Ingredients

• 1 prebaked thin pizza crust (12-inch)
• 1-1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (1-1/2 cups = 6 oz)
• 1 can (14.5 oz each) Hunt's® Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic & Oregano, drained
• 1 cup chopped cooked turkey
• 1 can (14 oz each) artichoke hearts in water, drained, coarsely chopped
• 1 can (2.25 oz each) sliced ripe olives, drained
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Place crust on ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Top with drained tomatoes, turkey, artichokes, olives and Parmesan cheese.
2. Bake 10 minutes or until cheese melts. Cut into 6 slices.

Ingredients

 

• 2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
• 1 pkg (11.5 oz each) refrigerated cornbread twists
• 1 pkg (12 oz each) Hebrew National® Beef Franks (7 franks)
• 2 tablespoons Concord grape jelly
• 1/2 cup Hunt's® Tomato Ketchup

 

Directions

 

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Sprinkle cornmeal on large cutting board. Unroll dough on cornmeal; separate dough into 8 long strips.
2. Make each corn dog: Press dough together at perforations and flatten slightly. Spiral wrap 1 dough strip around each frank. Place on ungreased baking pan so both ends of dough are under franks. Discard remaining dough strip or bake with wrapped franks and use for dipping into sauce. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
3. Place jelly in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH 15 to 20 seconds or until jelly melts. Stir in ketchup; mix well. Serve with corn dogs for dipping.

Photo by Blake Guidry on Unsplash

Though they may not be the first thing that comes to mind when putting dinner on the table, sandwiches are an easy win with kids of all ages (and parents alike!) and can be incorporated into weekly or monthly meal rotations without becoming boring.

“Dinner is more leisurely than lunch—and more of a meal where people gather at the table—and sandwiches are people-pleasers,” says Lisa Cherkasky, food stylist and writer of The Lunch Encounter. “So, it can be very satisfying to make a sandwich meal memorable or even create new traditions.”

Dinner sandwiches can become part of a comfort food repertoire, like grilled cheese sandwiches that feature a special ingredient, like a fancy cheese or bakery bread, Cherkasky says. You can also consider tackling sandwich recipes for dinner that may be a little too much work for lunchtime, like a Monte Cristo, Reuben or grilled Panini. Making a more complete meal out of sandwiches can also include heartier side dishes.

“At dinnertime, you might include a soup or side that is a little more ‘grown-up’ than potato chips or cheese puffs,” Cherkasky says. “Think baby kale salad, homemade lentil soup (see recipe below) or red potato salad.”

Keys to Easy Sandwich-Making

Sandwiches are known for being quick to make, but Cherkasky offers the following tips for building your dinner sandwiches even faster:

• Keep sandwich components ready for grabbing by prewashing and drying your lettuce and greens.
• Have yummy, fresh toppings on-hand in your fridge at all times. Toppings can include sprouts, grated carrots, wilted broccoli rabe, sliced pickles, coleslaw and hard-boiled eggs.
• Stock a selection of condiments, like horseradish, various mustards, tartar sauce, chipotle mayonnaise or sriracha sauce -- just a smear of any one of these items can make a plain sandwich sing.

Buying pre-cooked ingredients, like meatballs, or using your slow cooker to make pulled pork, can also speed up evening prep and cook time during the week. The options for building a perfect dinnertime sandwich are endless. But, there is one tip to keep in mind as you create: how much of each ingredient you’re using. The key to a perfect sandwich, according to Cherkasky, is the bread to filling ratio. Keep this in mind and you’ll be well on your way to building beautiful sandwiches every night of the week.

Sandwich Side Dish Recipe: Slow Cooker Lentil Soup

A basic slow cooker vegetarian soup recipe made with brown lentils, tomatoes, celery and onion for comfort food goodness.

Hands On:15  
Total: 495
Makes: 6 servings (about 1 cup each)

Ingredients:

 

• PAM® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
• 1 can (14.5 oz each) Hunt's® Petite Diced Tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup dry brown lentils, sorted, rinsed
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

 

Directions

 

1. Spray inside of 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Add all remaining ingredients to slow cooker; stir to combine.
2. Cover; cook on LOW 8 hours or on HIGH 4 hours. Remove and discard bay leaves.

