Many busy cooks want bread as an accompaniment to soups, salads, and pasta dishes, but don’t have time to make bread from scratch or stop at the store on their way home. The following Five-Minute Foccacia can be put together in five minutes, depending on the toppings, but most of the toppings take only a minute or two to slice. Our favorite is very thinly sliced onions mixed with olive oil and topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese (not the kind in the green carton). Fresh tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes are also a favorite, and when zucchini is in season, I like to mix the onions with zucchini before topping with the Parmesan cheese.

Don’t try to reduce the amount of olive oil; it is the key to a crisp crust and soft vegetables. Good toppings are only limited to your imagination, and I’ve included suggestions that I’ve used previously.

8 Servings

1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 13.8 ounce tube refrigerated pizza dough

Toppings of your choice

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Spread 2 tablespoons olive oil on a 1/4 sheet pan or 9" x 13" shallow metal pan.
3. Open the refrigerated pizza dough and place it on the baking sheet. Press the dough to the corners and press your fingers over the surface of the dough making deep indentations in the dough.
4. Mix the topping ingredients with the remaining olive oil and spread over the pizza dough. Sprinkle the toppings with the Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden and the crust is brown and crisp. Let sit 5 minutes then cut into 8 slices.

Suggested toppings - mix and match:

thinly sliced onions - red or yellow
thinly sliced zucchini
thinly sliced Roma tomatoes
sliced Kalamata olives
thinly sliced eggplant with Kalamata olives, oregano, and feta
thinly sliced red, green, and/or yellow bell peppers
sliced sun-dried tomatoes

fresh herbs such as chopped rosemary, oregano, thyme, finely minced garlic, etc.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 240 Calories from Fat 113
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 47% Protein 15% Carb. 38%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 13 g
Saturated Fat 4 g
Cholesterol 9 mg
Sodium 450 mg
Total Carbohydrate 23 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 9 g

Vitamin A 2% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 0% Iron 8%