Category Archives: Italian Inspired Recipes

Appetizers, Italian Inspired Recipes, Recipes

Snacks for the Game … or just for TV Watching

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Plate of pizza snacks

Who doesn’t love the taste of a pizza while watching your favorite team on the TV? Or maybe just watching a fun movie at home?  This is a versatile, easy-to-do recipe. You can adjust it to your taste easily.

This recipe is adapted from one at KetoSnacks on Facebook. Actually, the KetoSnacks page is loaded with recipes for items that are not low carb, so I stopped following them. But the demo videos the actual owner of the page presents are mostly Keto.

My roomie adapted this a little bit, but it’s basically the same. She just got carried away with the cheese and add-ons, most of which I’ve not included because it deviated a little too far from the basic concept, which was a quick and easy snack to make. Great for eating while watching the baseball or football games or any other sport you enjoy.

These work well in an air fryer or you can do them in the oven. If you use zucchini or toast rounds for the base, it gives the snack a sturdier base and a bit more flavor.

pizza bites with toast base

Keto Pizza Bites

Ingredients:

Parmesan Cheese, grated
Pepperoni or Salami, pizza slices
Marinara or Pizza Sauce

Add On:
Zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick
Toast, cut into pepperoni-sized rounds

Instructions:

To make, prepare a pan or the air fryer basket with parchment paper. Place about a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese on the paper, then put your base item on it… toast, zucchini, or pepperoni/salami.

If you use toast and/or zucchini, the next layer is the meat, either pepperoni or salami.

Spread enough marinara or pizza sauce on top of the meat to cover it. Cover the top with more Parmesan cheese.

4 pizza bites in parchment basket with cheese, salami, and sauce before adding top cheese layer.
4 pizza bites in parchment basket with cheese, salami, and sauce before adding top cheese layer.

Bake in a 350 degree oven or air fryer for about eight to ten minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Remove from the oven, let cool to set the cheese, then enjoy.

 

Nutrition Information per snack (Base version):
Calories: 78| Fat 0g| Cholesterol: 13mg| Sodium: 260mg| Carbs 1.7g | Fiber: 0.3g| Protein 5.2g| Sugar: 0 g| Sugar Alcohol: 0g| Net Carbs: 1.4g

With Zucchini, add 0.3 g – Net Carbs 1.7 g
With Toast, add 0.5 g – Net Carbs 1.9g

Note: Nutrition information is based on the ingredients I used in this recipe and my measurements. Although they are a close calculation, your results may be slightly higher or lower. Ingredient substitutions may affect the carb count. Different brands may have other carb counts.

Copyright 2026 by Rene Averett, Skinny Girl Bistro

Italian Inspired Recipes, Main Dish, Pork, Poultry, Recipes

Easy and Quick Skillet Casserole for a Hot Night

skillet casserole

In my part of the world, it is hotter than normal this summer and we’re getting enough thunder storms to add humidity. Typically, in dry climates, evaporative coolers work really well, but with humidity, they tend to not cool as effectively. So, when I went into the kitchen to fix dinner, I wanted something that didn’t need much cooking, could use the stove, and was ready fast.

This throw-it-together recipe ticks all those boxes. Often we buy roasted chicken from the grocery store, eat one meal off it, then strip the rest of the meat and freeze it in one-cup packets. I had a jar of Classico Alfredo sauce in the pantry, so I thought perfect match. Instead of pasta, I chose to use a spaghetti squash I’d purchased a couple of months ago. Eight minutes in the microwave, wrapped in plastic, and it was ready to go. I always have a bag of bacon pieces in my refrigerator ’cause I use them for lots of dishes. The real kicker was we had a small bag of spinach from a salad we didn’t eat and it had about 1 tablespoon of craisins in it. Granted, these weren’t the sugar-reduced, bur when I calculated the recipe for this post, I used the stats for the lower sugar ones.

This quick skillet-casserole dish turned out to be super-tasty and took less than 20 minutes to make once all the ingredients were prepped. For a side dish, I added Brussels sprouts, but any green vegetable would compliment it. I also added a small tomato spiced tortilla with butter to help get the sauce off the plate. I used 0 carb mini-tortillas that are available from Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, Win-Co and several other grocery stores. Perfect for snacks! (Sometimes I sprinkle cheese on one, pop it in the microwave for about 20 seconds, then fold over to make a mini-quesadilla snack.)

