Quick and Easy Pizza

I am working hard to get back into a cooking routine after our move (4 weeks ago!)  This is made harder by the fact that we are on the go due to kids activities at least 3 or 4 nights per week.  This week I am working from my recent issue of Cooking Light to plan my menu.  

Earlier this week I made an herb chicken salad from the magazine.  It was just "ok" so I'm not posting the recipe.  Tonight we had a winner though.

I used the basic idea of the Margherita Pizza with homemade pizza sauce from this issue.  However, I made it with a "semi-homemade" technique that made it even faster and easier for a weeknight meal.

First, I prepared the crust using a Jiffy mix.  I had never tried this, and it definitely WORKS FOR ME!  I think the mix was a whopping 44 cents.  I used two boxes to make enough for dinner and leftovers.  I'm sure it is easy enough to make a homemade crust using the Cooking Light recipe, but this was ready in 5 minutes.

I definitely recommend the basic pizza sauce.  It tasted much fresher than a jarred sauce.  This recipe made a TON of sauce...probably enough for 3-4 pizzas.

After I spread the crust with the sauce, I laid slices of mozzerella on the pizza.  I also added chopped basil from my new herb garden.  Yummy!  

Fresh basil

So take a look at the recipes on Cooking Light - pizza and pizza sauce.  Then tweak it your way to make it semi-homemade.  And I definitely recommend the Jiffy pizza mix!  Take a recipe and make it your own...that works for me.  Check out more helpful ideas with We are That Family.

Sauce

• 2  tablespoons  extra-virgin olive oil
• 5  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes
• 1/2  teaspoon  kosher salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  dried oregano

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. 

Remove tomatoes from can using a slotted spoon, reserving juices. Crush tomatoes. Stir tomatoes, juices, salt, and oregano into garlic mixture.  (I just put all this in the food processor and pulsed a few times.)

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.