Quick Dinner Ideas: from Frozen Dough to Dinner Fast

Making dough from scratch involves measuring ingredients, kneading them together for a few minutes, and then letting the dough rise for hours. It can be messy and time consuming. But not anymore. With ready to bake dough from the grocery, you can have dough-based meals quickly and easily. Just make sure to thaw the dough in the refrigerator overnight, and you're all set to make a hearty and delicious meal. Complete the following with a salad, and you're ready to announce, "dinner is served!"

Clubhouse Sandwich on a Roll

This filled and filling sandwich is made with frozen bread dough. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease and flour a loaf pan. Roll the dough into a rectangle. Brush the dough with extra-virgin olive oil. Top with cooked meats and cheese. Make sure to include some fresh or dried herbs and other seasonings. Roll into a log and gently put into the loaf pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350°F then bake for another 25 minutes. Let cool, slice and serve.

Make Your Own Pizza

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Flour a pizza pan or baking sheet. Roll or stretch the pizza dough to fit the pan. If the dough springs back, let it rest for a few minutes then try again. Use a fork to make holes all over the dough. Brush some extra-virgin olive oil on the surface of the dough, followed by tomato paste, tomato sauce or tomato puree. Top the pizza with whatever you have in your refrigerator, such as leftover meats (cooked), minced garlic, sliced mushrooms, and bell peppers. Bake in the oven for 7 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven and sprinkle mozzarella cheese or whatever cheese you have on hand. Put the pizza back in the oven and bake for another 8 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is golden brown.

Would You Believe It's Focaccia?

Use either pizza or bread dough to make this focaccia. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Stretch or roll the dough into a rectangle to fit a floured cookie sheet. With your fingertips, make dents all over the focaccia. In a separate skillet, saute extra virgin olive oil, chopped onions, and minced garlic, until the onions are wilted. Don't let the garlic get too brown. Spread the mixture over the focaccia. Top with dried herbs, such as Italian seasoning, coarse sea salt and black pepper. Put the focaccia in the oven. After 7 minutes, take the focaccia from the oven and sprinkle with cheese (a combination of mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses is particularly delicious). Return the focaccia in the oven and bake for another 8 minutes. When the cheese is bubbly and the crust is golden brown, take the focaccia out of the oven and cut into squares before serving.

See how frozen dough can help you make a fast and delicious dinner? Make sure you always have some frozen bread or pizza dough in your freezer for those times when you need to cook a meal fast. And in case you forget, it is possible to thaw dough in the microwave. These quick dinner ideas prove that frozen dough is a grocery staple that you should never be without.

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