fresh tomato recipes

Pizza with fresh tomatoes

July 28, 2021 by Lisa Grable 4 Comments

We love pizza at Casa Bouquet, and we have found homemade pizza to be a quick and tasty option. Pizza with fresh tomatoes can be made lots of ways. Fresh tomato recipes in the summer are hard to beat!

You will need measuring spoons, tomato knife or chef’s knife, and a half-sheet or cookie pan.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Prepare a half sheet pan with a silicone baking mat or foil dull side up. I use Boboli whole-wheat thin pizza crust for the crust. You don’t have to cook it before preparing the pizza.

Tip: This recipe works really well with a cauliflower crust. Cook two cups of riced cauliflower. Mix with 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella, 1/4 cup parmesan, 1 egg, and seasonings. Make a ball on silicone baking mat or parchment paper on baking sheet. Press until you have a circle 1/4 inch thick. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

Place the crust on the pan. Decide if you are going to add kalamata olives or not. If not, mix 4 tbsp. marinara sauce and 2 tbsp of olive oil. [Note: the olive oil or olives add mono-unsaturated fatty acids to this meal.] Spread the sauce thinly on the crust, up close to the edges. Sprinkle with oregano.

Thinly slice 2 large tomatoes or 4 romas. Arrange evenly on the crust. Sprinkle with sea salt. Cut the ends off two sweet banana peppers. Remove the seeds and cut into small strips. Arrange on the pizza.

If you did not use olive oil in the sauce, now add 20 pitted kalamata olives to the pizza. If desired, add 26 slices of turkey pepperoni. Cover with 4 tbsp. of shredded part skim mozzarella. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper to taste.

Cook for 10 minutes, until cheese is melted. Chiffonade 8 basil leaves and arrange on pizza. Add freshly grated Parmesan if desired.

Fresh tomato pizza is quick and tasty. Recipe uses prepared ingredients with fresh tomatoes and basil as the stars!

You can also use pita bread for individual pizzas, homemade crust, or gluten-free cauliflower crust (see Resource links below.) Need a Lean and Green? Use a Cali’flour Italian pizza crust (1 lean 3 greens); 1/4 cup low fat marinara sauce, such as Trader Joe’s (1 green); 6.34 oz. fresh tomato slices (2 greens); 1 oz. turkey pepperoni (1/5 lean); 13 tbsp. low fat shredded mozzarella (4/5 lean).

If you’ve got the fixings on hand, this yummy pizza takes 15 minutes! We sure like it better than takeout pizza these days, and we think it’s fun to use summer’s bounty!

I’ll be looking for comments below, or contact me at lisa [at] casabouquet[dot]com.

Resource links

http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodpies.html#pizza
- History of pizza from Food Timeline
http://www.lifeingraceblog.com/2013/04/homemade-pizza-how-to-make-perfect-crust/
- Perfect homemade pizza crust from Life in Grace
http://www.foodfaithfitness.com/cauliflower-pizza-with-greek-yogurt-pesto/
- Cauliflower crust and pizza recipe from Food Faith Fitness
http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Gluten-Free-Pizza-Margherita?RAQW4BjktZm4OsLl.32
- Gluten free pizza Margherita from Saveur
http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Low-Carb-Cauliflower-Crust-Pizza-Recipe-30739512
- Cauliflower crust pizza from Paula Deen via PopSugar
http://greatist.com/health/make-healthier-pizza
- 74 ways to healthier pizza from Greatist

Let’s talk story

Roma tomatoes are traditional for pizza. Have you tried heirloom tomatoes? Our favorites are German Johnson and Cherokee Purple. I hope you’ll try them!

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Tomato, tortellini, grilled chicken

Pineapple lime salsa with turkey

Couscous salad Mexican style

Fresh tomato sauce, tortellini, & grilled chicken

June 15, 2020 by Lisa Grable 13 Comments

Don’t you just love it when all the summer tomatoes start coming in? This fresh tomato sauce for pasta works with heirloom tomatoes in mid-summer. It also works great with the late summer roma tomatoes (this version can be frozen to enjoy in the winter.) The tortellini adds a nice noodle-cheese punch to the dish.

