I adore meals that make me feel like I’m dining at some little café see we sat outside and enjoyed this with a glass of wine, it was perfect!   

Originally galettes crust was made from Buckwheat, the crust of this dish is simplified with my super simple pie crust dough.

And the pie crust is versatile and can be used with many dishes such as these Mini Strawberry Pies, or if you want a different take on this galette, you could try this Tomato Galette which uses fresh tomatoes and parmesan cheese. If you want a heartier meal make some Chicken Pot Pies!

Let’s get this out of the way, I love Pizza. And really who doesn’t? This recipe takes all the amazing flavors of a pizza and brings them together to make one great dish that’s perfect for an appetizer or a self-indulgent meal. 

One of the wonderful aspects of this sauce is its versatility. I sometimes want it spicy and add in crushed red pepper, add in some cooked ground beef to make it heartier. Some like it sweet, for that I add either some finely diced carrots or sweet peppers. But really pizza isn’t supposed to be sweet so don’t mistake the main ingredient here, this dip uses ricotta cheese, not cream cheese, as cream cheese has its place it’s not in this ricotta cheese dip, it would overpower the flavor of pizza.

Transforming a predictable pizza night into something elevated and new to appease taste buds and creativity all in one fell swoop, is this dish with melted mozzarella and aromatic garlic layered with the fresh burst of sliced tomatoes and oregano.

 And though it may look intimidating, part of its beauty is in its simplicity. You have the option to use store-bought refrigerated pie crust in place of the homemade one, though I encourage you to try my homemade pie crust, as it’s simple, fun, and has a great flavor and texture.

Popular in French cuisine, a Galette describes various types of flat, round or freeform crusty cakes. It can be served with savory fillings but is excellent as a dessert option like this Blueberry Galette. And whether savory or sweet, nothing tastes better for breakfast than leftover Galette! And if you’re a savory person, this makes an excellent breakfast.

I love pizza and make it often. 

Today I decided to make it in my cast iron skillet. I typically bake pizza on this type of screen to be sure the bottom crust gets crisp. 

I know my cast iron skillet does a great job of getting a good crust on chicken and beef and roasts vegetables great too, so it was time to give pizza a try, I’m glad I did.

I know now, I can cook pizza anywhere I go, on a grill on in the oven with my favorite cast iron skillet. 

This is great for so many reasons,

like… when everyone wants their own special pizza, RV-ing I couldn’t be without my cast iron, it’s also great that the pizza stays hot for a while in the pan too!

Is Cast Iron good for pizza?

Yes, it heats up quickly and allows the bottom crust to become crisp.

Do you have to preheat a cast iron pizza pan?

Although not necessary when using a hot oven at 450°-500° the pan will heat up quickly enough. I did not preheat my cast iron before adding the pizza dough.

When grilling pizza, should it be covered?

If you have an open fire grill place foil over the skillet, otherwise if you put it on a grill that has a lid that will be sufficient.

Popular Pizza Dough

20 Minute Pizza one batch makes 2-12″ pizza dough

Low Carb Pizza Crust Cauliflower Crust Pizza and a delicious Chicken Crust

Buy it from a pizzeria

Buy it from a grocery store, near me Barons, Trader Joes, and Winco all carry fresh pizza dough, some have it in the freezer sections and it’ll take a few hours to thaw to room temperature. 

Popular Pizza Sauces

Tomato Sauce– typical pizza sauce is uncooked before it goes on the pizza, a great option for pizzerias, but for home use, tomato sauce will suffice. I often make it or use Barilla Marinara or Tomato Basil. Lots of pizzerias will sell you their sauce in a container, (they’ll often sell pizza dough too)

Creamy Garlic Sauce – recipe coming soon to Created by Diane

Olive Oil, just drizzle some on or use a silicone brush to spread it around the dough. Add crushed garlic or garlic powder.

Pesto I usually purchase pesto and keep it int eh freezer and scoop out some or homemade is always a good option (puree: pine nuts, basil, garlic, olive oil, parmesan cheese, and salt)

BBQ Chicken Pizza mix tomato sauce with BBQ sauce, so the pizza isn’t overly sweet, great topped with mozzarella cheese, red onion, cilantro.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza use all buffalo sauce or a mix of buffalo sauce and tomato sauce or buffalo sauce and yogurt or sour cream, top with mozzarella cheese, and cooked chicken pieces.

