Cobb Salad Pizza + Weekly Menu

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I can not only shop in less time, but also for much less when Mr. Prevention doesn’t tag along. Lately, I haven’t been so lucky as to shake my better half for the weekly ritual that is grocery shopping, but he did score a winning item here recently.

It generally ends up that I’m heading towards the checkout and he knows he has limited time to grab all that he wants and throw it into the cart. Most recently, one of these items was a whole wheat pre-baked pizza crust. So proud of his whole wheat pizza crust selection, he tossed it in the cart smiling.

When we got home, I checked out the nutrition facts and I was pleased to see that 1/6th of the dough was under 120 calories! Since pizza was on the menu and I was running short on time, I shelved the idea of homemade dough and used one of the two pre-baked pizza doughs to make this pizza.

“What are we having for dinner?” he asked.

“Cobb salad pizza.” I said.

“Glad I asked. I don’t want salad on my pizza, I want pepperoni.” he responded with.

So we went to town, both preparing our own pizzas. He piled on the fresh mozzarella, jalapenos, turkey pepperoni, fresh grape tomatoes, and so on. So proudly, he popped it in the oven.

When the timer went off, he was surprised to see that my pizza never made it into the oven…for very long. He falsely assumed that my pizza was “obviously not going to be very good” because it contained neither pizza sauce nor mozzarella cheese.

We sat down to dinner and it only took one bite of my pizza, this pizza, for him to admit defeat.

No doubt, this Cobb Salad Pizza beat out his traditional “manly” pizza.

He ate more of my pizza than his own.

His verdict: it’s all about the blue cheese. I concur. It is truly amazing how far a little blue cheese can go. The flavor pops and the chicken being cooked in the small amount of reserved bacon grease is heavenly. There’s no dry, bland chicken on this pizza…no, no, no.

I thought I would really like this pizza, but I (we!) LOVED this pizza. And talk about a quick meal…perfection!

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Cobb Salad Pizza adapted from Cooking Light

4 slices uncured bacon
8 oz skinless, boneless chicken breast
1/4 tsp black pepper, divided
1 (10 oz) prepared whole wheat pizza dough
1/3 cup (~1.5 oz) crumbled blue cheese, divided
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
2 cups lightly packed mixed baby greens
1/2 avocado, peeled and diced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Pan fry the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat, cooking until crisp. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside to cool. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease and return the skillet to the burner. Add the chicken to the pan and sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon black pepper; cook 4-5 minutes or until cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Sprinkle dough with blue cheese and bake 4-5 minutes or until cheese has melted and crust is warmed through.

Meanwhile, combine oil, vinegar, mustard, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Add cooked chicken, tomatoes, and onion to oil mixture; toss gently to combine. Add greens and crumble in the bacon; toss gently. Top crust evenly with chicken mixture, and avocado.

Yield: 6 pieces.

Nutrition Information (per slice): 260 calories; 11.0 g. fat; 30 mg. cholesterol; 419 mg. sodium; 25.8 g. carbohydrate; 3.3 g. fiber; 17.0 g. protein

Result: One of our favorites, no doubt! Using the pre-baked crust is a huge time savings and this is truly a 20-minute meal with very little prep involved. The blue cheese and bacon are clutch…don’t miss’em! Enjoy!

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Weekly Menu: January 6th – 10th

• Sunday: Lobster Pappardelle (finally!)
• Monday: Lemon-Dijon Tofu and Potatoes
• Tuesday: Apple Goat Cheese Chicken
• Wednesday: teaching a diabetes cooking class in the evening
• Thursday: TBD, I can’t choose…but probably Slow Cooker Lentil Soup with Bacon

Soooo much hockey this weekend, I love it! Game tomorrow, too! 😀

Be well,