersion I have realized that those box brands that profess to be richest and creamiest only require the person to add more butter- even up to 4 tablespoons. That's half a stick, which is a lot for 2 1/2 servings of a fruit that is high in fat. It also less often enhances the natural taste of cheese as most people anticipate it would. While 1 tablespoon is enough for us, we do use whole milk most often .

Out of Milk or Butter? Try These Subs

Sometimes we're out of milk. It happens. I tried to make this recipe with a milieu of dairy and even non-dairy options to see what worked, and a diverse array of stuff lurking in the fridge made for really pleasing macaroni and cheese.

• Replace the butter with sub cream cheese contained with milk (but heat the butter gently before adding the milk to whipped up in order to avoid forming lumps).
• Replace the milk with any plain non-dairy milk
• Replace the milk and butter with sour cream (but do not use it when boiling)
• Replace milk and butter with yogurt – plain yogurt, but avoid boiling it
• Trade milk for a light pilsner beer in a college kid staple

For ease, try copying the following recipe on a card and put in some place where everyone in the house knows where to look when they need to prepare it, without asking you the process.

On the same note, I it is quite conversational to combine one batch of powder with salt and the optional tapioca at one time as I wait for the water come to boil. However, if you'd like to do a large, bulk mix, that is quite doable – I would suggest that you whisk the components. You will be using 3 tablespoons of the dry cheese mix per one batch.

The amounts given are for 1 serving which equal 1 box of macaroni (6 to 7.25 ounces) and cheese.

Ingredients

• Dry macaroni shells or other small pasta; about 1 1/2 cups or 6oz./ 170g when cooked.
• 3 tablespoons (20 grams) cheddar cheese powder, orange/white
• 30 ml plain water, For the filling 80g ginkgo nuts, 1 tablespoon butter, 1/2 teaspoon tapioca starch, optionally
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons milk, any kind
• 1 – 2 tablespoons butter (if you use salted butter, you should reduce the indicated salt)

Method

Boil the water:

Boil on high heat. Place a medium saucepan 6 cups water and put it on the stove. Add the lid and let the liquids boil.

Make the cheese sauce mix:

At the same time in another small bowl, physically combine the cheese powder, tapioca starch (if used) and salt with a help of the fork or a small whisk. Set aside.

Cook the pasta:

When the water is at full rolling boil add the pasta. Stir once. After it boils remove the cooker and let the water return to a robust boil that foams at the sides but not spilling over. Cook it until the pasta is as soft as preferred, usually takes about 8 minutes.

Pour rinse the pasta over a colander. Do not rinse out the cloth or knock out the excess water from it.

Cook the sauce, then combine with the pasta and serve:

Lower the heat to moderate then place the hot, empty pot on the heat source, back on the stove. Add the butter and melt. Finally fold in the milk and all the cheese powder mixture. Blend until the majority of the lumps dissolved, leaving the sauce pasty and thickening a little. Pour the hot drained pasta into the sautéd vegetables, mix until well coated. Serve immediately.

Macaroni and cheese should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. If you find the soup too thick or thickness of your cream causes this same effect for you, then when reheating it in the microwave add a little more water. I prefer to take it straight from the fridge.

When I decided to change my household to quasi-vegan most transitions were smooth. However, changing to plant base diet and being able to maintain our favorite Friday pizza dinner did not. The Dick is our favourite take out joint and sadly, they do not have vegan cheese, their sauce contains Parmesan.

However, the vegan mozzarella from store that looked like dairy was too expensive and not up to par. It appeared there had to be a far more superior strategy. Naturally, I approached my phone and typed in "DIY vegan mozzarella." Thankfully, this was the Holy Grail. This is the quickest, cheapest homemade vegan mozzarella you will ever come across, and it doesn't have weirdo ingredients in it, and it taste a hundred times better than the store bought ones. Most importantly, it's hot and gooey which I believe is the right definition of a pizza night in this fabulous cheesy pizza vegan recipe.

Dough and Sauce: Vegan by Default

Veganizing pizza from the tweens is not that tough. The majority of pizza dough and pizza sauces, even the ones bought in stores, fall squarely into the "vegan by process of elimination" camp. However, to be on the safer side, I suggest going through the label and ensure the product is vegan.

