Polka Dot Pasta 'Pizza'

 

     For a fun and tasty change, this Polka Dot Pasta 'Pizza' from Hunt's uses small shell pasta as it's crust in place of dough. Quick and convenient, if you prepare the pasta beforehand, it can be assembled in a matter of minutes.  If you decide to prepare the pasta ahead of time, add a few dashes of olive oil to it after cooking to prevent it from sticking.  In my 12 inch dutch oven the 'pizza' baked for a total of 30 minutes with 12 briquettes around the base of the oven and 26 spaced evenly on the lid.  Be sure to oil your dutch oven well and allow the 'pizza' to rest for about 15 minutes before serving. 

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Polka Dot Pasta 'Pizza'
10 oz dry small shell macaroni, uncooked (about 2/3 box)
4 eggs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 24 oz can or jar pasta sauce
2 cups (8 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
30 slices pepperoni

     Lightly oil or spray 12 inch dutch oven.
     Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and set aside.
     Beat eggs lightly in large bowl with wire whisk.
     Add Parmesan cheese and pepper; mix well.
     Stir in macaroni.
     Spoon into prepared dutch oven.
     Cover with pasta sauce.
     Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
     Top with pepperoni.
     Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until mozzarella cheese is melted and golden brown.
     Let stand 15 minutes before cutting into pieces and serving.
     Makes 6 servings.

Spread pasta mixture in well-oiled 12 inch dutch oven

Cover pasta with sauce, cheese and pepperoni

Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes

Let rest for 15 minutes before cutting this kid friendly
'pizza' into squares

Pesto Mushroom Pizza

      In no time flat you can enjoy this hot and bubbling, presto Pesto Mushroom Pizza from Buitoni.  Unless you use a 14 inch dutch oven, you may have to shave a little off of the 12 inch crust for it to fit completely in your smaller oven.  In my 12 inch dutch oven it baked for 25 minutes with 12 coals in a ring around the base of the oven and 24 on the lid.  It's a good, lickity split camping recipe and with so few ingredients won't even take up much room in your cooler.

Pesto Mushroom Pizza
1 12 inch premade pizza crust (like Boboli)
1/2 cup jarred OR refrigerated pesto
8 oz white mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 cups (8 oz) mozzarella cheese, shredded

     Lightly oil or spray dutch oven; line with parchment paper.
     If necessary, trim pizza crust slightly to fit in bottom of 12 inch dutch oven.
     Spread with pesto.
     Top with mushrooms and cheese.
     Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until cheese has melted and is lightly brown.
     Makes 4 large slices.

Top premade crust with pesto, mushrooms and mozzarella

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes

Don't forget to pack a good sharp knife or pizza cutter

 

Chili Dog Pizza

     For those of you with cast iron stomachs, here's a super simple, kid friendly recipe to place in your camping file.  Form a dough with Bisquick and water, pat the dough into your oven, top with the chili dog fixins and in 25 minutes you've got a tasty and filling dutch oven pizza.  The 'pizza' cooked in my 10 inch oven for 25 minutes with 10 coals in a ring around the bottom, 16 briquettes around the edge of the lid and 6 coals spaced evenly in the center.  Let it cool for 10 minutes before slicing and polish it off with all your favorite hot dog toppings.  One quick reminder, be sure to use only 7 oz. of canned chili, I couldn't find the smaller cans but used one half of a 15 oz. can instead.

Chili Dog Pizza
2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup cold water
1 7 1/2 oz can chili
4-5 hot dogs, sliced thinly
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

     Lightly oil or spray 10 inch dutch oven.
     In medium bowl, mix together Bisquick and water.
     Stir or knead with hands until a soft ball forms.
     Roll or pat dough into an 8 inch circle.
     Transfer dough to prepared dutch oven.
     Pat dough until bottom of oven is covered, pressing edges to form a crust.
     Spread chili over crust, sprinkle with cheese and top with hot dog slices.
     Bake at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is bubbling and crust has browned.
     Makes 4-6 servings.