 

Nutritional Information:

6 servings (about 1 cup each) Calories 151; Total Fat 1 g(Saturated Fat 0 g); Cholesterol 0 mg; Sodium 648 mg; Carbohydrate 27 g; (Dietary Fiber 11 g, Sugars 5 g); Protein 9 g; Percent Daily Values*: Vitamin A 10%; Vitamin C 17%; Calcium 4%; Iron 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Photo by Eaters Collective on Unsplash

Ingredients

• PAM® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
• 1/4 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup Kraft® Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 large eggplant, peeled if desired
• 1/4 cup Parkay® Original Spread-tub, melted
• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1 can (14.5 oz each) Hunt's® Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic and Oregano, undrained
• 1 can (8 oz each) Hunt's® Tomato Sauce with Basil, Garlic and Oregano

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray; set aside. Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in shallow dish.
2. Cut eggplant into 12 slices, about 1/2-inch thick. Brush slices with Parkay, then coat each side with bread crumb mixture. Place on baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes or until tender, turning once. Top slices evenly with mozzarella cheese.
3. Meanwhile, combine undrained tomatoes and sauce in small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Spoon tomato mixture evenly into 4 shallow bowls. Place 3 eggplant slices over sauce in each bowl.

Nutritional Information

4 servings (3 slices eggplant with 1/2 cup sauce each) Calories 305; Total Fat 15 g(Saturated Fat 6 g); Cholesterol 23 mg; Sodium 1013 mg; Carbohydrate 27 g; (Dietary Fiber 6 g, Sugars 9 g); Protein 12 g; Percent Daily Values*: Vitamin A 25%; Vitamin C 22%; Calcium 34%; Iron 13%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Kraft® is a registered trademark of Kraft Foods, Inc.

Photo by Lucian Alexe on Unsplash

Calling all lasagna lovers! If you’ve been making mom’s homemade lasagna recipe for years, but are looking for a new twist, we’re here to help. We chatted with Chef Carla Contreras, founder of the healthy cooking blog RedClogKitchen.com, for her expert tips for jazzing up lasagna. Here are a few ways to kick up the flavor -- and make healthier -- this favorite Italian dish your family loves.

Change Up the Sauce
“I love adding chilies to my pomodoro or red sauce,” says Contreras. Bringing in the heat changes the sauce and the overall flavor of the dish. If you don’t have fresh chilies, you could add smoked Spanish paprika, crushed red chili flakes or chili powder to your tomato sauce or alternative.

“I also like to add mint instead of basil to sauces sometimes, or sprinkle in a teaspoon of smoked Spanish paprika along with a teaspoon of cumin,” says Contreras. “Add a tablespoon of fresh ginger to a pomodoro sauce for a unique-quality flavor that you can't quite put your finger on, but stands out.”

You might even want to swap your red sauce for pesto sauce in lasagna. Contreras likes making pesto sauces with different nuts, like pistachios, walnuts and Brazil nuts (they all make pesto a little more interesting), while adding a few tablespoons of lemon juice to the sauce to brighten up the flavor. “I also use different veggies to make pesto, like kale and broccoli rabe,” says Contreras. “Not only do they amp up the nutritional value, but they make the everyday lasagna something special with different flavors.”

Swap Out Meats and Cheeses
“I make a mean all-veggie lasagna that uses butternut squash as the ‘noodle,’ and is paired with pesto sauce,” says Contreras. To get started, slice raw butternut squash on a mandolin to turn it into thin noodle-like strips. These same strips would be delicious with a simple pomodoro as well, notes Contreras. Another option: Swap meat for vegetables, like roasted eggplant and portobello mushrooms, or cooked spinach and zucchini.

If you want to remove the cheese altogether from your lasagna recipe, swap in firm tofu that you’ve mashed up. The secret to making it taste delicious? Add one to two tablespoons of nutritional yeast to the tofu for that cheesy flavor, suggests Contreras. You can also add a clove of minced garlic and chopped up fresh basil, and season with salt and pepper.

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Ditch the Casserole Dish
If you want to make slow cooker lasagna, spray the dish with cooking spray and layer the ingredients. If the dry, hard noodles don't fit, you can always break them to fit your crock. Then cook on low for three hours or until the noodles are cooked.

Or, there’s always the option to make single-serving lasagna if you have a night solo from the family. Contreras starts with fresh pasta, cutting it into circles and putting them in eight 10-ounce ramekins that have been prepped with cooking spray. Layer as you would lasagna in a large baking dish, then bake about 30 minutes at 350 F. Cover with aluminum foil the first 20 minutes, then take off the foil. You could also do this in a cupcake or muffin tin pan if you didn't have ramekins. Substituting round wontons for the fresh pasta could also be an easy swap.