Sometimes it’s just too much effort to cook a meal from scratch. There’s no shame in resorting to the odd ‘convenience’ meal. Let me share an easy way to make a cheapie, shop-bought item more nutritious, delicious and filling…
I start with a cheap pizza – usually just a Margarita since I only want it as a base, really. This one cost £1.99 from one of the budget supermarkets.
Then I decide what ingredients to load onto it. These are some of my favourites:
- onion
- courgettes
- mushrooms
- peas
- leek
- peppers
- fresh tomatoes
- fresh basil
- sweetcorn
- fresh garlic
- spinach
- chilli flakes
- jalapeno peppers
- various cheeses
And, if you’re really adventurous, how about some of this:
Preheat your oven according to the instructions on the pizza box, but don’t put your pizza in yet.
Decide which of the ingredients you’re using need to be pre-cooked. For example, I’d fry the courgettes, onion, peppers and leek, adding in the minced garlic cloves with a sprinkle of chilli flakes before tipping the mixture onto the waiting cheapie pizza.
Other ingredients such as tomatoes, peas, jalapenos peppers would get arranged on top followed by the cheeses I’ve chosen: these might be some Parmesan, cheddar, etc. but ALWAYS mozzarella. The mozzarella gets laid on top and helps to weight down all the other ingredients and keep them in their place!
I then sprinkle some ground black pepper on top and pop the pizza in the oven for the required time stated on its box.
What you get is a chunky treat custom-made to suit your own taste-buds. If the family likes different ingredients, you can even make different sections of your pizza with different ingredients.
Serve with a small side-salad, or just on its own. If you’ve pimped your pizza well, it’ll result in a pretty substantial meal that works great on a budget and looks home-made. If you’re entertaining, your guests will be impressed and you can prepare it to suit their exact preferences.
Why not add some of your own ideas for ingredients in the comments – the pizza base really is your oyster? Oooh, oysters, I never thought of them….