This recipe is especially useful to me because I cannot find a good refrigerated pizza dough where I live. I make it the day before our planned pizza night, shape it into balls then leave it to rise in the refrigerator during work so when I get home it's ready to bake.

DIY Vegan Pizza Cheese: A Game Changer

Now, on to the pay dirt: the cheese. Old school vegans will remember when mozzarella style shreds were rocky until their early incarnation but are still hesitant to properly melt. And their cost has increased in a way that is inconsequent with their quality.

I've made fancypants nut based cheeses at home, I've fermented them. They're good they're not cheesy. I wanted homemade vegan cheese for basal pizza pleasure deliverers – melty and goopy.

The food blog School Nite Vegan offered a brilliant solution: just use tapioca flour to make what is, in effect, a pre-melted confection. The culinary use of tapioca flour increases its stringy nature once it is boiled with the liquid though it imitates the like of melted cheese. So, nutritional yeast is used for the flavor, while neutral oil is used to give it that richness. You simply combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan and what you end up with, doesn't sound like it could have come from such ingredients. It also takes a very short time to prepare; you can prepare it whilst waiting for the oven to heat up.

The vegan pizza cheese is soft and melty, there's no need to grate it – you simple 'blovate' it on the pizza and bake. Any leftovers, if you have any, keep in the fridge for a few days, so you could have a lunchtime quesadilla or two.

For the purpose of this paper, it is fine to use store bought cheese!

You don't have to be a superstar and make your own vegan pizza cheese, just check this out. You are already winning it big time with homemade pizza. Being the product that melts the best, the Daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds has been determined to be the meltiest shreds. My boyfriend has been a vegan for as long as I've known him and this is his favorite.

If one wants more of a Margherita-style pizza, shredded or finely cubed Miyoko's Cashew Milk Mozzarella will do the job.

Toppings for Vegan Pizza

As much as I would love to indulge and have a full meal out of every type of pizza, I prefer it when it's less filling. Adding more toppings to the pizza results to a soft crust. Consider the following toppings:

• Vegan pepperoni slices
• Mushroom: raw fine slices (the mushrooms need not be cooked, but use them sparingly, as they will release lots of water when cooked on the pizza).
• Fried mushrooms (in these you can add more, because you cooked them)
• Small cups of baby arugula or spinach – since it shrinks after baking
• Whole or halved pitted olives
• They used drained, jarred piquillo peppers or Calabrian chiles, cut into ribbons
• A few basil leaves, and a good olive oil drizzle after the pizza is hot out of the oven
• Broken up and fried vegan sausage meat, or Tyson vegan sausage patties, already cooked and sliced

In case you can be preparing the homemade vegan mozzarella you are going to have leftovers. It'll keep in the fridge, tightly covered, for 4 days. It's great on loaded quesadillas.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds pizza dough making it at home or from a local store or pizza parlour.
• For greasing the pizza dough and the baking sheet olive oil can be used.
• Flour for dusting the counter
• Cornmeal, for dusting the board, the tools used when tossing the dough or the surface of the baking pan or pizza peel.
• 3/4 to 1 cup of pizza sauce of your making or of good quality store bought vegan sauce.
• 1 batch homemade vegan mozzarella (see below) OR 7 to 8 ounces vegan mozzarella-style shreds
• Optional toppings: fresh basil, vegan pepperoni or well cooked vegan sausage, mushroom

Easy vegan mozzarella

• 5 tablespoons tapioca flour
• 2 tablespoons of nooch.
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 6 tablespoons oil
• 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar.

Method

Divide the dough:

Usually one or more hours prior to the actual preparation of the pizza, grease an oven baking pan using olive oil. Roll it into 2 portions (if you want to make two 14 inch pizzas and four portions if you want to make four 8 inch pizzas). Pull the outer skin of each dough piece till it taut and pinched at base before oiling lightly before placing the dough seam down on the sheet. Cover and let rise until double in size, though it will take more time if left in the refrigerator, about 8 hours; If left on the counter, it will only take an about 1 hour.