Vodka Sauce creamy and tangy and delicious and great on pasta, and pizza

Popular Cheese

Mozzarella Cheese whole milk ricotta is delicious on pizza, whole milk is creamy and stretchy and great on pizza

Ricotta Cheese great to add in dollops on top of your pizza, or in conjunction with mozzarella cheese 

Although if you’d like a specialty gourmet style pizza, feta, goat cheese, and blue cheese are all great crumbled on top, and great in combination with mozzarella cheese.

Popular Toppings

Vegetables- mushrooms, spinach, onions, peppers, tomatoes

Meats– pepperoni, sausage, meatball, prosciutto, bacon, chicken

Fruits- pineapple (popular with pepperoni, pear (popular with goat cheese or blue cheese)

Additions black olives, cashews, pepperoncini, Oregano (my favorite), Parmesan Cheese, Crushed Red Pepper, garlic powder

Some of my other fun pizza recipes include: Reuben Pizza, Scrambled Egg Pizza, French Bread Pizza, Chicken and Asparagus Pizza, Flat Bread Pizza, Jalapeno Pizza with Avocado, Zucchini Pizza, Asian Pear, and Gorgonzola Pizza, BBQ Chicken French Bread Pizza, and a Dessert Pizza

It’s great when you can make each pizza exactly the way everyone will like it.

1.  Remember when adding sauce to the pizza dough, do not add a lot of sauce, it can make the dough heavy, preventing it from baking nicely. Just place a couple of tablespoons of sauce, then spread it out, you can see it’s not all thick and covered completely by sauce, this ensures the pizza will put off and get a good crisp on the dough.
2.  As far as cheese goes, you can be generous, but over cheering a pizza will also create a heavy pizza so don’t overdo it.
3.  Then onto the toppings, go light if you’re using toppings that are “wet” like cooked vegetables, pineapple, and such. Raw vegetables are good, pepperoni, policies, meats and other dryer toppings won’t weigh down a crust so you can use these more readily.

Now to top off my delicious pizza… I added a drizzle of Creamy Garlic Sauce! Oh, it’s so flavorful and I not only use it on top of pizza, I often use it as a sauce for the base of the pizza and enjoy it over pasta, and it’s great on veggies too.

My top tip for making pizza:

Be sure your pizza dough is at room temperature, it’ll stretch better and you’ll be able to shape it easily. Press out all the air, by pushing your fingertips all around the dough. Then flour your hands, pick up your dough, and stretch it around your knuckles into a circular motion. I have a video of this on my pizza dough post here.

You can also put cast iron pans on the grill, which makes this pizza great all summer long for easy meals, virtually no cleanup and meals ready in minutes.

More Pizza-inspired recipes:

• Cast Iron Skillet Pizza
• Low Carb Pizza Crust Recipes
• Pizza Dip
• French Bread Pizza
• Savory Pizza Cupcakes
• Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Salad

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Cast Iron Skillet Pizza

Bake or grill crisp pizza easily in a cast-iron skillet.

Course Main Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Diane Schmidt - createdbydiane.com

Ingredients

• Make pizza dough or purchase pizza dough be sure it's at room temperature for best results
• sauce
• cheese
• toppings

Instructions

• Preheat oven (or grill) to 450°- 500°
• Use a little bit of flour and press out the air of the pizza dough, stretch the dough into a circle the size of your pan. I use a 12" pan then place the dough inside the pan, then add the sauce, then cheese, and put on the toppings you'd like.
• Cook pizza for 9-10 minutes. If you're using an open grill place foil on the top of the pan.
• Check the bottom of the pizza crust by lifting it with a spatula to see that it's lightly brown and crisp.

The post Cast Iron Skillet Pizza first appeared on Created by Diane.

It’s no secret I love sauces and I’m a huge garlic fan,

This sauce combines two of my favorites!

Be sure to use some great tasting garlic when you make this, freshly minced, or a refrigerated paste works well in this.

Some garlic items are soaking in ingredients other than oil, and they will give an “off” flavor.

This is not a recipe or those mass-produced giant jars you see at club stores.

You’ll want the best tasting garlic, so your sauce will be OUT OF THIS WORLD delicious.

Think of it as a garlic gravy… whatever you’d put gravy on it’ll be amazing, like mashed potatoes, drizzled over beef, for extra garlicky biscuits and so much more.

