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Sometimes the tastiest meals are created in a pinch.
In an effort to stick to our budget, I decided to get creative with the handful of ingredients we had left in our fridge this past week. I had a few pizza ingredients leftover from a photo shoot, so I had all of my favorite pizza toppings on hand, including green peppers and pepperoni. (Pepperoni isn’t something we eat often, but Applegate Farms is the cleanest brand I’ve found so far.) I also had a head of cabbage in my fridge, a few stalks of kale, and a glass jar of tomato paste in my pantry. Basically, I had everything I needed to re-create the flavor of pizza… but no crust.
I had a feeling that when sautéed, the shredded cabbage would almost become spaghetti-like, so I thought maybe I could just sauté everything together with the jar of tomato paste for a pizza “pasta” sort of dish. As it turns out, it’s more of a pizza-flavored stir-fry, but it’s so delicious I think I’ll be making it on a regular basis from now on!
The beauty of this recipe is that it is SO adaptable. Use whatever you have on hand! It has plenty of flavor with or without the cheese, so it can accommodate nearly any special dietary needs you may have. I hope you enjoy it!
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Pizza Stir-Fry
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon coconut oil or butter
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 ounces pepperoni (optional)
1 cup kale, shredded
1 1/2 pounds cabbage, shredded
7 ounce jar tomato paste, no salt added
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 cup water, as needed for sautéing
2 ounces crumbled feta (optional)
Directions:
Melt the coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat, and sauté the onion, pepper, and pepperoni (if using) until tender, about 8 minutes. Add in the shredded kale, cabbage, tomato paste, salt, and oregano, and sauté until the greens begin to wilt. Add the water to help prevent sticking, and cover the pot to let the veggies cook until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove the lid and stir, making sure all the liquid has evaporated– you may need to cook it for another few minutes to help reduce the liquid. Adjust any seasonings to taste and serve warm, with a sprinkling of feta over the top, if desired.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil or butter
- 1/2 yellow onion , chopped
- 1 green bell pepper , chopped
- 3 ounces pepperoni (optional)
- 1 cup kale , shredded
- 1 1/2 pounds cabbage , shredded
- 7 ounce jar tomato paste
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/4 cup water , as needed for sautéing
- 2 ounces crumbled feta (optional)
Instructions
- Melt the coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat, and sauté the onion, pepper, and pepperoni (if using) until tender, about 8 minutes.
- Add in the shredded kale, cabbage, tomato paste, salt, and oregano, and sauté until the greens begin to wilt. Add the water to help prevent sticking, and cover the pot to let the veggies cook until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid and stir, making sure all the liquid has evaporated. Adjust any seasonings to taste and serve warm, with a sprinkling of feta over the top, if desired.
Nutrition
Per Serving: Calories: 511, Fat: 28g, Carbohydrates: 48g, Fiber: 14g, Protein: 24g
Note: I prefer to avoid canned foods as often as possible, so be sure to look for tomato paste that is sold in glass jars for best quality. Also, the tomato paste I used had no salt added, so be sure to adjust the salt as needed if you use a salted variety!
Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite meal to throw together in a pinch? I could eat pizza or spaghetti every single night, so I wind up eating something like this at least once a week, though the veggies usually change depending on what I have on hand.
Likely the most rewarding of all your recipes for the minimal ingredients and effort. Didn’t change a thing. Absolutely delicious!! Thanks 🙂
I have really loved most of your recipes, but this one was a little off for me. I think I added too much cabbage, but it was a good way to get in extra veggies.
My husband and I tried this tonight. I put 1 lb of ground turkey instead of the pepperoni because I had it and needed to use it. He could not believe how much it tasted like pizza considering what was in there. He asked me a couple of times what all was in there. We topped it with grated parmesean and goat cheese crumbles and it was so good! I am starting the food combining eating plan and was so excited to have a hot and tasty meal instead of a salad! It was amazing! Tomorrow my kids will try it and I’m excited to see their reactions!