Pat Bisquick dough in bottom and up sides
of 10 inch dutch oven

Layer dough with chili, cheese and hot dogs

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees

Garnish with your favorite hot dog toppings

Caramelized Onion & Sweet Apple Pizza with Brie

      To help myself get back into the swing of dutch oven cooking, I have chosen a couple of fairly simple recipes to post, nothing fancy, just enough to help me get the hang of temperature control again.  This recipe from the Al Fresco sausage company fills the bill on all counts.  The only thing I would suggest doing ahead of time is caramelizing your onions.  You certainly could do that in your camp oven but I like to cook them low and slow on the stove top in my cast iron skillet.  What also drew me to this recipe was using Indian bread, or naan, as the crust of your pizza.  Not only was it crispy on the bottom, one piece of naan fit perfectly into my 10 inch oven.  You can certainly experiment with your toppings, maybe trying sliced pears with blue cheese or a more traditional Italian sausage and mozzarella style combination.  If you can't find chicken sausage, any pre-cooked variety would be fine.  The beauty of these pizzas is that they cook quickly and you can easily make two or three with one batch of coals.  The sweetness of the sausage, onions and apples melds beautifully with the brie, if my herb garden was in full bloom I'd top it with a sprinkling of fresh thyme.  With 10 coals around the base of the oven and 22 on the lid, they were ready in about 12 minutes. These are definitely tres gourmet and a snap to make at your campsite.

Caramelized Onion and Sweet Apple Pizza with Brie
1 12 oz. package Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage, sliced thinly, on the bias
2-3 large onions, thinly sliced
1 large apple, sliced thinly
1 Tblsp olive oil
2 Tandoori style naan
10-12 thin slices Brie, rind removed if desired
1 Tblsp fresh thyme, chopped

     Saute onions in olive oil until soft and caramelized.
     Onions should cook down by about 1/2 in volume.
     Lightly oil or spray dutch oven.
     Place one piece of naan in bottom of dutch oven.
     Top each naan with 1/2 cup of caramelized onions.
     Top with apples, then sausage; finish with brie.
     Sprinkle with fresh thyme.
     Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and hot.
     Allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
     Makes 2-4 servings.

Layer naan with onions, apples, sausage and brie

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until apples are soft
and cheese has melted

What a great combination of flavors 

Pepperoni and Mushroom Pizza Bake

     When I made this Pepperoni and Mushroom Pizza Bake from Cabot I only wished I had a troop of hungry scouts to help me polish it off.  It is the quintessential kid/teenager camping grub and something that young campers of all ages could toss together and bake in a dutch oven.  Snip the breadstick dough into one inch pieces with kitchen shears then stir in the pepperoni, mushrooms and spaghetti sauce.  You could easily change the ingredients by adding your favorite pizza toppings.  Next time I think I'll try it with cooked and crumbled Italian sausage.  In my 12 inch oven it baked for 30 minutes with 12 coals in a ring around the bottom and 24-26 on the lid, you need to keep the oven fairly hot for the dough to bake all the way through and rise.  A fun, easy way to make dutch oven pizza and you know it will be elevated to gourmet status around the campfire.

Pepperoni and Mushroom Pizza Bake
2 11 oz. tubes refrigerated breadstick dough
1 6 oz. package pepperoni slices
1 8 oz. package fresh mushroom slices
1 26 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
8 oz. shredded Cheddar cheese

     Lightly oil or spray 12 inch dutch oven.
     Cut breadstick dough into 1-inch pieces; place in a large bowl.
     Add pepperoni, mushrooms and spaghetti sauce.
     Toss to combine.
     Pour into prepared dutch oven.
     Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.
     Top with cheese and bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until cheese has melted.
     Makes 6 servings.

Mix the whole kit and kaboodle in a large bowl and pour into your dutch oven

Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees then top with grated cheese

Bake for 5 to 10 more minutes or until cheese has melted

You just know any teenager will scarf this down

Three Ingredient Spinach Pizza

     Recipes don't come much easier than this Three Ingredient Spinach Pizza from Sargento.  Spread a store bought pizza shell with spinach dip, sprinkle with cheese and bake.  I used a package of artichoke and spinach dip instead and it tasted like hot, gooey, cheesy artichoke dip on a crispy crust.  I trimmed a 12 inch Boboli pizza shell slightly to fit my 12 inch oven, using a 14 inch oven would have been even better.  With 12 coals in a ring around the bottom and 26-26 on the lid, the pizza was browned and bubbly in 20 minutes.  Use parchment paper if you can, it makes it so much easier to remove from the oven.  A quick and super simple way to enjoy a hot pizza at your campsite, it would also be delicious cut into squares and served as an appetizer.

