Pizza bolognese 

6

Point(s)

Total Time

38 min

Prep

7 min

Cook

31 min

Serves

8

Difficulty

Easy

This classic beef pasta sauce is a favorite with spaghetti, but wouldn’t you know it, it’s also great as a topping for pizza. To make it a quick meal, you can spoon the topping on Italian bread, but for a more traditional pizza, it’s also terrific on a thin prebaked pizza crust. First, you cook the aromatics, which include onion, carrot, celery, and mushrooms. Stir in the ground beef, then bottled pasta sauce, which significantly cuts down on prep time, and low-fat milk. Pile the sauce, tomatoes, and cheese on some Italian bread, let it get to know each other in the oven, and this hearty, satisfying dish is ready to go in under 40 minutes.

Ingredients

Uncooked onion(s)

1 small, finely chopped

Uncooked carrot(s)

1 small, finely chopped

Uncooked celery

1 rib(s), medium, finely chopped

Cremini mushroom(s)

½ pound(s), quartered

Uncooked 93% lean ground beef

¾ pound(s)

Bottled reduced fat pasta sauce

¾ cup(s), or fat-free

Low-fat milk

¼ cup(s)

Italian bread

12 oz, loaf, halved horizontally

Plum tomato(es)

4 medium, sliced

Shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

½ cup(s), or Italian Cheese blend, shredded

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables soften and the mushrooms exude liquid, about 6 minutes.
3. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir in the beef. Cook, stirring frequently to break up the beef, until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the pasta sauce and milk; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer to blend the flavors, about 5 minutes.
4. Place the bread, cut-side up, on a nonstick baking sheet. Spoon the meat sauce onto the bread, spreading it evenly. Arrange the tomatoes on top. Bake until heated through and the bread is browned at the edges, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle evenly with the cheese and bake until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Cut each piece of bread into fourths, making a total of 8 pieces. Yields 1 piece per serving.