You will need a pot, measuring cups and spoons, and a knife.

Follow package directions for cooking tortellini. While boiling water and cooking, wash the tomatoes and dice to make 4 cups. Cut off the tops of 2 sweet banana peppers, slice open, scrape the seeds out, and dice. Peel garlic and mince.

When the tortellinis are done, drain in a colander and hold for later. Put a small pat of butter in the pot over high heat. When the butter melts, add 4 tablespoons of olive oil and lower the heat to medium high. [Tip: The butter lets you know that the pan is hot. Add the olive oil and the food at the same time to help keep the temperature below 400^o, the smoking point for olive oil.] Add the peppers and cook until limp. Add 4 cloves of minced garlic. Add the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and add fresh oregano. You may need to lower the heat to low as you watch the tomatoes. Cook and stir until the tomatoes release their juice and are just barely soft.

Remove from heat. Chiffonade 16 leaves of basil and add to sauce. Spoon over tortellini and add grated Parmesan cheese to taste.

Works great as a side dish for grilled chicken, turkey loin, or Italian sausage. If your family likes heat, add one or two jalapeños to the peppers. You can use fresh tortellini if available.

This easy tortellini recipe works great as a side dish for grilled chicken, turkey loin, or Italian sausage. If your family likes heat, add one or two jalapeños to the peppers. You can use fresh tortellini if available. We like spinach tortellini the best, and the green looks great with the red tomatoes.

The sauce also works well as a base for chicken Marengo. Add 16 oz. of chicken breast tenders to the pot with the tomatoes along with 40 kalamata olives. Simmer until the chicken is done (150^o F in center of meat), about 20 minutes. This variation can be served with bowtie pasta or rice.

I’ll be looking for comments below, or contact me at lisa [at] casabouquet[dot]com.

Let’s talk story

I love the taste a thin strip of basil gives to this fresh tomato sauce. I love using my herb scissors with 5 blades, but they sure are sharp! This was one of the first recipes I developed when I started gardening. I was so proud that it was published in Southern Living!

Affiliate links: if you make a purchase using these links, I’ll receive a small compensation towards maintaining this blog, at no extra cost to you.

Pasta with carrot, tomato, sausage

Chicken Marengo

Toasted bread with tomato, herbs, cheese

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Tomato recipes series

July 3, 2017 by Lisa Grable 2 Comments

Tomato recipes are on my favorites list. When they are fresh and full of flavor in the summer, you can’t beat the taste. In the winter, they add color and flavor to cooked dishes and even take well to marinade. Try these Casa Bouquet favorite tomato recipes!

Cous cous salad with Mexican flavors

Recipe for couscous salad with Mexican ingredients and flavor. Includes couscous, lime, cilantro, tomatoes, and cucumber.

Shrimp and rice salad

Zesty shrimp and rice salad uses fresh tomatoes, pimiento stuffed Spanish olives, and lemons for flavor. Cold salad recipe works with fresh/frozen shrimp.

Pizza with fresh tomatoes

Recipe for pizza with fresh tomatoes can be made at home in about 15 minutes. This tomato and basil pizza is similar to margherita.

Fresh tomato sauce

Fresh tomato sauce with tortellini uses fresh tomatoes, banana peppers, basil, and garlic. This easy tortellini recipe is a great side for grilled meat.

Carrot and tomato pasta with grilled sausage

Carrot and tomato pasta with sausage make a gluten free, egg free pasta dinner. Great use of grape tomatoes. Full of flavor for 376 calories!

Toasted bread with tomatoes, herbs, and cheese

Toasted bread with tomatoes, parmesan, and fresh herbs is a beautiful way to enjoy summer tomatoes. Thyme, oregano, and basil add flavor.

Pineapple lime salsa with turkey and rice

Pineapple lime salsa with turkey and rice has spicy Mexican flavor for a filling meal. Gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soy free. A fiesta for 400 calories!

Tomato recipes archives