Cooking for two is tough. Stupid tough. Everything is packaged either too big or too small. I feel like Goldilocks. Don’t get me wrong, we eat like champs around here and I’m not looking to make everything with tiny portions, but some nights we just need something for the two of us that doesn’t leave us dreading leftovers for the next few nights.
Lately I have been trying to tie in a few more cooking for two recipes on the blog. Where I do love making big meals, these quick and easy date night dinners (and desserts) have been awesome. These little pizzas are a perfect addition to my ‘for two’ goal. These are super simple, fresh and the about as close and Handsome and I will ever get to a vegetarian meal.
Weeknight perfection!
Thin-Crust Skillet Pizza for Two
from Cook’s Country Skillet Suppers
Ingredients:
- 4 medium plum tomatoes, cored, seeded, and chopped
- 1/2 teas salt
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 teas baking powder
- 1/2 teas sugar
- 1/2 teas salt
- 1/3 cup beer
- 7 tbs olive oil
Preparation:
For the toppings: Toss the tomatoes and salt in a large bowl. Drain the tomatoes on a paper towel lined plate for 15 minutes. Combine cheeses and basil in a bowl.
Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in food processor. With processor running, slowly add beer and and 1 tbs oil and process until dough pulls away from sides and forms a shaggy ball, about 1 minute. Using floured hands, form dough into a tight ball and cover loosely with plastic wrap; let rest for 10 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, divide dough in half. Roll out each half into a very thin 9″ round.
Heat 3 tbs oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until just smoking. Transfer 1 dough round to the skillet and cook, poking holes with a fork on any bubbles that form, until bottom is a deep golden brown and crisp, 3 – 4 minutes.
Flip dough and sprinkle with half the tomatoes and half the cheese mixture. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until second side is crisp and cheeses have melted, about 5 minutes. Transfer pizza to cutting board. Wipe out pan and repeat with the remaining oil, dough, and toppings. Slice into wedges and serve.
This dough is rockng my world! Must try!
Mmm yes I must make these. Even though I am cooking for one more days, cooking for two recipes are great because I love having leftovers for lunch the next day. But when I make something like soup with 8-10 servings I am hating it by the time I finish the last serving of leftovers. Therefore, I’ve been trying to half any recipe that I possibly can while making them. Too many leftovers in the fridge haha.
I know lots of folks in this situation that cook a large piece of meat or a big pot of whatever on the weekend and “eat on it all week”. The best of meals would become boring. And I hate that phrase, I always think of a dog endlessly gnawing a favorite old bone! Many of these people are smart & well-educated, but seem to go brain-dead in the kitchen.
* Adapt recipes. People, you learned about fractions in grade school!
* Buy family packs for the savings & repackage. Knife skills aren’t that hard!
* Re-purpose — leftover roast duck & duck broth will become duck & mushroom risotto tonight..
Seriously, cooking fro 2 can be realllly hard. This pizza looks perfect, however I am sure Patrick would polish it all off himself haha
That dough looks really good. Now I want pizza.
Love this idea-the dough looks great! 🙂
Looking forward to more of “cooking for two” recipes. Many days of those for me. It took me awhile to realize we eat a heck of a lot more than most folks because of the difficulty of cooking that small an amount 🙂
I love skillet pizzas! (I also reheat leftover pizzas in a skillet. Makes it nice and crisp). And this seems like an easy, quick recipe. Looks great too! Definitely trying this one real soon! Thanks!
Skillet pizza is so brilliant. This sounds amazing!
Love this idea! And no yeast? Love it even more!
Stephanie, there is yeast. It’s in the beer.
Yum! I am going to double this for the four of us – or maybe more because I think I may need it since this looks so good.
I am always looking for dinner for two and this is one quick way of enjoying pizza. this sounds delicious
Love thin crust! Never prepared skillet pizzas before…a brilliant idea.
Yum! I haven’t tried cooking pizza in a skillet, but it sounds like a great idea. I’m sure it works similarly to a pizza stone since it is also pretty heavy and well insulated.
This looks great! I am going to try with whole wheat flour.
This looks so good! Great photography skills, too. Is there anything I could substitute for the beer?
Sadly, I don’t believe so. The beer is acting as a substitute to traditional yeast. Though, Im sure if you made a small portion of regular pizza dough and rolled it thin, it would work in the same way for this one.
This pizza looks SO good! It’s my favorite type! I must try and make this. For two is perfect! Yummy!
Yum! Can you use something inplace of the beer?
Just saw your pizza at tastespotting and had to check it out! It looks delicious! I make skillet pizzas frequently. They’re really easy and taste better than the frozen pizzas. Anyway, I’m copying this recipe down for sure!
Pizza in a skillet, never have I ever… Looks fantastic though. Pizza is an easy sell for me =)