Pasta Bowls

Credit for this recipe goes 100% to my creative husband. He was looking at a flier in our mail for a local pizza place, saw the pasta bowls and thought, "hey, I can make that!" And make it he did. I'm not going to pretend that this is the healthiest thing you've ever eaten, but there's definitely plenty of potential variety here, and I'm willing to bet it's more delicious and still healthier than you'd get at a restaurant. You can fill it with whatever pasta and sauce combination you want, and if I didn't have a picky husband, I'd make the pizza dough with whole wheat. Instead of butter, you could always use olive oil to baste. In the end, of course, it's the taste that counts, and my husband really made a winner here. :)

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (or 3/4 cup whole wheat + 1/2 cup all-purpose)

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (or one envelope)

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup warm water

6 oz pasta (rotini or penne), cooked

1/2 cup pasta sauce (pick your favorite - I like Newman's Own tomato & basil)

shredded mozzarella cheese

grated parmesan cheese

4 Tbsp butter

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2-1 tsp italian seasoning (basil & oregano)

Directions:

1. Add flour, yeast, salt, and water to a medium mixing bowl. Mix ingredients until well-combined.

2. Stir in additional flour in small portions, adding in as much as you can.

3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, kneading in additional flour as necessary.

4. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning once. Cover and let rise until double (~20 min).

5. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half.

6. Shape each half into a ball and place on a pizza stone or baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal (the cornmeal keeps the bottom from sticking or burning).

7. Bake at 400 degrees F for 35 minutes, or until lightly golden.

8. Cut an angled circle out of the top of the bowls, and scoop out bread from the middle (you can use the extra to make bread crumbs or croutons later!).

9. Toss pasta with sauce and spoon into bowls.

10. Sprinkle generously with cheese; if you want it extra cheesy, add cheese in layers with the pasta.

11. Place top back on, then baste bowls with garlic butter mixture using a pastry brush. (To make garlic butter: add butter, garlic, and italian seasoning to a glass measuring cup, then microwave and stir - baste while still hot).

12. Return bowls to oven, and bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, baste a second time, then bake for 5-10 minutes more.

13. Remove from oven, allow to cool for a few minutes, and enjoy!

Makes 2 pasta bowls