If you’ve been around Spinach Tiger for any length of time, you know I am Italian and I don’t like store bought sauce. It’s almost just as easy to make your own and it won’t contain preservatives, soy bean oil, corn oil or sugar. Sugar and should NOT be in any tomato sauce. The right tomatoes have their own sweetness. The wrong tomatoes can be bitter or a waste of money. Read your labels if you do buy store-bought sauce. 

What is the difference between pizza sauce and tomato sauce?

Pizza sauce usually is a little more flavored with herbs like oregano or basil. Eating a lot of pizza in Italy, the biggest difference I see in America is that here, sauce is too strongly flavored, too acidic and too heavy. Avoid that. This sauce recipe is easy, light and sweet and doesn’t overpower your toppings. 

How much pizza sauce should you put on a pizza?

I’m glad you asked this question. Think of pizza sauce as more of condiment that a layered ingredient. If you have watched pizza makers apply sauce, they put a small amount and move a spoon in a circle, not covering the entire pizza. Too much sauce makes pizza heavy and soggy. 

My EASY Homemade Pizza Sauce

• San Marzano Tomatoes
• Olive Oil
• Garlic 
• Basil or Oregano
• Salt and Pepper

I start every tomato sauce with San Marzano tomatoes. Be careful when you purchase San Marzano tomatoes, as many cans will say San Marzano style. They won’t be the same. 

The tomatoes should be plump, juicy and sweet, and when you crush them with your hands  have almost no pulp left. The Cento brand, found just about everywhere including Costco and Trader Joes, is my preferred brand, but there are a few others I like. I don’t recommend brands with the store name such as the Whole Foods brand, as they end up being mostly pulp and are either tasteless and or bitter.

Freeze Portioned Homemade Pizza Sauce 

Any left over pizza sauce can be frozen in small containers or ziplock bags. Let the tomatoes cook on the stove, seasoned with salt and pepper and a handful of basil of you have it. A dash of oregano is good too for a pizza sauce. Defrost in refrigerator overnight or leave on counter for 30 minutes until defrosted. You can put cold sauce on pizza before you put it in the oven or you can choose to heat it up. 

Homemade Pizza Sauce in Fifteen Minutes

I have literally made this sauce in 15 minutes. Start your sauce pan with a little olive oil, a clove or two of garlic, which you will remove as soon as it turns golden. Add in your tomatoes, crushing with your hands, and include the juice. One large can will make enough sauce for a few pizzas. You will not need to add any water.  

Once heated and cooked for a bit, use an immersion blender  (a stick blender) to blend it smooth. If you don’t have a stick blender, the sauce will still be good.  An immersion blender comes in handy for tomato sauce and soups. 

Taste for seasoning. That’s it. It really is that simple and the sauce should be thick enough, as we don’t add any water to the pan.

I have also included a recipe for my sausage crusted pizza with peppers. If you are avoiding grains or eating low carb you must try it.

More Italian Recipes from Spinach Tiger

Authentic Tomato Sauce from My Italian Grandmother

Papparadelle with Chunky Tomato Sauce

Italian Slow Cooked Pork Chops in Tomato Sauce

Homemade Gnocchi Tomato Onion Butter Sauce

Sheet Pan Pizza with Trader Joe’s Pizza Dough 

Keto Sausage Crusted Pizza Three Cheese Pizza

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Homemade PIzza Sauce

Easy homemade pizza sauce made with San Marzano Tomatoes made in as little as 15 minutes.

Course Pizza

Cuisine Italian

Keyword basil, Italian sausage, pizza sauce

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 2 cups

Equipment

• Parchment Paper
• cast iron griddle

Ingredients

Pizza Sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 can San Marzano Tomatoes chopped with juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano or basil or dried Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper or more to taste

Instructions

Make Pizza Sauce

• Add olive oil to saucepan.
• Add garlic. Fry for one minute but be careful not to burn. If burn, thrown all out, start over.
• Using your hands, squeeze tomatoes into sauce pan. Include juice.
• Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, fresh herbs in whole form to later be removed.
• Cook on low while making the pizza crust. This doesn't take long.
• Use a stick blender to blend smoothly if desired.
• Season sauce with oregano or basil.

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I’m picking this Italian chicken pasta recipe out of my old bag of tricks. I used to make this every month and often for dinner parties, but  bowtie pasta with creamy pesto went by the way side for more adventurous dishes.