I mince fresh garlic or use Gourmet Gardens Garlic paste. I actually use so much garlic here that I keep at least a few tubes of the garlic paste in my fridge at all times. 

This can be considered a garlic gravy if you want.

It starts off with a roux (butter and flour).

They are mixed together in a pan over medium-high heat.

Then whisk in the garlic…. YUM!

And then pour in the cream, add some garlic powder for extra garlic flavor.

Add some herbs, dry or fresh ( I typically add dry oregano).

If desired and finish the sauce off with salt and pepper.

If you’re looking to spice it up, add some crushed red pepper flakes.

Since moving to Southern California from New Jersey I will never get over that people like ranch dressing on their pizza here… not me, give me a drizzle of this garlic sauce instead. It elevates the pizza to a whole new level.

Use it as the sauce on a white pie.

There doesn’t seem to be as much garlic used in any restaurant here as there is on the East Coast. I used to be able to smell the garlic on a plate before it reached the table, and I miss it!

So garlic lovers unite over this garlic sauce and tell me what you’ll be putting it on.

This garlic sauce is great on pizza. You can use it as the sauce, putting it on top of the pizza dough, and under the cheese, or drizzle it over the top… both ways are yummy! 

If you haven’t made a sauce from a roux before, check out my post How to Make a Sauce. 

The possibilities are endless with this sauce, pasta, rice, vegetables, and breadsticks. It’s so creamy and delicious, pour it over some sauteed mushrooms, and you’ll find it irresistible, or slice up some mushrooms to turn this into a garlic mushroom sauce. 

And yes, you can pour some of this over potatoes, serve it alongside of any main dish, drizzle it over your protein.

Add in some cheese if you’d like. And for a kick, you can add some horseradish for a fun flavor combo with beef.

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Creamy Garlic Sauce

a smooth and creamy garlic sauce great on pizza, pasta, and vegetables.

Course sauce

Cuisine American

Prep Time 2 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 7 minutes minutes

Servings 1 cup

Author Diane Schmidt - createdbydiane.com

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1- 2 tablespoons garlic fresh minced
• 1 cup heavy cream or milk or a combination of both heavy cream will give you a richer tasting sauce. I typically use heavy cream
• pinch dry oregano
• *Add 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic powder for a stronger flavor
• salt and pepper

add fresh herbs if desired, basil, oregano, parsley are all great in this sauce

• add 1/4 cup grated parmesan if you want the sauce cheesy

Instructions

• Heat a skillet over medium heat, add butter and flour and whisk until combined.
• Add in garlic and stir.
• Then slowly pour in cream and whisk so the liquid combines with the roux mixture.
• Add in granulated garlic if using it, and then add oregano, and salt and pepper (to taste)
• Serve as a base for pizza sauce, drizzle over the of cooked pizza, dip vegetables in it, or drizzle it over the top of your vegetables, it's also great on chicken and steak too.

The post Creamy Garlic Sauce first appeared on Created by Diane.

With the rising costs of eating out, there is no better time to make some of your favorites at home. 

If you are eating low-carb, don’t worry I have options for you too!   

Plan your own TAKE-OUT night by cooking your favorites yourself.

From Pizza to Chinese, and Pasta to Sandwiches this post if full of the most popular items people eat out and order for take-out.

All can be made within 30 minutes, there are shortcuts to make most in under 15 minutes…

now how about that for fast food!

You don’t need to make everything from scratch, I give you some of my favorite shortcut options but if you’re a true do-it-yourself-er there are recipes to my favorites as well.

No matter what you typically order for takeout, this post has you covered! Save money, time, and frustration (ordering food doesn’t always arrive as you wish!)  Customize any dish to your EXACT liking!

The best moments are often spent around the kitchen table. So gather your loved ones, and friends and have everyone pull up a chair, no need to fancy plates, keep it simple, feed them well, and make memories!

I truly am a pasta lover, but since I started eating low carb, I knew my one BIG vice of eating pasta was going to have to change.

While looking at my options. I decided to incorporate lots of zucchini noodles into my eating and spaghetti squash. 

(by the way, it totally works great for cutting carbs. I lost over 30 lbs and have maintained my goal weight for over 8 months now)

The texture is similar to pasta and the flavor is like squash, and I love squash.