Serving of chicken and spaghetti dish

Chicken and Spaghetti Squash Skillet Casserole

1 cup Chicken, cooked and shredded
1 cup Alfredo Sauce
1 to 2 cups raw Spinach
1/4 cup Bacon pieces, cooked
2 cups Spaghetti Squash, cooked
1 tablespoon Craisins (optional)
1/4 cup Italian 4 Cheese mix

Prepare your ingredients before you start. Shred the cooked chicken, tears the spinach into smaller pieces, cook and crumbled the bacon (unless you use premade ones) and cook, cool, and separate your spaghetti squash, removing the seeds.

In a large skillet, add Alfredo sauce and chicken. Stir together and heat until sauce is slightly bubbly.

Add the spinach and bacon and stir the mixture again. When the spinach wilts, add the spaghetti squash and craisins (if using) and heat over low heat a few minutes.

Sprinkle the cheese over the top and let it melt.

Serve with a vegetable, side salad, and/ or low carb slice of bread or tortilla.

Makes four servings.

Nutrition Information Per Serving:
Calories 233 , Total Fat 11g , Cholesterol 83mg, Sodium 974mg, Potassium 340mg, Carbohydrates 11g, Fiber 2.2g, Sugars 4.2g, Protein 22g, Net Carbs 9g

Without the craisins, the calories are 224, and the net carbs are 7.2g

Note: Nutrition information is based on the ingredients I used in this recipe and my measurements. Although they are a close calculation, your results may be slightly higher or lower. Ingredient substitutions may affect the carb count. Different brands may have other carb counts.

Italian Inspired Recipes, Pork, Poultry, Recipes

Delicious Italian Chicken Dish

Have a craving for Italian food? This is an easy dish to make and it tastes wonderful. You can serve it over zoodles or cauliflower rice to keep the carbs low.

Italian Style Chicken and Sausage

1/2 cup Onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced Garlic
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 15-oz. can Italian-style Tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup Green Bell Pepper, sliced
1/2 cup Mushrooms, chopped
2 cups Chicken, cooked and chopped
6 oz. Italian pork sausage
1/2 teaspoon Basil
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
1 package Green Giant frozen zucchini spirals
Grated Parmesan Cheese to taste

In a large skillet, heat the oil, reduce heat to medium, then add the onions and garlic. Sauté until fragrant, then add bell pepper and cook for two minutes longer.

Separate sausage into marble-sized meat balls and add to the pan. Cook until lightly browned. Add tomatoes and seasonings and stir to mix well. Then stir in the chopped chicken and mushrooms. Simmer uncovered until the liquid is reduced, about 20 minutes.

Cook the zucchini spirals as directed on the package. Drain the excess water off in a colander and pat dry with a paper towel.

Put 1/2 of the zucchini in a bowl, add a little butter if you wish, then top with 1 cup of the chicken and sausage mixture. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top and serve.

Carb count doesn’t include the zoodles, so add in the carbs for your zucchini.

Makes 4 servings.

Italian Inspired Recipes, Pork, Poultry, Recipes

Italian Flavors in this Chicken & Sausage Dish

Photo of Chicken & Sausage Italiano dish

I wanted to use up a little pasta sauce I’d opened for a pizza a few nights earlier, so I came up with this variation on Chicken Parmesan. I use the extra Italian sausage in it along with two cheeses. Simple to make and delicious. You can use a premade pasta sauce or your own recipe.

I had a bear of a time getting the nutrition information for this. The website with the calculator I’ve been using shut down and the others I’ve found aren’t as robust. I finally located one that calculated about what I estimated the carbs to be, but it didn’t include the fiber, cholesterol, or potassium counts in it, so I had to hunt those down individually. I believe the final result is accurate, depending on which pasta sauce you use. I used Prego’s plain sauce. If you use a dry red wine in it, the count may be about 1 net carb higher.