After tasting this most delicious pistachio pesto we made the other night, this dish is back in rotation, as the best Italian comfort food right next to spaghetti and meatballs.

Easy meal season starts right now, because people feel they need to cook once school starts. Families begin to nest which means no more running down to the taco stand for dinner. Everyone wants to capture the aromas from the kitchen that only a home-cooked meal that create.

Here’s where Spinach Tiger wants to help you. Make a big batch of this pistachio pesto. Freeze it according to directions. This pesto is going to pull you through a few rough nights where homework is going wrong, and your family needs to feel special, well loved, well fed.

I forgot how good it is. I forgot that white meat chicken (which can be so so boring) is a bit exciting when it’s drenched in a creamy pesto. I forgot the lure of pasta on cool days when it’s punched up with a nutty pistachio pesto that is jumping with flavor elevated by a bit of garlic, and good Italian cheese.

You can do the prep work in advance to make this an easy school night meal.

If you want to work in advance, cut up some chicken breasts into large cubes, and keep frozen. These will easily defrost while you’re getting the table set. You can also use sauteèd chicken breasts like the ones made here.

Boil some pasta. While the pasta is boiling, gently cook the cubed chicken on very low until it is just done, but still tender. Take out your frozen pesto cups and place in a sauce pan or microwave. In mere minutes or seconds, you have your sauce.

Creamy Pesto Can Be Healthy with this tip

Instead of using heavy cream,   use some freshly grated cheese and pasta broth to add heft to the pesto pasta sauce. It all comes together and it tastes so good, so Italian, so soul pleasing.

Add Your Own Veggies

You don’t need to spend a lot of time on this easy dinner, but it will feel like you did.  Add in any veggies you want. Broccoli, peas, and green beans all work well tucked into this dish. Just keep the bites small.

I hear from you all the time that you want to cook, but it has to be easy. I’ve created a new category, “easy dinners” so you easily locate our most approachable big fat healthy dinners and enjoy a good food with your family.

 Easy Dinners from Spinach Tiger  

 More Pasta Dishes from Spinach Tiger

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Italian Chicken Pasta Recipe with Creamy Pesto

Bow Tie Pasta, Breast of Chicken, Pesto come together for an easy dinner.

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter coconut oil or olive oil
• 1 pound boneless chicken breasts cut into large bite sized cubes
• 1 to 2 cups pistachio pesto sauce recipe here
• 1 pound bow tie pasta
• 1/2 cup pasta water after pasta has boiled
• 1/4 cup pecorino romano cheese or parmigianna reggiano
• splash heavy cream see notes

Instructions

• Cut chicken into large cubes. Add salt.
• Sautè chicken cubes in butter, coconut oil or olive oil on the lowest heat possible. Keep a lid on for the first ten minutes. Turn as needed. The low heat will keep the chicken tender. Remove from pan to a dish.
• Boil pasta according to directions, less 2 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water.
• Place 1 cup pesto into frying pan that will be large enough to hold the pasta. Add cooked, drained pasta with the pasta water. Finish cooking the pasta in this pan on low heat. The pasta broth should add a bit of creaminess to the sauce. You can also add in a splash of heavy cream as a thickener.
• Add in chicken, grated cheese. Toss and serve immediately.

Notes

You can choose to add up to 1/4 cup heavy cream. This will dilute the flavor of the pesto a little bit. The addition an extra 1/4 cup pecorino can add flavor back in.

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The post Italian Chicken Pasta Recipe with Creamy Pistachio Pesto appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Welcome to the third dish in the Big Fat Healthy Chicken Pasta Series.

I wanted to bring families some very easy, healthy pasta dishes (including a gluten free option) to put into your rotation that take no longer than twenty minutes to make. All you have to promise me is that you’ll gather your family and sit down at a table and eat together.

This dish is a balance of protein, good fat, healthy organic spinach and grape tomatoes. 

I promise you here is an extra benefit to you, your family, your health if you can gather together and just appreciate the art of family dining.

Instead of those boxed cheesy shells, make this more nutritious meal.

This is my take on simple Italian using pasta shells, which is everyone’s childhood favorite. I used a gluten free version, which is surprisingly good from Ancient Harvest.

This is a great recipe for the busy family that reheats well and is so easy, it’s hard to call this a recipe.

When Making Boneless Breasts of Chicken with Pasta there are three Main Ways to Cook Them

All of the recipes I’m using for this series incorporate boneless chicken breasts. There are few ways you can do this and you can interchange the method. You’re goal is to have a tender piece of chicken.