Check out my favorite squash dish here.

I didn’t just want to add some tomato sauce to the spaghetti squash for each meal, I knew I wanted some really flavorful dishes I could enjoy without getting tired of the flavor.

The sauce, the cheese or the crust.

Normally I’d tell you it’s how the pizza tastes all together, and yes the crust is important… perfect crisp and chewy and not bready is what I like.

When I’m eating low carb, it’s really hard not to eat pizza it’s one of my favorites!

I’m sharing with you the 3 ways to easily make low carb pizza crust recipes that are easy and taste great and let you EAT PIZZA when eating low carb!

The pizza crusts only take minutes to prepare, which I just love about them.

They are equally delicious so it really comes down to preference or what you have on hand, they each taste great.

With just a few simple ingredients you could be minutes away from eating cheesy delicious pizza!

Each of the recipes are made in under 30 minutes, that is faster than picking up a phone and ordering takeout and having it delivered, not to mention this is much less expensive than takeout!

If you want a more traditional pizza here is my 20 Minute Pizza Dough Recipe.

Other fun pizza options you may want to see:

• Pizza Omelet–  a really fun breakfast even kids love!
• Breakfast Pizza– a real favorite, you can use the same ingredients to top a low carb pizza with.
• BBQ Chicken Pizza, take a look at this for an option to top a pizza with some great flavor.

Low Carb Pizza Crust Made with Chicken – Easy, Delicious, and Low Carb!

This is the first low-carb pizza crust I made, it’s made with chicken, yes, chicken. It tastes great. It’s full of protein, you can make it with any type of cooked chicken, leftover from dinner, rotisserie, canned, etc. Although I don’t typically prefer canned chicken, I do find it super easy in this recipe to use, rinse the chicken in water, then use. It helps avoid the excuse that you don’t have chicken and can’t make a high protein meal inminutes! #noexcuses.

I’m always on the hunt for high protein, delicious meals and this fits the bill!

No Dough, No Problem: This Chicken Crust Pizza Delivers!!!!

Now, this tasted great and some people had a hard time figuring out what on earth it was made of.

They never guessed chicken (the only exception is it’s easier to tell if you use canned chicken, but rinsing it does help with the taste you get with canned chicken.

As far as texture goes I mixed this with a fork, its worked well, but the texture and thickness of this pizza was not the best, but certainly is yummy I would suggest chopping the chicken and cheese with a large knife until it’s fine if you don’t have or want to use a food processor.

This is my favorite it’s made with both chicken and cauliflower. All the ingredients are put in a food processor and then you just pat them into a flat pizza shape on a parchment lined pizza screen (or baking sheet).

The taste is great, it crisps up really well,

and the texture is great,

I prepared this in a food processor which made the chicken unrecognizable with the cauliflower mixed in mellowed the chicken flavor in the all-chicken crust.

Because it was blended in the food processor I was able to press the crust thinner and smoother.

I had three people test the pizza recipes and it was funny if the crust had chicken in it, it was NOT guessed as an ingredient.

You can use any type of cooked chicken for this recipe

• Slow Cooked Chicken Breasts click for instructions
• Pressure Cooked Chicken Breasts click for instructions
• Canned Chicken Breasts
• Rotisore Chicken

I have a Cuisinart food processor and love it, it’s similar to this one, if you don’t have one just chop the main ingredient with the cheese until it’s small then mix in the egg.

This is the pizza screen I bake my pizza on, you can find the one I use here

it’s great!

First, you line it with parchment, then press the pizza crust into shape.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Then remove the parchment as the crust will be firm enough not to fall through the holes.

Now top the pizza with sauce if you’re using it, cheese, and veggies. You can add sauce, cheese, and pepperoni if that’s your thing.

Then put the pizza goes back in the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese and cook the vegetables.

Out comes a cheesy delicious pizza whichever crust you decide on.

I will mention I just LOVE dry oregano on top of my pizza, so don’t forget to add some!

This is a really delicious cheesy pizza that you will love if you’re eating low carb and looking for a delicious option.

You may also like it even if you are eating carbs, my daughter loves it and asks me to make the chicken crust pizza for her often.

Truth be told, I LOVE a piece of this leftover for breakfast, it’s a great low carb breakfast option and if you make a pizza for the week, you can easily have a slice a day!

AND if you like eggs, give my Pizza Omelet a try.

