Chicago-style stuffed pizza

It’s not very common for us to make or buy gluten-free versions of breads or other grain-based foods, despite the number of cookies, cakes, and other goodies on our recipe list. We compile the recipes for these rare occasions — times when we just have to have a taste of something we haven’t had in years.

There might be better crust recipes or mixes out there, but since we don’t make crusted pizza very often we have only tried Bob’s. Let me know if you have a variation that you like better and the next time we’re drooling for a pie we’ll give it a try! We might even try making a meatza version of this recipe some day.

Thick and hearty deep-dish pizza. Now THAT is a pie!

• 1 recipe of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Pizza Crust (see note below)
• 1 can pizza sauce. Try to avoid sauces with sugar and vegetable oils. I use Trader Joe’s organic tomato sauce, then add minced garlic, oregano, basil, onion powder, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and a touch of olive oil.
• 6 oz. sliced low-moisture, whole milk mozzarella cheese (you want a dryer cheese or else you’ll have a soupy pizza)
• 3/4 lb. sliced pepperoni, ham, crumbled sausage, or other meat
• Sliced or diced onion, olive, mushroom, peppers, artichoke hearts, pineapple, or whatever toppings you like
• Grated parmesan cheese
• 9-inch springform pan, plus a cookie sheet or 9-inch cake pan

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of the springform pan with olive oil. Do the same with a 9-inch circle of the cookie sheet or the 9-inch cake pan. Press about half of the dough into the springform pan and up the sides, using wet hands. NOTE: Get it as thin as you can, as Bob’s mix puffs up a lot when cooking and becomes quite a thick crust. Don’t leave too much in the corner of the pan. Press some into just the bottom of the other pan as well for the top of the pie; you’ll likely have some dough left over. Since the crusts are pre-baked, the lid doesn’t adhere to the bottom crust during the final bake so I’m thinking next time of “gluing” them together with some of the leftover dough before doing the second bake. Bake the two crusts for about 8 minutes, then remove from the oven.

Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Put a layer of mozzarella cheese along the bottom of the main crust. Then layer meat, toppings, and sauce. Repeat until the crust is full.

Put the top crust over the filled pie (maybe put a little of that extra dough around the edge of the bottom first to get them to bind). Top it with a little more sauce and some grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake for about half an hour. Let it sit for a few minutes before cutting. Use a very sharp knife and a sawing motion or everything will just slip and slide out. Leftovers are great reheated!

Eggplant Parmesan

One of the easiest Italian dishes to make, especially if you skip the “breading.”

Eggplant takes the place of meat in this warm, gooey and satisfying dish.

• 1 eggplant
• Salt
• 1 egg (optional)
• 1/2 cup coconut flour (optional)
• Olive oil
• 1 12-oz can no-added-sugar tomato sauce (I like Trader Joe’s)
• Chopped fresh basil
• 6 oz. sliced mozzarella
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Wash or peel the eggplant. Slice into 3/4-inch discs. Lay the slices on a cookie cooling rack and sprinkle salt on both sides. Wait 10 minutes for some liquid to leave the eggplant, then press between paper towel.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

OPTIONAL: Beat an egg in one bowl, put the coconut flour in another. Dredge the sliced eggplant first in the egg wash, then in the coconut flour, and lightly fry in a hot pan with some olive oil.

Oil the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan. Lay the slices in one layer in the pan; you might have to cut some of the slices and fill in the gaps with the pieces.

Cover the eggplant with tomato sauce, sprinkle with chopped fresh basil. Lay the sliced mozzarella cheese over, then sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Bake for 45 minutes or until the cheese begins to brown.

Meatza

The meat “crust” on this pizza works surprisingly well. If you spread it thin, it won’t overpower the whole pizza or taste like a hunk of meatloaf.

Be sure to add a lot of toppings and cheese so you don’t end up with glorified meatloaf.

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 tsp salt
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp coarse ground pepper
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1.5-2 lbs. ground beef
• 2 eggs
• Pizza toppings (any veggies you like)
• 1 small jar pizza sauce
• 8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
• Extra Parmesan cheese, optional

Combine the spices in a small bowl, set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the meat and eggs. Add the seasonings and Parmesan cheese to the meat and mix it all together.

Turn the meat mix out onto a large baking pan. Spread the meat thin for your crust. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

While the crust is cooking, do a quick saute of any veggies that need a little cooking (onion, green pepper, broccoli, etc.). The topped pizza won’t be in the oven long enough to cook them.

Once the crust is done, drain the extra grease that cooked out of it. Cover the crust with pizza sauce, your veggies, and the cheeses. Be sure to cover it all the way to the edges, unlike in the photo. Put the pizza under the broiler until the cheese is melted and starting to brown up, then let it rest for a couple minutes before you cut it up.