• Oven Baked as I did in this recipe.
• Marinated and Grilled as I did here.
• Pan Fried in olive oil and/or butter as I did here.

You will end up with tender chicken, using any of these methods, a tricky thing to accomplish with boneless breasts. At any time, feel free to substitute with boneless, skinless thighs. You can also use chicken tenders.

Baking Chicken and Cherry Tomatoes in a Sheet Pan

You can also bake them in the oven at the exact same time, same pan as the cherry tomatoes. You will want to check them at ten minutes and use an instant read meat thermometer. The safe internal temperature for cooked chicken is 165° Fahrenheit (75° Celsius). Please remove the chicken as soon as it hits that temperature.

I pan roasted cherry tomatoes which means no prep is necessary outside of a smattering of olive oil. They will burst open themselves, and taste really good.

I used Gluten Free Pasta Shells for this Chicken Pasta Dish

Today, I chose baby shells.  I used this brand of gluten free pasta. It’s made with corn and quinoa and has enough body to fool you. Feel free to substitute your own favorite. If you’re not eating gluten free, orzo works great in this recipe.

You can cook the pasta while you’re making the chicken, while the tomatoes are in oven, making this a twenty minute dish, start to finish.

Toss in raw baby spinach and kale with the hot pasta. I used fresh basil for flavor, but you could skip this or add in some fresh thyme, oregano, or parsley.

You could also add in some chili pepper flakes to add some heat and fresh herbs such as basil.

This is clean eating, and less is best. If you feel like the dish doesn’t have enough pizazz, add in a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a squeeze of lemon or a drizzle of good balsamic vinegar. Don’t forget salt, as pasta or any starchy addition needs salt to taste good. I use this healthy himalayan sea salt in just about everything.

I’ve made this dairy free, but you can toss with favorite for this kind of cheese. Pecorino Romano is sharp, salty and can give a lift to any dish.  You can go caprese style and add in slices of room temperature fresh mozzarella with fresh basil.

More Chicken Recipes from Spinach Tiger

More Italian Recipes from Spinach Tiger

More Healthy Chicken Pasta Dishes from Spinach Tiger

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Chicken with Gluten Free Pasta Shells, Roasted Tomatoes, Spinach

Healthy, clean eating gluten free pasta shells with chicken breast, roasted tomatoes and chicken.

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts or 4 chicken tenders
• 8 ounces gluten free pasta shells I used this
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 4 cups organic baby spinach or super spinach
• fresh basil optional
• fresh mozzarella optional

Instructions

• Prepare chicken breasts. If the chicken breasts are thick, slice through lengthwise.
• Make a marinade of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, using 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, chopped garlic.
• Allow chicken breasts to sit out for one hour with marinade brushed on them. You don't have to do this. You could just proceed with putting chicken in oven, but this does add extra tenderness to white meat chicken.
• Preheat oven to 350. Put water on to cook pasta.
• Put chicken breasts on one side of sheet pan, grape tomatoes on other side. Toss tomatoes with a small amount of olive oil.
• Bake in oven at 350 for approximately 20 minutes, checking at 10 for internal temperature of chicken, which should be at 165 degrees F to be safe. Turn chicken breasts over. Tomatoes will burst open on their own.
• Cook pasta according to directions.
• Drain pasta. Toss with olive oil. Immediately add greens while pasta is hot.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Cut chicken breast across about an inch each and add to pasta.
• Add in basil or parsley.
• If you feel the pasta needs more zing, drizzle some very good balsamic vinegar or a squeeze of lime to add in some acid and don't forget to salt.

Spinach Tiger gets paid a commission with affiliated links which appear in this post, which helps to sustain this site.

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In the old days, this was simply a healthy salad.  Now, when I write about it, I think what are the limitations to this super healthy salad with saved brussels sprouts, red beet pesto, and red quinoa and what are the real benefits?

Whether you’re vegan, paleo, primal, or gluten free, this salad is for you with a caveat. The quinoa addition is the gluten free option, but not the paleo option, unless you’re going primal (following the Primal Blue Print as I do, and even then, it could be questionnable).  The parmigianno reggiano cheese is an option that can be removed for any vegan or strict paleo, but okay for primals.

The red beets would never work for something strictly low-carb, but don’t count them out entirely. The only thing I can never promise you is a low-fat option, because I never ever count my fat.  I love my extra virgin olive oil, and I’m never giving it up. I also vow never to use the word evoo!