More Pizza-inspired recipes:

• • Cast Iron Skillet Pizza
  • Low Carb Pizza Crust Recipes
  • Pizza Dip
  • French Bread Pizza
  • Savory Pizza Cupcakes
  • Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Salad

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Low Carb Pizza Crust Recipes

a low carb pizza you'll enjoy anytime, skip the takeout and fill up on veggies or protein

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword cheese, chicken, pizza,, vegetable

Servings 1 -14" pizza

Author Diane Schmidt - createdbydiane.com

Cost $10

Ingredients

• All Chicken 2 cups cooked chicken
• Chicken and Cauliflower 1 cup cooked chicken 1 cup crumbled cauliflower
• All Cauliflower 21/3 cups cauliflower crumbles/rice you'll need an extra 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese for this crust to get crisp, so 1-1/2 cups total cheese.
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 egg

Toppings for pizza

• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4-1/2 cup pizza/tomato sauce
• Zucchini grape tomatoes, pepperoni etc

Instructions

• Each recipe makes a 14" pizza (or two smaller pizzas)
• I prefer each of the crusts mixed in a food processor, the texture is nicer.
• Add whatever option you decide on: all chicken, half chicken, and half cauliflower, or all cauliflower.
• Add an egg and the cheese.
• *you can add garlic, salt and pepper and any herbs you like.
• Mix in a food processor until it resembles small crumbs.
• Press the mixture on a parchment lined pizza screen or similar baking sheet with holes so the crust can crisp and not end up soggy.
• Bake at 425° for 15 minutes
• The pizza crust is firm enough to scoot off the parchment and slide it onto the screen by itself.
• Add the topping you'd like, such as a cup of shredded mozzarella cheese and zucchini and grape tomatoes, top with some oregano.
• Or tomato sauce and cheese and maybe pepperoni.
• Continue baking the pizza for 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted, about 5-7 minutes.

Notes

Sometimes I bake the pizza at 450° for 10 minutes then add the toppings and bake for another 5 minutes or so with great results as well. Often my oven stays hot at 450 without dropping in temp, like most ovens do so adjust temp and time according to whats needed.

If the instructions aren’t clear,

All chicken pizza: 2 cups chicken, 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 egg.

1/2 chicken 1/2 cauliflower: 1 cup cooked chicken, I cup crumbled cauliflower (or riced raw cauliflower), 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 egg.

All Cauliflower: 2 1/2 cups raw crumbled/riced cauliflower, 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 egg.

Add any seasonings you’d like to the crust, oregano, garlic, salt.

Bake the crust by itself until it’s firm on the bottom,

then top the pizza with your preferred toppings and bake until toppings are hot and cheese is completely melted.

The post Low Carb Pizza Crust Recipes first appeared on Created by Diane.

How would you like to have great tasting pizza ready in 30 minutes!

That’s right… 20 minutes to make the dough and 10 minutes to cook.

No more waiting for an hour for the dough to rise, this is a recipe you’ll use over and over.

Yes, it’s possible…. totally possible and delicious too.

• Less expensive than take-out!
• Completely customizable
• ready in 20 minutes

Have you ever thrown a pizza party? There are so many options, you can have everyone bring their favorite topping and you have all the pizza dough ready to go, or you can slice and prepare all the toppings yourself. It’s not too difficult, you don’t have to go crazy to have a great time.

These toppings seem to be most popular

• pepperoni
• mushrooms
• peppers
• spinach
• olives
• tomatoes
• pineapple
• ricotta cheese

Of course, that will just get you started, add any topping you prefer, just remember if you want a crispy crust don’t pile on too many toppings especially if they have a lot of moisture to them, they will make the dough soggy.

Now don’t forget to the cheese, mozzarella cheese is the most common cheese on top of a pizza and it has that great stretch factor to give it a cheesy pull!

30 Minute Ravioli Pizza

Don’t miss one delicious recipe from Created by Diane and get my FREE e-cookbook click here!

Hot and cheesy and ready in 30 minutes,

yes PLEASE!

I just love this for so many reasons.

One is I LOVE pizza and this tastes just like it.

Two you can top this any way you like. Pepperoni, olives, peppers, mushrooms you name it, you can place the topping on the top and you’ll have your very own specialized pizza… Ravioli Pizza!

Three, it’s ready so QUICK!