Simple Tip! I prefer to divide the dough in the morning and let it rise in a refrigerator. The dough for the cold pizza is also less deformed, or sticky and thus easier to build.

Preheat the oven:

P/xhtml/css/attrs about 20 to 30 min prior to the intended baking time for the pizzas the oven should be preheated to 500°F. Set a rack in the middle of the oven and place a baking stone or the inverted rimmed baking sheet inside, preheat.

Make the cheese:

At the same time, if you're making your own homemade vegan mozzarella cheese prepare this while the oven is pre-heating. Add the tapioca flour, nutritional yeast, sugar, and salt into a deep middle sized cooking pot. Now add the water, the oil and the vinegar and mix it up. Turn the burner to medium-high, and cook the mixture occasionally whisked. To observe the stages of the gelation process, simple add the water and start stirring after 3-5 min the mixture will become from less viscous to more viscous like bouncy.

Reduce heat to medium and to continue cooking while stirring constantly, as soon as there are large bubbles forming and appearing to move up the side of the pan. When it's ready the cheese will be that sticky, gooey mess that clings to everything. While it may not resemble an appealing substance, do not fret it will set nicely once baked on the pizza. They are taken off the heat and allowed to stand aside.

Shape the pizza:

On a lightly floured surface roll one dough ball with your hands starting from the centre. In case you prefer to have many holes in the crust once it has been baked, you should avoid pressing the dough flat at its edges. If it springs back – leave it and take a little break and move on to the other crust while waiting for it to rest.

If you're making two pizzas, shape a circle that is about 14 inches in diameter. When making 4 more petite pizzas, the ideal wheel shape should be 7/8 to 8 inches.

Sprinkle pie dough with corn meal on a pizza peel or an inverted cookie sheet and then move one dough round to the table.

Simple Tip! If you are uncomfortable placing the pizzas directly unto the baking stone, roll the pizzas into squares of baking paper; they will smooth to the oven without sticking. The parchment will burn at the edges when you place it in the oven but it will not harm the pizza crust.

Top the pizzas:

In the case of the large pizzas transfer 6 tablespoons of sauce per pizza and spread it over the surface of the dough up to half an inch to one inch from the edge. In the smaller pizzas, use 4 tablespoons per pizza.

If you're using vegan cheese shreds, you don't have to spread them around, just sprinkle it on top of the pizza.

If you made the homemade cheese, use a tablespoon to place cheese in drops on the pizza at the same distance. This cheese mixture will collapse from the spoon in rubbery blorps. As such I suggest that you make sure to achieve as close to equal coating of sauce with occasional bare areas showing. For one small pizza you will be about 4-5 tablespoons of cheese and in total you will be using half cup for large pizza.

Simple Tip! This particular section may invite you to really go over the top with homemade vegan cheese. Don't give in! A little also goes a long way and it will give a better texture if added in the oven when in small thin portions.

If desired, add the rest of the toppings you would like, but hold back slightly. If a pizza is overloaded it cannot be baked well, it comes out stack and well done.

Bake the pizzas, then serve:

Scoot the pizza on the preheated stone or an inverted baking pan. Large ones will have taken approximately 15 to 20 minutes, the small ones will take about 10 to 15 minutes.

If you are baking the pizzas on the pizza pans then they will take a little longer.

To test the readiness check the bottom with a metal spatula to see whether it sparingly browns with the crust. They should be of a brown color on the top crust. This is because if you're using your homemade vegan mozzarella it will bubble up in certain spots.

Simple Tip! If you are using vegan mozzarella shreds, some of the brands such as vegan mozzarella that is thick and gooey melt but do not brown.

When the pizza turns out to be slightly brown on the bottom, remove it from the oven and place on a plate for cutting, and then cut immediately.

Prepare, bake and build the rest of the pizzas.

If you are going to have a surplus, it is advisable to store them, in an aluminum foil or plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for not more than 3 days. My favorite method for reheating slices is in the air fryer for 5-7 minutes at 375°F while you can also heat them on a skillet.

Let us paint you a picture. Outside, snow is falling, the fire is cracking in the fireplace, you are warm in your slippers and there is a pot of chicken pot pie soup on the stovetop. Our guess is that if comfort could be put in a jar, it would be in the form of this soup, which is essentially, no fuss, highly convenient pot pie.