Chicken & Sausage Italiano

2 chicken breasts
1/2 pound Italian Sausage
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1/3 cup sliced Mushrooms
1 cup Pasta Sauce
1/4 cup Water or Red Wine
1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese

In a medium skillet over medium-high burner, heat the olive oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper then add to the skillet. Brown chicken on both sides. Set aside on a plate. Add sausage to the pan and use a spatula to separate the meat. Cook and stir for about three to five minutes until the sausage is browned. Push to one side.

Add mushrooms and cook about two minutes. Add pasta sauce and water or wine and stir sausage and mushrooms until mixed. Return chicken to the pan and spoon sauce over the top. Cover pan and reduce heat to simmer. Cook about 20 minutes until chicken is tender. Sprinkle Parmesan over the chicken and sauce, then cover with mozzarella cheese. Cover the pan again for about 5 minutes to melt the cheese.

Makes two servings.

Image: Nutrition Information

Short Non-Cooking Message:

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Italian Inspired Recipes, Recipes

It’s Gnudi Time!

Photo: Gnudi with meatballs and pasta sauce

Sometimes I learn about something and wish that I had known about it sooner in my life. Gnudi (pronounced nudee) fit in that category. I saw Giada Di Laurentis make these on television and decided I had to try them. They are similar to the filling in gnocchi, but really, it tastes like the center ricotta layer in lasagna. So delicious!

And they are easy to make. I adapted them only slightly to be low carb, which meant swapping out the regular wheat flour for low carb flour. I used Dixie Diner’s All Purpose Flour. I expect that coconut flour might work well in this also. I plan to try that the next time I make them. Since coconut flour absorbs more liquid, use only 1/4 cup in the ricotta mixture. If the dough gets too stiff, add a little egg white or water.

Use freshly grated Parmesan cheese, not the canned variety that’s been sitting in the cupboard for two months. It’s worth it. This recipe is adapted from one I found at thekitchn.com.

Ricotta Gnudi

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
2 cups Whole-milk Ricotta Cheese
1 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
1 tablespoon Garlic and Herb Seasoning
1 cups Low Carb All-purpose Flour, divided
1-1/2 cups Marinara or Pasta sauce, store-bought or homemade
Fresh Baby Spinach

Place freshly grated Parmesan cheese in a large bowl then add ricotta cheese, eggs, salt, pepper and seasoning salt. Stir together, then add 1/2 cup low carb flour and stir until combined.

Put parchment paper or aluminum foil on top of a rimmed baking sheet. Dust with 1/3 cup flour. Using a 1-1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop or an over-filled tablespoon, scoop out golf-ball sized gnudi and place on the baking sheet. You can shape them into balls with your hands if they aren’t rounded. Repeat until all the dough is used.

Sprinkle the remaining flour over the tops of the dough. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator to chill for 20 to 30 minutes. The more chilled they are, the better since the low carb flour breaks down in the boiling water more than regular flour.

Fill a large pot with water, add about a teaspoon of salt, and bring to a boil. While waiting, get out the spinach and cut or tear into pieces for garnish. Warm the pasta sauce in a pan.

Use a slotted spoon to lower five or six gnudi into the water, one or two at a time. Try not to get too much extra flour with each one. Boil until the gnudi float and are firm to a light touch, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the water with the slotted spoon and put on a serving bowl or plate. Repeat until all the gnudi are cooked.

Spoon warmed pasta sauce over the top, garnish with additional Parmesan Cheese and the spinach leaves.

If you wish, you can add a couple of meat balls to the plate as I did.

Image: Gnudi in pan with butter and spinach

The other way you can serve gnudi is with a melted butter sauce. I heated my day-old gnudi up in the butter, lightly browning them. Melt a stick of butter, add 1 teaspoon minced garlic and let the butter get slightly browned. If you wish, you can add 1/2 to 1 cup of baby spinach while you’re stirring the butter. Spoon over the gnudi to serve.

This is great with roast chicken or pork chops as well as the meatballs.

Makes 24 gnudi. I used 4 gnudi per serving.

Leftovers can be put in plastic bags with the air gently pushed out as you seal it, or you can put them in a flat plastic container with a tight lid. They will keep up to three days in the refrigerator.

Image: Nutrition