Embarrassingly, Ridiculously Simple Recipes
Bailey Fink, food enthusiast and assistant editor at www.allrecipes.com, shared a recipe for her grandma’s 3-ingredient dinner that she says is embarrassingly simple, yet so delicious. She says it’s an unexpected combo that she and her siblings actually begged for when growing up.
So many of the recipes we love to share tend to be on the showy side. But the ridiculously unpretentious ones (that were just meant to get dinner on the table) can be just as valuable and just as applause-worthy.
Baily talks about her grandma, who raised eight kids on a farm, who was a master at feeding all those mouths with the simple, cheap, yet delicious meal. What was true for her grandma back in the day, is true for many of us now. Sometimes we just want to get dinner on the table. And the faster, simpler, and least expensive way is so often the best way.
So, the 3-ingredient simple yet delicious dinner? Egg noodles, a can of tomato soup, and bacon. Whether you call it a stew or just a runny “pasta sauce,” noodles smothered with bacon-packed soup is the budget-friendly meal of dreams.
Baily says that sometimes her grandma would add diced onion to the mix. She’d fry the bacon in a cast iron skillet, then cook the onions in the bacon grease, and finally add water and the tomato soup. It was the onion-fried-in-bacon grease that gave the soup so much extra flavor. Then, she’d serve the soup sauce over egg noodles. It really doesn’t get much easier.
It may sound like a strange dish, but the simple flavors really work together—and it’s a great meal to stretch those last few days before your next grocery run. In other words, as Baily says, “Don’t knock it ‘til you try it!”
Moving from this main dish, Baily also has an embarrassingly, ridiculously simple accompaniment for it (or you could just all it a snack). This is the “pizza cracker.” Baily says it originated with actress Jennifer Garner.
You use store bought pizza dough (or if in the mood and have the time, make your own) and your favorite Italian-inspired herbs. The good thing about this recipe is that, once you have your dough ready, you can basically eyeball everything. You can use as much or as little dough as you want and sprinkle as many herbs and seasonings on it as your heart desires.
There two secrets to the pizza cracker: rolling out the dough incredibly thin so that it bubbles up while cooking, and watching it closely while it’s in the oven. Bake it in a HOT oven—475 to 500ºF. Baily says when she first tried this, she only baked it for 8 minutes and it got a little brown (as you can see). With her next attempt she removed it from the oven after 6 minutes and it was perfect.
There are a lot of directions you can go with this idea. Besides using it as a cracker for the above dinner entrée, it’d even be delicious with just a bowl of warm pizza sauce for dipping.
But however you decide to serve it, it really doesn’t get much easier than a hunk of store-bought pizza dough, olive oil, and herbs. It’s definitely worth giving this suggestion a try.
I’ll close with my very favorite pizza dough recipe (for those of you who shudder at the thought of using store-bought anything). I first found this on www.sugarspunrun.com and will never use any other recipe. This is tops!
2 to 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour OR bread flour¹ divided (250-295g)
1 packet instant yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoons garlic powder and/or dried basil leaves (same amount, optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil plus additional
3/4 cup water (175ml)
Directions:
Combine 1 cup (125g) of flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. If desired, add garlic powder and dried basil at this point as well.
Add olive oil and warm water and use a wooden spoon to stir well very well.
Gradually add another 1 cup (125g) of flour. Add any additional flour as needed (I've found that sometimes I need as much as an additional 1/3 cup), stirring until the dough is forming into a cohesive, elastic ball and is beginning to pull away from the sides of the bowl (see video above recipe for visual cue). The dough will still be slightly sticky but still should be manageable with your hands.
Drizzle a separate, large, clean bowl generously with olive oil and use a pastry brush to brush up the sides of the bowl.
Lightly dust your hands with flour and form your pizza dough into a round ball and transfer to your olive oil-brushed bowl. Use your hands to roll the pizza dough along the inside of the bowl until it is coated in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place.
Allow dough to rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. If you intend to bake this dough into a pizza, I also recommend preheating your oven to 425F (215C) at this point so that it will have reached temperature once your pizza is ready to bake.
Once the dough has risen, use your hands to gently deflate it and transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth (about 3-5 times).
Use either your hands or a rolling pin to work the dough into 12" circle.
Transfer dough to a parchment paper lined pizza pan and either pinch the edges or fold them over to form a crust.
Drizzle additional olive oil (about a Tablespoon) over the top of the pizza and use your pastry brush to brush the entire surface of the pizza (including the crust) with olive oil.
Use a fork to poke holes all over the center of the pizza to keep the dough from bubbling up in the oven.
Add desired toppings (see the notes for a link to my favorite, 5-minute pizza sauce recipe!) and bake in a 425F (215C) preheated oven for 13-15 minutes or until toppings are golden brown. Slice and serve.
NOTES
All-purpose flour yields a softer crust while bread flour gives a slightly crispier exterior.
You can make this in advance: let the dough rise covered at room temperature as indicated in the recipe, then deflate it, wrap it tightly so it doesn't dry out, and store in the refrigerator for up to several days. Or freeze it for up to a month.