The carrots, onion, garlic, celery and dried thyme are sauteed in butter until tender, and then the flour, chicken broth, shredded rotisserie chicken and potatoes are added and it is all cooked until the potato is soft, and the liquids thickened. Crank it up with half-and-half for creaminess and peas because the more of the good green stuff we can sneak in there the better.

Easy seasoned oyster crackers and no need for a crust.

This leave s very delicious on its own but for a more delicious option, add oyster crackers to a bowl then combine Olive oil, dried thyme, cayenne pepper and salt then bake the crackers in a pre-heated oven until golden brown. The luminously sunlit yolk-covered stigmata is earning so many accolades as are these little croutons. Unnecessary, but still yummy, so there is a chance that this source will be useful.

You also can use 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch as the all purpose flour to make the soup gluten free.

Ingredients

For the soup:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 & 2/3 cups chopped yellow onions or 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 small carrots, chopped into 1 1/4 cup
• 2 med ribs celery – sliced, about 1 1/4 cup
• Something like 6 big cloves of garlic, chopped (2 tbsp).
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour.
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups of shredded chicken of one rotisserie chicken
• By the time you prepare these, you should have 2 cups of chopped red potatoes – about 4 potatoes.
• 2 cups frozen peas, 16 oz bag that has been thawed.
• 1/2 cup half and half

For the toasted oyster crackers:

• 2 cups oyster crackers
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (use only if you are going for the spicy type)

Method

Preheat the oven

If you're making the optional toasted oyster crackers, which is not a must but recommended, set the oven to 375°F. Place a rack middle of a large broiler pan; lightly grease the rack; Preheat the broiler.

Start the soup:

Heat butter on medium on a large Dutch oven until melted. Next, put the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, salt, and thyme.. Simmer continuously, stirring from time to time until the vegetables have become soft which should take roughly ten to twelve minutes. Add the flour; wait until the flour thickens and coat the vegetables, roughly for one minute with continual stirring.

Simmer the Soup:

I add the broth, chicken and potatoes in the Dutch oven. Heat over a medium high flame until it starts to boil. After reaching boiling point adjust the heat and let the soup to cook for about 10-20 minutes to well cook the diced potatoes and allow flavor build up. Finally, add the frozen peas and half-and-half and simmer for 5 minutes, and the peas are hot through.

Toast the Oyster Crackers:

If you're using oyster crackers, now to toast them as the soup is cooking. Grease a bowl of equal size with the olive oil and mix the oyster crackers together with the kosher salt, the dried thyme, and cayenne pepper if present. Place the coated crackers on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F approximately ten minutes stirring them more than half way through until they are golden brown and crispy.

Serve:

Spoon the soup into 6 bowls and if wished sprinkle each bowl's soup with the toasted oyster crackers. For best result, store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

Another supper special that brings almost as much joy as a hearty, succulent roast chicken with beautifully caramelised roasted vegetables. Made with love and a great amount of butter, potatoes are, to my mind, a real example of the comfort food. And while there are an awful lot of tricks to perfectly cooking a bird—like wet brining, dry brining, spatchcocking—none of them happens without some planning ahead. But often I simply can't do it any more.

While glossily browned picture perfect chickens with skin browned to a lovely tinge of gold discourage me into employing modern techniques for roasting without regret today. This simple roast chicken is just that: simple. As far as preparation goes, there's no forward prognosis of the cook time, or unique ingredients that need to be found. You can buy a chicken, you can buy it from the grocery and go and cook it at home. Easy as that.

What We Do Not Need is Bells and Whistles

What I love most about this recipe is just how easy it is to prepare. That, and it means you end up with a perfectly good roast chicken. After many years of roasting chicken I have discovered that cooking at 400°F provides moist, juicy, and crispy skin without needing to baste or monitor the chicken constantly.

Don't have a roasting pan? No sweat, neither do I! This can be done in a Dutch oven which I prefer 5-quart or larger, any big cast-iron pot or a rimmed baking sheet.