Three Ingredient Spinach Pizza
1 10 oz. thin crust pizza shell
1 8 oz. container prepared spinach OR spinach and artichoke dip
1 1/2 to 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

     Lightly oil or spray dutch oven; line with parchment paper.
     Place pizza shell in dutch oven.
     Spread dip evenly over crust; top with cheese.
     Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese is brown around the edges.
     Cut into wedges and serve.

Top crust with spinach dip and sprinkle with cheese

Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes

Simple to make but boy oh boy is this good

Caprese French Bread Pizza

     The original recipe for this French Bread Pizza from the Mazola company includes directions for making your own pesto from scratch.  If you have a bumper crop of basil in your garden it would be well worth the effort however if you're cooking at your campsite using the jarred variety is the only way to go.  Spread it on French bread, top with tomatoes and cheese and in 15 minutes you've got fresh tasting, crispy, soft, cheesy pizza.  I baked mine in my 12 inch oven with 12 coals in a ring around the bottom and about 28 on top.  It's another one of those amazing, few ingredient recipes that bakes beautifully in your dutch oven.

Caprese French Bread Pizza
1 loaf French or Italian bread, halved lengthwise
1-2 thinly sliced tomatoes
8 oz. shredded mozzarella
3-4 Tblsp prepared pesto

     Lightly oil or spray dutch oven.
     Spread pesto evenly onto bread surfaces.
     Top with tomatoes and mozzarella.
     Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until cheese has melted and is lightly brown.
     Slice and serve immediately.
     The topping is also good on ciabatta bread, baguettes, focaccia or precooked pizza crusts.

Spread bread with pesto and top with tomatoes

Pile on the cheese

Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees

Mangia

Skillet Spaghetti Pizza

     This rather unusual recipe piqued my interest because it gives you the basic formula for making one pot pasta.  Saute the Italian sausage, toss in uncooked spaghetti, water and sauce and in 20 minutes the pasta is tender and perfectly coated.  I added the layer of cheese and onions during the last few minutes of cooking but you could eliminate that step altogether or substitute with other toppings you like.  You could even use ground beef or frozen meatballs in place of the sausage.  I browned the sausage in my 12 inch oven over a full spread of coals then once I added the pasta and liquid, covered the pot with enough coals to keep it at a steady simmer, around 18-20.  After a few minutes be sure to give it a stir to keep the pasta from clumping together.  Definitely a kid friendly meal this could be made even simpler for camping by adding a can of mushrooms in place of the sausage.  Just remember, a jar of sauce, a half pound of spaghetti torn into pieces and a cup and a half of water and you'll always have the makings of a hearty, home style dinner.

Skillet Spaghetti Pizza
1  pound bulk Italian sausage 
1  tablespoon minced garlic 
1/2  pound uncooked thin spaghetti, broken into 2-inch lengths 
1  jar (26 ounces) spaghetti sauce 
1-1/2  cups water 
1-2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese 
1/2  cup diced green bell pepper 
1-1/3  cups French's French Fried Onions

     Lightly oil or spray a 12 inch dutch oven.
     Cook sausage and garlic over a full compliment of coals until browned, stirring frequently; drain.
     Stir in uncooked spaghetti, spaghetti sauce and water.  Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until spaghetti is cooked, stirring occasionally. 
     Top spaghetti mixture with cheese, bell pepper and French Fried Onions; cover and cook for 5 more minutes or until cheese has melted.  Serves 4-5.
     Substitute other pizza toppings such as mushrooms, eggplant, olives or pepperoni for green bell pepper.