Adapted from Justin Owings Blog

Spaghetti (squash)

It’s not as quick to make as boxed noodles, but it’s just as tasty and definitely more nutritious. This is a good, cheap meal and the “noodles” keep well in the fridge if you need to make them ahead of time.

Be sure to get some protein in. Ground sausage is a good choice.

• 1 spaghetti squash
• 1 can Trader Joe’s tomato sauce (or other lower-carb sauce)
• 1/2 lb. ground beef or Italian sausage

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Cut it into 1 to 1.5-inch arcs from side to side, with the grain of the squash. Cut off about 1/4-inch of the rind and put the slices of squash into a pot with boiling water and salt. Boil for about 20 minutes.

While the squash is boiling, cook the ground beef or Italian sausage in a large skillet or pan. When it’s cooked, add the tomato sauce and turn to low or turn off the heat if the squash is close to being done.

Remove the cooked squash from the water and separate the “noodles” of the squash with two forks in a large bowl. Mix the sauce into the squash. Top with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired. 1 squash serves two people.

You could also saute vegetables in with the meat. Onion, green pepper, or mushroom would all be good in the sauce.

Meaty spinach mushroom lasagna

Use whichever kind of veggies and ground meat you’d like: beef, lamb, chicken, venison; mushrooms, green peppers, onions, broccoli, spinach. The great thing about lasagna is that you can make so many varieties with the same technique.

The lasagna, mid-assembly.

• 2-3 recipes egg crepes
• 3 cans Trader Joe’s tomato sauce
• 2 lbs. ground meat
• 1-2 tbs. oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• Ground pepper to taste
• 16 oz. sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1 bag baby spinach
• 1 16-oz. container ricotta cheese
• 1 lb. shredded mozzarella cheese
• 8 oz. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 egg

Brown the ground meat in a large pan on medium heat. Season with oregano, bay leaf and pepper; mix in the mushrooms (or other vegetables) and 2.5 cans of the tomato sauce. Put the rest of the sauce in the bottom of a large lasagna pan, spread it evenly. You just need a thin coating, not a thick layer of sauce.

In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, half the mozarella, basil and egg.

Layer six egg crepes in the bottom of the lasagna pan. If using a 9 X 13 pan, you may only need four. Put small dots of the cheese mixture on top of the crepes, using half for one layer. Carefully spread the cheese with a fork, being cautious not to tear the crepes. Place half of the fresh baby spinach on top of the cheese layer. Place half of the meat-sauce mixture on top of the spinach. Shake 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese on top of the meat layer.

Repeat those layers with more crepes, the rest of the cheese, spinach and meat-sauce. End with a layer of crepes topped with the other half of the shredded mozzarella cheese and the last 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 375 until bubbly and the cheese on top is starting to brown.

The lasagna may be a little watery, since there are no noodles to soak up excess moisture. Let the warm lasagna sit for about 10 minutes, then cut it and move the uneaten slices to separate containers for storage.

Primalcotti (primal manicotti)

This recipe uses rather delicate crepes made of egg and cream instead of pasta noodles. It takes a crepe or two (or three) to get the hang of it, but once you get it down it’s very easy and worth the extra few minutes. Try using the crepes in lasagna, too.

Primal low-carb manicotti

• 6 jumbo eggs
• 1/3 cup heavy cream or whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil or butter, for the frying pan
• 8 ounces ricotta cheese
• 8 ounces shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
• 1 lb. cooked grass-fed ground beef , if desired
• Chopped veggies, if desired
• 1 can low carb/no sugar added tomato sauce (I like Trader Joe’s brand)
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Whisk the eggs, milk/cream, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Heat an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Brush the skillet with some butter or olive oil. Working quickly, pour 1/4 cup of the egg mixture into the pan, swirling to coat the bottom of the pan evenly. Cover and cook until the egg crepe is just set, about 1 minute. Invert the skillet over a plate, and allow the egg crepe to drop onto the plate. Repeat to make 8-10 crepes total, brushing the skillet with melted butter as needed and stacking crepes on the plate.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat the bottom of a 9X13 pan with some of the sauce. Mix together the cheeses, basil and meat/veggies. Arrange 1 egg crepe on a work surface. Place about 1/3 cup cheese mixture in the center of the crepe, then roll up the crepe. Place the filled crepe in the prepared baking dish, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining egg crepes and cheese mixture. Spoon the marinara sauce over the crepes, sprinkle with the Parmesan. Bake until the cheese melts and the top is golden, about 15 minutes.

Adapted from Low Carb Recipe