I prefer placing a chicken on veggies when roasting as it raises the bird and ensures it cooks a little evenly and browns. Also, you can still participate in this indulgence by eating the schmaltzy vegetables as a side dish. Carrots, turnips, parsnips and potatoes, whole garlic cloves, large chunks of onion and fennel all fit the bill here. Nice if even a large diced apple is put there. Just spare whatever you have in whatever condition it is.

A Guide to Preparing a Delicious Whole Roast Chicken

Although this recipe is incredibly easy, there are certain factors which should be taken into account in order not to fail.

• Start with a good chicken: Organic is best and air chills are preferred. Less than four pounds makes it delicate, not more than five pounds is acceptable. Double check the sell by date It should be refrigerated; if frozen, be sure to defrost it in the fridge and it can take up to 2 days to do so.
• Season well: It is also important that the cavity is seasoned and the outer skin of the bird peppered with some salt. Even more flavor is added by stuffing the cavity with other aromatics.
• Watch the clock: The last thing anyone would want for a chicken is to overcook it. It is to be checked even earlier by using the following calculation in the recipe below. It will help you if it will be explained that the cook time might differ due to the capacity of your oven.
• Use a thermometer: In my view, this is not negotiable. The old wives tales of observing whether the juices runs clear is not very efficient, and neither is the feeling the chicken with ones fingers for doneness; a thermometer is the only way you'll know if the chicken is safe to consume without overcooking it.
• Give it a rest: And do not omit the resting time at the end of the straining process. Otherwise you have to cut into a boiling hot chicken and after dropping it half of its moisture content you have to burn your fingers. Besides, it will just take you the right amount of time to set the table put a salad on the table, open some wine.
• Make stock: Don't toss out those bones! After dinner remove all the uneven skin over the carcass and put the whole carcass in a zip-top freezer bag. Freeze until you're ready to make chicken stock.

For Bonus Points, Use Butter

If you do not have the time, or feel like being even more lazy then you don't need to apply butter. Though, if your two handed time permits to spare another three minutes plus the willingness to get your hands dirty it makes loads of difference. This way it also lubricates the meat from within and tenderizes it as the butter under the skin melts and bums the meat.

Ingredients

• 1 (3 1/2 to 5 pound) whole chicken
• 5 cups coarsely chopped vegetables (1 to 1 1/2-inch) which include carrots, onions, potatoes, parsnip, fennel, butternut squash, and turnips.
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium lemon, cut into 2 halves (if using a large lemon then 1/2 of it is enough)
• 1/2 of yellow or white onion, peeled and sliced into half moons
• 2 sprigs of rosemary or 1 small bunch of thyme, optional
• 3 tbsp butter, softened (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Position the rack with the middle of the oven. Take it out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for a while unwrapped.

Prepare the pan:

Place the roughly chopped vegetables directly into the pot whether a Dutch oven, a roasting pan or a rimmed baking sheet sufficient to hold chicken. Mix with the oil and then sprinkle some amounts of salt and pepper. Utterly, and this even when it is in a layer of uniform distribution. If you're using roasting pan or sheet pan, position the vegetables to be slightly larger than the chicken so it can rest on top.

Prepare the chicken:

If you happened to buy a whole chicken, take out the giblets from the chicken's body and discard any fluid in the platters. Stuff firmly patting dry inside and out with Paper Towels.

Make sure to sprinkle cavity of chicken with generous amount of salt and pepper. Season with lemon, onion and rosemary or thyme if used. In the case of the butter, just loosen the skin covering the breast and rub them on the meat. Take any remaining butter and spread it on the palms of your hands then rub this onto the skin of the bird. Season with salt plentiful across all dishes and with pepper comparatively lesser. If you're using a salt cellar, this will be about 3 good pinches; if you're using a grinder, it's about 8 full turns of the grinder. If you don't season food this way, it will look like more salt than you are accustomed to consuming.

Fold the wings down so they give off the impression that they don't even exist. Put the chicken with the breast facing up, on top of the vegetables.

Roast:

Put the chicken into the oven and bake till the juices run clear and the internal temperature reaches 165°F, this should take approximately 15 minutes per pound. This depends on the weight of your chicken, total cooking time ranging from 50 minutes to 1 hour and 40 minutes. You need to begin checking them for doneness 10 minutes prior to the time indicated and then in intervals of 10 minutes if necessary. Timed it using a food thermometer to make sure the internal temperature of the breast (without touching the bone) and of a thigh is exactly as desired. The two temperatures should reach at least 165°F as required by the USDA.

