Three easy recipes with a healthy twist

When it comes to prepping and cooking healthy meals for the week ahead, I’m always on the hunt for easy recipes I can whip up in less than 30 minutes. Even better is when these meals are budget-friendly too. So, you can imagine my excitement when I discovered Knorr’s new Tomato Base Dry Cook-in-Sauce.

As a vegetarian, I love the versatility of a tomato-based sauce because I can combine it with a variety of different ingredients to make a delicious, healthy lunch or dinner. (I often use tomato-based sauces for breakfast or brunch too because there’s nothing better than an omelette with a drizzle of fresh tomato sauce and herbs).

This Knorr Tomato Base Dry Cook-in Sauce is also super tasty because it’s infused with garlic and herbs as well as bay leaves and a bunch of spices, such as paprika, chilli and nutmeg. In fact, I loved it so much, I decided to use it in three easy recipes this week.

HEALTHY CAPRESE PIZZA

Besides the occasional piece of cake, one of my biggest ‘guilty pleasures’ is pizza. But not just any pizza, I love a thin crust pizza with a crunchy base and tasty toppings (vegetarian of course). I’m proud to say that I’ve finally mastered the art of making a delicious homemade vegetarian pizza just the way I like it. And luckily, my family enjoy it too – which means we rarely get take-out pizzas on weekends. Although I could add any vegetarian toppings I like (such as olives, avocado etc.) the Caprese combination of fresh basil, tomato and mozzarella is a real winner for me.

And thanks to the Knorr Tomato Base Dry Cook-in-Sauce, (which really enhances the flavour of the tomato base) this pizza is even more delicious.

HERE’S THE RECIPE:

Ingredients

4 ready-made pizza bases (Woolworths has some great ones. If you’re looking for gluten-free or low carb bases, Jackson’s Real Food Market stocks a wide variety)

Tomato – base sauce

• 400g chopped tomatoes (can use canned)
• ½ sachet Knorr Tomato Base Dry Cook-in-Sauce
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 small handful fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 small handful fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp brown sugar (or stevia)
• Salt

Caprese toppings

• A few slices fresh buffalo mozzarella (to cover the base of the pizza)
• Handful of rosa tomatoes (washed and sliced)
• Handful of fresh basil leaves (basil has an intense flavour so use as much or as little as you like)
• Around 5 Tbsp basil pesto

Preparation (to make the sauce)

1. Add a teaspoon of olive oil to a medium-sized saucepan and once it heats up, add the crushed garlic and oregano.
2. Fry for a minute and then add the balsamic vinegar, fresh parsley and fresh basil.
3. Fry for a minute or two, then add ½ sachet Knorr Tomato Base Dry Cook-in-Sauce and the can of chopped tomatoes with ½ tsp sugar and pinch of salt. If the sauce is too thick, add 100ml water to the mix.
4. Stir everything together and simmer for 7-8 minutes stirring occasionally, turn off the heat and check for seasoning.

NOTE: This sauce needs to be reduced quite a bit so that it’s thick enough to use as a pizza base. If it’s too runny, the pizza base will be soggy.

Preparation (for the toppings)

1. Once you’ve made the tomato sauce, use a flat spoon to cover the entire base of the pizza.
2. Then simply add your toppings, starting with the buffalo mozzarella, then add the rosa tomatoes, fresh basil leaves and a few dollops of basil pesto.
3. Bake the pizzas in the oven at 180°C for around 7-10 minutes until the base is crispy and the cheese has melted fully.

TWO MORE MEALS WITH THE LEFTOVER TOMATO SAUCE

If you have a lot of sauce leftover, why not use it for other meals? That way you avoid food wastage and save money.

This week, I enjoyed the delicious sauce with my favourite fusilli pasta (so quick and easy!) and I also added it to a baked potato (which I cooked in my Air Fryer at 150°C for 20 minutes) and had for lunch the following day. For extra flavour, I added some more basil pesto to the tomato sauce and I sprinkled the pasta and the baked potato with grated mozzarella.

So there you have it… three budget-friendly, delicious meals with just one sauce!