Add pasta, sauce and water to browned sausage and garlic

After 20 minutes spaghetti is cooked and ready for toppings

Top with melted cheese and your favorite pizza toppings

Great camping fare

Pizza Biscuit Bake

     It just so happened that today I had all the ingredients on hand for this Pizza Biscuit Bake from Betty Crocker.  Since we're in the middle of a record breaking heat wave I decided to make this for breakfast while the temperatures were more bearable.  This is right on the money camping fare.  A pack of hungry scouts could easily assemble this fun to make casserole.  Since it is tomato based be sure to oil your dutch oven well.  I added more sauce than the original recipe called for and cut back on the Bisquick by a half a cup.  Spoon tablespoons of the dough into your dutch oven, it's okay to have space between the biscuits as the second layer will fill in the gaps from the first.  Bake this in your 12 inch oven for 30-35 minutes or until the biscuits in the center have risen and are firm to the touch.  If you make this in a smaller oven you might have problems with the biscuits baking all the way through.  I made this with 12 coals in a circle around the bottom and 28-30 on the lid.  This simple casserole is like a deep dish pizza only made with soft, saucy biscuits.  My fourteen year old taste tester gave this a two thumbs up.  Easy, economical and good, what more can you ask for in an everyday dish?

Pizza Biscuit Bake
3 cups Bisquick baking mix
1 cup milk
2 14 oz. cans pizza sauce
1 8 oz. package sliced pepperoni
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Mozzarella cheese

     Lightly oil or spray a 12 inch dutch oven.
     In medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix and milk until soft dough forms. 
     Drop half of dough by spoonfuls evenly over bottom of prepared dutch oven (dough will not completely cover bottom of oven).
     Drizzle 1 can pizza sauce over dough.  Scatter half of the pepperoni over sauce.  Top with 1 cup of cheese.  Repeat layers with remaining dough, pizza sauce, pepperoni and cheese.
     Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until biscuits in center have risen and are firm to the touch.
     Makes 6 servings.

Layer biscuit dough, pizza sauce, pepperoni and cheese

Done in 30 minutes or when biscuits have completely baked

Like a deep dish pizza with biscuit dough

Amazing Breakfast Pizza

    
     This fun and unusual Breakfast Pizza from Food.com caught my eye because it does not require any pre-baking of the crust or scrambling of the eggs.  Of course you do need to pre-cook the bacon and sausage but you could easily do that the night before.  I used an 18 oz. package of pizza dough from the grocery store but you could also use the dough that comes in the tube or even make your favorite recipe from scratch.  Spread the dough with your fingers or roll it to a 1/4 inch thickness, when you place it in the bottom of your oven raise the edge to prevent the eggs from leaking under the crust.  You need a blazing hot oven to bake your pie so be sure to light a generous amount of coals.  The pizza baked in 20 minutes with two rings of coals under the bottom and the top was completely covered with briquettes.  If you are the kind of person who likes to eat cold pizza for breakfast you will definitely love this recipe.  Next time you're in the mood for bacon and eggs, fire up your dutch oven and start out your day with a hearty slice of this hot, cheesy, truly amazing pizza. 

Amazing Breakfast Pizza
Pizza dough
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
6 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
6 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
3 oz. deli ham, sliced into 2 inch strips
6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
5 breakfast sausages, cooked and sliced
1/4 cup chopped onion (optional)
Chopped chives for garnish (optional)

     Lightly oil or spray a 12 inch dutch oven; line with parchment paper.
     Pat or roll dough into bottom of oven to 1/4 inch thickness, raise dough slightly around edge of oven to form rim.  Make little indentations with your fingertips in the dough, this helps the egg to settle and cook more evenly.
     Beat the eggs with the milk, pour over the center of the crust.  Use spoon or pastry brush to evenly disperse the egg.
     Evenly cover the egg with strips of ham.
     Scatter the sausages and onion over the ham.  Add salt and pepper.
     Cover with cheeses; top with crumbled bacon.
     Bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until eggs are set and crust has browned.  Garnish with chives if desired.

Dough loaded up with cheese, ham, bacon, sausage and eggs

After 20 minutes in a blazing hot oven

Crust is crispy and eggs have set