Rachael Ray's Quick Dinners

Pizza With Chicken, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Broccoli

Each slice of this pie provides children with a balanced meal. Chicken offers protein and iron, tomatoes chip in cancer-fighting lycopene, cheese supplies calcium, and broccoli offers vitamin C and fiber. Dig in!

Serves:
8 slices

Prep Time:
10 minutes

Cooking Time:
20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 16-oz. package frozen pizza dough
• 1 Tbs. plus 2 tsps. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 lb. broccoli
• 3 cloves garlic, cracked
• 1/3 lb. chicken breast, sliced in small strips
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 10 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and sliced
• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 12 to 15 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 500°F.

Step 1: On a 12" nonstick pie pan, stretch dough to form pizza crust. Drizzle 2 tsp. olive oil onto crust and spread it with a pastry brush. Sprinkle crust with Parmesan cheese.

Step 2: In a small covered saucepan, bring 2" water to a boil. Separate broccoli tops into florets; discard lower stalks or reserve for a different use. Salt water and add broccoli. Cook, covered, for 3 to 5 minutes. Drain broccoli, set on cutting board, and chop florets into small pieces.

Step 3: Meanwhile, heat a small nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add oil, garlic, and chicken, and season with salt and pepper. Brown chicken until lightly golden, 5 minutes. Chop chicken and garlic into small pieces.

Step 4: To assemble pizza, dot crust with broccoli, garlic, and chicken. Add tablespoons of ricotta throughout and spread gently with the back of a spoon. Scatter sun-dried tomatoes around the pizza to the edges. Top with mozzarella.

Step 5: Place pizza on middle oven rack and lower heat to 450°F. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until cheese is golden and crust is brown and crisp at the edges. Remove from oven; allow to stand 5 minutes. Top with basil.

Nutritional Facts:

Each child-size serving (1 slice): 300 calories, 19 g protein, 33 g carbohydrate, 11 g fat (4 g saturated), 2 g fiber, 29 mg cholesterol, 233 mg calcium, 3 mg iron, 550 mg sodium.

Copyright 2005. Reprinted with permission from the November 2004 issue of Child Magazine.