Recipe For Health
by Jill Yarbrough, Dining Services Test Kitchen Manager
Featured Food: Tomatoes Yield: Serves 4-6Learn more about Tomatoes

Ingredients

  • 1 Boboli© crust (white or wheat)
  • 2 t. olive oil
  • ¾ t. chopped garlic
  • ½ t. dried basil
  • 2 each fresh tomatoes (Roma or On-The-Vine)
  • 1 ½ c. shredded Italian-blend cheese
  • ⅓ c. shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 8–10 each fresh basil leaves

Preparation

Combine and stir together olive oil, garlic and dried basil. Brush mixture over crust. Cut 12–15 thin slices of tomatoes. Drain tomatoes on paper towel and then place on crust. Mix Parmesan cheese with shredded cheese. Sprinkle 1½– 2 cups of cheese over top of the tomatoes. Bake at 400ºF for 8–10 minutes. Chop basil and sprinkle on top when pizza is done. Cut into 12 pieces. 

Learn More About Tomatoes

What'd life be without homegrown tomatoes?…All winter without ‘em is a culinary bummer. So go the lyrics to the song Homegrown Tomatoes.

You can have your tomatoes and eat them, too. Here are some instructions for preserving the taste of summer for use all year round:

• Select tomatoes with a deep red color and a rich tomato aroma when you smell the blossom (not stem) end. They should feel heavy for their size. The skin should be taut and not shriveled.  

• Store fresh tomatoes at room temperature out of direct sunlight with the stem ends down until they have fully ripened. A ripe tomato will yield to slight pressure. Plan on storing for only a few days, certainly not more than a week.

Once tomatoes have reached this stage, you will need to eat, cook, refrigerate or preserve them.  

• Preserve by pressure canning in glass jars or by freezing. If you have extra freezer space, this is quick and easy. Begin by sorting the tomatoes, discarding any with signs of spoilage. Wash each tomato, rubbing its surface and rinsing with running water, then blot dry. Remove the tough stem end by inserting the tip of a paring knife at an angle just outside the core; using a sawing motion, rotate the tomato until the core is cut free. Place the cored tomatoes on baking sheets and freeze. Transfer frozen tomatoes to freezer bags and store at 0ºF or below for up to 8 months.  

• Use frozen tomatoes in cooked dishes just as you would use fresh or canned tomatoes. Remove from the freezer the number of tomatoes needed and run under warm water to slip off the skin.

Peggy Crum, MA, RD

Featured Recipes

Recipe For Health

Rhubarb & Strawberry Crisp

Combine tart rhubarb with sweet strawberries, add a streusel topping, and bake until bubbly. Dessert doesn’t get easier—or more classic—than this. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. You’re sure to get rave reviews!

Recipe For Health

Farro Salad with Grilled Vegetables

Chewy farro grains are delicious in this autumn-y salad. Recipe yields enough for dinner for 2 to 4 with some left for a couple of lunches. To do this, make the base with dressing, farro, and grilled veggies. Add fresh veggies to the base as you go.

Recipe For Health

Pecan and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

Roasting amps up the flavor in everything including pecans. Chef Kurt's attention to detail takes a traditional chocolate chip cookie to another level of yum!

Recipe For Health

Onion Soup

Onions, the simplest of pantry staples, mingle with butter, broth, and herbs to become luxuriously smooth and delicious. Add "homemade" croutons and a blend of cheeses to make a complete and satisfying meal.

More Food and Nutrition Recipes

Find a Recipe

Browse all recipes

Find a Class

Browse all courses

Search Health4U


Food and Nutrition Counseling Services

Food and Nutrition Counseling Services provides you with access to accurate health and lifestyle information, helping you to explore new behaviors and skills, and identifying useful campus and community resources.

MSU community members eligible for food and nutrition counseling services include faculty, staff, graduate assistants, retirees and the spouses/partners of members of these groups.

To schedule an appointment with Health4U you are not required to email us from your MSU email address; please email us from the email address you are most comfortable with. 

Read More

Departmental Services

The goal of department based services is to provide work units and colleagues the opportunity to learn about health and wellness as a group activity or exploration.  

Read More

Health e-Guide

This guide has been discontinued and is no longer viewable.

Visit Health e-Guide