If I just drove you crazy with these options and exceptions, imagine how we food bloggers feel. We want to please everyone, especially those committed to good health, but I cannot compromise the taste or joy of good food, with mostly false information about fat. I’m the ultimate super food lover, but I will not be seen with salad dressing on the side.

Whichever way you choose to make this, one bite of the shaved raw Brussels Sprouts mixed with this most delicious red beet pesto,  and you will want more. The nuttiness and earthiness of the beet pesto has an umami effect, and the crunchiness of the raw shaved Brussels sprouts satisfies that need we all have to crunch down on something. The red quinoa can be optional, but it adds the chewy texture and the protein, so this could be a complete meal. It’s stir fried after it’s cooked, which changes the texture a bit for the better.

Why this Healthy Salad with Shaved Brussels Sprouts and Red Beet Pesto is Good for You!

Brussels sprouts, a member of the cruciferous, is the hipster vegetable of the moment, showing up in every kind of casual to fine dining restaurant because, like beets, they are available in the winter, and we’re all environmentally less guilty about that right?

If you need a reminder on why beets on good for you, I listed ten benefits here. Not the coolest or hippest seed as of late, often left back in the 1980’s, Sunflower seeds, are a super healthy antioxidant seed, full of Vitamin E , and a good source of selenium, calcium, manganese, and zinc. Extra virgin olive oil promotes cardiovascular health, good cholesterol, antioxidant protection for our blood vessels, is an anti-inflammatory, promotes bone health, brain health, lowers certain cancers, and seriously makes food taste better! Garlic is another food with super powers, promoting heart and brain health and protection from certain cancers, and much more. We like it for flavor.

So we have the health requests, the vegans, the vegetarians, the gluten free folks, the environmentalists and the paleo people covered, sort of. You’ll know what adjustments you need to make, but whatever you do, take the beet pesto idea and run with it. It made this salad a dream, and one I would put on any restaurant menu,  especially the hipster ones, but put it in your own kitchen, or do what I did. Deem it good enough to take to the Nashville food blogger’s pot luck.

I’m known for bringing this kale salad, to our blogger events,  and there was one couple who was disappointed that I didn’t bring it, but, hopefully, I’ve opened up some eyes about beets and Brussels sprouts. One new blogger that joined us hated beets before she tasted the salad. She still hates beets. Just kidding. She liked it. Does this makes me a vegetable evangelist!

The red quinoa is cooked, toasted a bit in the frying pan,  then tossed with freshly grated pecorino cheese.  The Brussels salads are shaved and raw, tossed with a bit of olive oil and lemon, salted and thrown into the frying pan with the red quinoa for just a snap and then tossed heartily with the beet pesto. The beet pesto brings this salad to it’s best self. I’ve made a different version of same salad here, delicious enough, but this is a case of more is more. It’s hard to get healthier than shaved Brussels Sprouts and Red Beet pesto.

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Super Healthy Salad- Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Beet Pesto

A super antioxidant powerhouse salad of raw Brussels sprouts, raw beet pesto, and red quinoa with olive oil, lemon and pecorino cheese.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 pound Brussels Sprouts
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon juice from fresh orange
• ¾ cup grated Pecorino Romano
• 1 cup uncooked red quinoa optional
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• red beet pesto

Instructions

• Rinse Brussels Sprouts thoroughly. Remove some of the large outer leaves to roast.
• Using a mandolin, shred Brussels sprouts or using a chef’s knife, slice thinly.
• Mix together olive oil, lemon zest.
• Mix Brussels sprouts with olive oil dressing just until sprouts are wet. Set aside. You will reserve the rest of the dressing for later.
• The quinoa is optional and a great addition for added protein and heft.
• Cook quinoa. Rinse quinoa thoroughly in mesh strainer under running water for two minutes. Place in pot with two cups water and 2 teaspoons salt.
• Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover, cook for 15 more minutes. Place remaining olive oil in saute pan with 1 clove minced garlic. Lightly saute
• Add in one tablespoon butter and smoked almonds. Add quinoa.
• Stir for about two minutes to toast.
• Add in ½ cup Pecorino Romano cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
• Pour toasted quinoa over the raw Brussels sprouts.
• Add in orange juice. Stir.
• Toss with 1/2 to 1 cup of red beet pesto.
• Serve at room temperature.

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