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So many of the recipes we love to share tend to be on the showy side. But the ridiculously unpretentious ones (that were just meant to get dinner on the table) can be just as valuable and just as applause-worthy.
Baily talks about her grandma, who raised eight kids on a farm, who was a master at feeding all those mouths with the simple, cheap, yet delicious meal. What was true for her grandma back in the day, is true for many of us now. Sometimes we just want to get dinner on the table. And the faster, simpler, and least expensive way is so often the best way.
So, the 3-ingredient simple yet delicious dinner? Egg noodles, a can of tomato soup, and bacon. Whether you call it a stew or just a runny “pasta sauce,” noodles smothered with bacon-packed soup is the budget-friendly meal of dreams.
Baily says that sometimes her grandma would add diced onion to the mix. She’d fry the bacon in a cast iron skillet, then cook the onions in the bacon grease, and finally add water and the tomato soup. It was the onion-fried-in-bacon grease that gave the soup so much extra flavor. Then, she’d serve the soup sauce over egg noodles. It really doesn’t get much easier.
It may sound like a strange dish, but the simple flavors really work together—and it’s a great meal to stretch those last few days before your next grocery run. In other words, as Baily says, “Don’t knock it ‘til you try it!”
Moving from this main dish, Baily also has an embarrassingly, ridiculously simple accompaniment for it (or you could just all it a snack). This is the “pizza cracker.” Baily says it originated with actress Jennifer Garner.
You use store bought pizza dough (or if in the mood and have the time, make your own) and your favorite Italian-inspired herbs. The good thing about this recipe is that, once you have your dough ready, you can basically eyeball everything. You can use as much or as little dough as you want and sprinkle as many herbs and seasonings on it as your heart desires.
There two secrets to the pizza cracker: rolling out the dough incredibly thin so that it bubbles up while cooking, and watching it closely while it’s in the oven. Bake it in a HOT oven—475 to 500ºF. Baily says when she first tried this, she only baked it for 8 minutes and it got a little brown (as you can see). With her next attempt she removed it from the oven after 6 minutes and it was perfect.
There are a lot of directions you can go with this idea. Besides using it as a cracker for the above dinner entrée, it’d even be delicious with just a bowl of warm pizza sauce for dipping.
But however you decide to serve it, it really doesn’t get much easier than a hunk of store-bought pizza dough, olive oil, and herbs. It’s definitely worth giving this suggestion a try.
I’ll close with my very favorite pizza dough recipe (for those of you who shudder at the thought of using store-bought anything). I first found this on www.sugarspunrun.com and will never use any other recipe. This is tops!
BEST Homemade Pizza Dough
Ingredients:
2 to 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour OR bread flour¹ divided (250-295g)
1 packet instant yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoons garlic powder and/or dried basil leaves (same amount, optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil plus additional
3/4 cup water (175ml)
Directions:
Combine 1 cup (125g) of flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. If desired, add garlic powder and dried basil at this point as well.
Add olive oil and warm water and use a wooden spoon to stir well very well.
Gradually add another 1 cup (125g) of flour. Add any additional flour as needed (I've found that sometimes I need as much as an additional 1/3 cup), stirring until the dough is forming into a cohesive, elastic ball and is beginning to pull away from the sides of the bowl (see video above recipe for visual cue). The dough will still be slightly sticky but still should be manageable with your hands.
Drizzle a separate, large, clean bowl generously with olive oil and use a pastry brush to brush up the sides of the bowl.
Lightly dust your hands with flour and form your pizza dough into a round ball and transfer to your olive oil-brushed bowl. Use your hands to roll the pizza dough along the inside of the bowl until it is coated in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place.
Allow dough to rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. If you intend to bake this dough into a pizza, I also recommend preheating your oven to 425F (215C) at this point so that it will have reached temperature once your pizza is ready to bake.
Once the dough has risen, use your hands to gently deflate it and transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth (about 3-5 times).
Use either your hands or a rolling pin to work the dough into 12" circle.
Transfer dough to a parchment paper lined pizza pan and either pinch the edges or fold them over to form a crust.
Drizzle additional olive oil (about a Tablespoon) over the top of the pizza and use your pastry brush to brush the entire surface of the pizza (including the crust) with olive oil.
Use a fork to poke holes all over the center of the pizza to keep the dough from bubbling up in the oven.
Add desired toppings (see the notes for a link to my favorite, 5-minute pizza sauce recipe!) and bake in a 425F (215C) preheated oven for 13-15 minutes or until toppings are golden brown. Slice and serve.
NOTES
All-purpose flour yields a softer crust while bread flour gives a slightly crispier exterior.
You can make this in advance: let the dough rise covered at room temperature as indicated in the recipe, then deflate it, wrap it tightly so it doesn't dry out, and store in the refrigerator for up to several days. Or freeze it for up to a month.
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Alice Osborne
DVO Newsletter Contributor since 2006
Email the author! alice@dvo.com
Sources:
- www.allrecipes.com
- www.thymeforcooking.com
- www.sugarspunrun.com
