Featured Recipe: Sausage Pesto Pizza and Spinach Salad

Copyright Linda Gassenheimer

Make this pizza in less time than it takes to have one delivered. Let the supermarket work for you. Buy prepped pesto sauce and shredded mozzarella from the dairy case, your favorite low-sodium tomato sauce, prepared pizza bases and pre-sliced mushrooms and this meal can be made in 10 meals. It’s so easy, that I like to make extra and freeze them. In fact, over the holidays we had family here for a week — that meant breakfast, lunch and dinner. These frozen pizzas pleased everyone and I had time to enjoy their company.

The side dish of Spinach Salad takes no time to put together. Washed, ready-to-eat spinach is tossed with a low fat dressing and topped with grated Parmesan cheese.

Recipes

SAUSAGE PESTO PIZZA

Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

6 ounces low-fat turkey sausages

2 tablespoons prepared pesto sauce

1/2 cup low-sodium tomato sauce

2 small pizza bases (about 6-inches each)

1/2 cup sliced baby bellow mushrooms

3 tablespoons part-skim milk mozzarella cheese

Preheat broiler. Line a baking tray with foil and place in broiler while it heats. Slice sausages and saute in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Mix pesto sauce and tomato sauce together and spoon over pizza bases. Add sausage and mushroom slices. Sprinkle mozzarella on top. Broil 3 minutes. Makes 2 servings.

SPINACH SALAD

Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

4 cups washed, ready-to-eat spinach

2 tablespoons low-fat oil and vinegar dressing

1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Place spinach in salad bowl and toss with dressing. Sprinkle cheese on top. Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition Information

SAUSAGE PESTO PIZZA:Per serving: 667 calories (35 percent from fat), 26.1 g fat (7.2 g saturated, 6.5 g monounsaturated), 58 mg cholesterol, 32.9 g protein, 102.4 g carbohydrates, 7.6 g fiber, 720 mg sodium. SPINACH SALAD: Per serving: 52 calories (56 percent from fat), 3.2 g fat (0.7 g saturated, 0.2 g monounsaturated), 2 mg cholesterol, 2.9 g protein, 3.4 g carbohydrates, 1.8 g fiber, 125 mg sodium.

Shopping List

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for Dinner in Minutes.

To buy: 6 ounces low-fat turkey sausages, 1 package prepared pesto sauce, 1 small bottle or can low-sodium tomato sauce, 2 small pizza bases (6 inches), 1 small package shredded part-skim milk mozzarella cheese, 1 small package Parmesan cheese, 1 package, sliced baby bellow mushrooms and 1 package washed, ready-to-eat spinach

Staples: Low-fat oil and vinegar dressing.

Helpful Hints

Any type of sausage can be used..
For a crisp pizza bottom, place the foil-lined baking tray under the broiler to heat while you prepare the ingredients.

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