Pizzettas!!!

Hurray for summer! Hard to believe that it’s August already and, for parents of school-age children, time to start Back-to-School shopping and thinking about getting back on a schedule – eek! I have a feeling that, like me,  you’re squeezing as much fun as you can into every waking minute!

I’m feeling a little guilty because I’ve not cooked anything noteworthy during the past two weeks – my excuse this week is that The Don’s been out of town and I’m just not inspired when there’s no one to cook for! But I will share this quick and easy dinner that’s also perfect for a casual afternoon with friends after a pool or beach day or tailgate parties. Resist the drive-through or take-out and have everyone make their own pizzettas with garden fresh veggies from the farmers market, a little of your favorite cheese, and add a gourmet touch with a special ingredient such as this luscious Truffle Aioli that I  up found at Williams Sonoma.

What’s even better is there is no recipe to follow – use whatever needs using in the fridge or  fruits and veggies that suit the particular tastes of your dining companions 🙂 Our pizzetta repertoire included a mix of sweet, savory and spicy flavors with a summer stone fruit pizzetta topped with caramelized Vidalia onion and grilled nectarine and grilled eggplant and peppers with a little kick of Arrabiata Sauce from Anotonello’s for the savory pizzettas. I made half of the pizzettas with the Arrabiata sauce and half with the Truffle Aioli for a “white” pizza.

For the pizzetta crusts I used Oroweat Whole Grain White Sandwich Thins which I love because in one little “bun” you have 5 grams of fiber and only 100 calories.

Prepare your grill to med-high heat and quickly grill the eggplant,  nectarine, and Oroweat Sandwich Thins.

The green, or in this case, purple pepper will take a little longer – turning so it is charred on all sides, then place in a paper bag to steam so the skin is easily removed.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Assemble the pizzettas and bake on the middle rack until the cheese is melted and the crusts browned on the edges, about 5 – 7 minutes.

Make it a Pizzetta Party: prepare all the ingredients, display on decorative plates, and let everyone dig in to make their own pizzettas!

Enjoy 🙂