Rest and serve:

Tent the bird lightly with foil and baste periodically with the pan juices; let the chicken sit for 20 to 30 minutes before carving (not necessary to cover). Take the lemon from the chicken and pour it over the vegetables. Serve alongside, if desired.

Refrigerated turkey meat will last for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

The first seventeen years of my life I despised any variation of salad from a big bowl full of lettuce to nothing more than a single iceberg wedge; now I am a convert to the many possibilities of salad! Caesar salad was my first real foray into my salad-eating adulthood, which is a bit ironic (see: It can also be entirely unoriginal (refer to: anchovies) but also highly formulaic (as in: how many croutons are required per lettuce leaf?). Now I eat all sorts of salads so when the notion of this pizza salad was suggested I was more than willing to contribute to the creation of getting the taste and feel of pizza in a salad.

What Is Pizza Salad?

Pizza salad is what occurs when you melt the flavors of a pizza on top of a scoop of lettuce, minus the dough base of course. I chose to use a mixture of lettuces because of their different flavors and textures, which I elevated the pizza factor with the vinaigrette using tomato paste, dried oregano, and garlic powder.

Recipe Variations

The toppings described in the recipe below are the set of the most popular ingredients with something for everyone; however, the recipe is as versatile and diverse as pizza and salad. Here are some fun ideas to play with to make this recipe your own:

• Spike it up using a sprinkle of chile flakes or chopped pepperoncini
• Replace the fresh mozzarella balls with shredded mozzarella cheese
• Omit the pepperoni thereby making the food a vegetarian dish
• Sprinkle your preferred croutons or use garlic bread as an exchange for breadsticks
• Replace the tomato paste in the vinaigrette with marinara sauce which has been prepared earlier
• Substitute some of the iceberg or romaine lettuce with spinach
• Add halved cherry tomatoes
• You can add other favorite toppings such as green olives, fresh or bottled button mushrooms, anchovies, crisped sausage, or bacon pieces

Can I Make This Salad Ahead?

Like most salads, this is best eaten immediately, but if you are intending to use that 'time-saving' excuse then go ahead and make this ahead of time. Here's how:

1. Prepare the dressing as described above and place the remainder in the refrigerator in the airtight container or the jar for up to three days. It is mostly shaken before use and hence one should shake the drink really well before consuming it.
2. Place all the salad ingredients to a large bowl and put the lettuce at the very top. Do not mix.
3. Wrap and store in refrigerator up to twenty four hours.
4. Just before serving mix the salad with the dressing.

This recipe is for 4 people as the main course and for 8 people as a side salad.

Ingredients

For the dressing (makes 1 cup):

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 cup of olive oil and use the extra virgin one

For the salad:

• 6 oz Pepperoni slices/ Sausage
• 5 ounces mini mozzarella balls (or large mozzarella balls, which have been cut into quarters)
• 2/3 cup sliced black olives
• 1 cup sliced red onion
• 2 cups of bell peppers – cored, seeded and cut into little pieces of your favorite colors – yellow, red or green
• 4 'packed cups' of shredded iceberg lettuce
• 4 dense cups chopped hundred percent romaine lettuce
• 1/2 cup fresh, grated Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Method

Make the dressing:

Take the red wine vinegar, tomato paste, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, sugar, dried oregano, garlic powder and olive oil and place them in to a resealable jar or an airtight container. Shake really well to combine. For more salt, pepper and sugar if necessary; it should be a very tasty and a smooth vinaigrette.

Prepare the salad ingredients:

Include pepperoni, Mozzarella cheese, black olives, onion, bell pepper and two lettuces in a large bowl.

Toss and serve:

After that is done, shake the dressing really well once more before you are ready to serve. Use about half then pour it over the bowl with the salad and mix until everything is coated well and proportionately. You might add more dressing to it if you need and keep whatever is left in a jar in refrigerator for up to 72 hours. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on the salad and give it right away with warm breadsticks.