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.
Pizza Stir-Fry
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.
Hi Meghan, I signed up for your newsletter a couple of weeks ago, but still have not received a newsletter, despite sending you an email about it to your gmail account. I’m eager to recieve the 21 day kickstart information. Has the newsletter simply not come out yet, or have I not been added to the email list?
Best,
Aleksandra
Hi Aleksandra! My emails will go to the “promotions” tab in your gmail account. Have you checked for them there? A lot of people miss them because of that!
Oh my gosh this is genius! I am definitely giving this a try for dinner this week! Thanks for sharing!
I’m hyped about this recipe because I think I will be able to add my garlic scapes to this recipe! I’ve been looking a so creative ways to use them and bingo, this popped up. I know the recipe doesn’t call for them, but I think they’d work in here well. I’m also considering adding a little baby bok choy. Love Love Love this!!!!
Hi megan, I bought your book with the promotion for president ordering and have not received any information on the promotion
Hi Christine! It sounds like you didn’t submit your order number in time. Forward me a copy of your preorder receipt and I’ll get you the bonus recipes.
Hi Megan,
Love this idea! What’s funny is tonight’s meal was to help with the budget too’. I’m doing zucchini noodles with sauce and crimini mushrooms. I wish I had some onions & pepperoni though! Plus the tomato paste probably gives it a richer flavor. This sounds delicious!
Cookbook comment–
It’s getting dirty because it’s getting used so much!
Kids love love the “Very Vanilla cupcakes” and “chocolate avocado buttercream.” 5 stars for cookbook!!
I’m so glad to hear that!!! Thank you so much for letting me know. 🙂
Hello Megan!
I am new to the blogging world and just love your website. Your grain free almond flour banana bread is a staple recipe in our home as I have a family member that is gluten-free.
Thank you for your innovation!
-Christine
Oh my goodness this sounds wonderful! Never would think of pizza flavor in a stir fry 🙂
Hello Megan! could feta cheese be changed for goat cheese? would that make a major difference? LOVE your blog! about to order your cookbook!!
When I first saw Pizza Stir Fry, I thought it would be a super yummy but guilty concoction. Guess I was wrong, this looks super healthy and I won’t have to worry about the calorie count every time I make it. Thanks for coming up with this!
I love your site and would like to invite you to become a recipe partner. Are you interested?
Oh my wow!!! I loved this dish! It reminded me of “crockpot pizza” my mom used to make. I will for sure be making this again! I think it truly embodies that pizza-y taste =)
This pizza stir fry was AMAZING. Now I can have pizza flavor without the be belly bloat. This is so easy to make. Topped mine with olives and jalapeno peppers. Thank you for another brilliant recipe!
I hate cabbage… What else could I use??
My hubby was stuck for dinner ideas and I was working late. I emailed him this and he whipped it up. We used Asian cabbage as it was all we had. We both loved it and wished he had made more. We topped it with grated Parmesan, it was great!!
This sounds and looks so yummy! Thanks for sharing Meagan! 🙂
Hi..I’m trying to come up with a healthy nightshade-free marinara replacement. This recipe looks so good! Maybe a healthy, perfectly combined, alfredo sauce! Is there such a thing?! My husband is eliminating nightshades from his diet right now and it ‘ain’t’ easy!
Great recipe, it tastes so good. Instead of pepperoni try portuguese hot chorizo (sausage)
It’s to die for.
We’re having this for dinner tonight, can’t wait!
I made this for dinner this evening. One family member doesn’t care for pepperoni, so I left it out. I added a pinch more salt and oregano and a bit of garlic powder. Everyone cleaned their plate. Thanks, Megan!
I love this recipe and have made it several times. It freezes really well. I froze it in a ziplock for a little over 2 months. I let it defrost and and heated it in the oven, tastes just as good as fresh!
Wondering if this could be made in the instant pot?
This is delicious! A great alternative to pasta and my husband (who is not normally a fan of healthy/alternative food) loves it. I added black olives and goat cheese cut into strips.
I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! Even my husband, who tends to be picky when it comes to healthier dishes, approved! I didn’t have pepperoni, so I substituted in ground beef (locally raised, hormone free) for his dish and left mine meat free. I also added mushrooms, as we are big mushroom lovers. Will definitely make this again! Thanks for the great recipe!
I made this for dinner tonight and am absolutely amazed at how yummy this is! I didn’t use any meat but did add mushrooms because my partner and I love them. He actually said this was one of the best vegetarian meals he has ever had. This recipe is definitely going to be a regular! Thank you!
For the past 4-6 weeks, literally all of the meals I’ve eaten have been from your website/cookbook. I love how simple they are in preparation and ingredients – but SO flavorful and delicious! It’s changed the way I eat and the way I feel as a result! This recipe is one of my favorites! I throw a little of the walnut parmesan on top and it is just wonderful.
I’m Nigerian (and we have a lot of tomato-based recipes) so I have a tip for doing this differently.
Saute the onions to caramelize then set aside, then fry tomato paste for 20m until it doesn’t taste like paste. It’ll change from “essence of tomato” to “sweet-tasting tomato puree”! Then do all the other steps.
I am wondering if this could be made in the instant pot
I just made this. I can’t have cabbage so I used 3 zucchini that I spiralized. So amazing! I also added mushrooms with the peppers, onion and pepperoni.
Simple, fast and yummy. This is in our meal plan often.
Must be honest, not one of my favorites. A lot of tomato paste and the flavor was so so. I did read all comments and did carmalize the onions.
My husband and I made this on a whim one night after planning to make a few new recipes for our meals. It was one of the best things I have ever eaten! It felt super-healthy, and it didn’t take much time to make either. We added pepperoncinis to the meal, and we actually didn’t have kale, so it was a little different – but still super delish! I was a little worried about how the meal would taste re-heated the next day, but I think it was even better than the night we made it. I sent the recipe to my mom who made it exactly like the recipe, and she LOVED IT too! We’ve already bought the ingredients to make it again – it will definitely stay in our meal rotation!
This is a great recipe for using things you have on hand. I’ve made it as written. I’ve changed spices and herbs to give it a Mediterranean flavor. I’ve spiced it up to give it a Mexican flare. I always use cabbage but change out the leafy greens. I’ve added sliced mushrooms or black beans, yum. It’s appears to be a foolproof recipe.
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!