What's For Dinner Wednesday: Prosciutto & Asparagus Flatbread

As you can see from most of the recipes I post I am fairly conscious of being a healthy cook and using fresh and light ingredients.  I've been even more serious about that over the past few months since my office has been running a Biggest Loser weight loss contest. The contest is a week away from ending and it is pretty safe to say that I was for sure a Loser, just not the Biggest one.  Even with it coming to an end, health will always be a big focus in what I cook for the two of us but our meal planning focus is shifting a little... it's time to think about our budget. 

Fun stuff. 

Lately we are starting to feel like we are outgrowing our little 1-bedroom loft (and it's only the two of us) and although we have talked about it for the last few years, we have decided that it's time to get serious about buying a house.  If you've bought a house or thought about it in the last few years you have an idea of how much cash you need to save in order to even consider doing that.  It's pretty daunting and we have a long way to go!  So, we are going to get serious about our savings and I am going to start with my fridge.  I have to admit that I love to cook, but I am terrible about eating and using leftovers.  Not anymore, people.  It's time to get frugal. 

I came up with this recipe by surveying the contents of my refrigerator and then getting a little creative.  I have found that this execrise can yield some really delicious and different meal ideas.  We had a few slices of prosciutto leftover from a salad we made one night last week and a huge chunk of gruyere leftover from that brocolli gratin that we had at Easter dinner.  I've always got onions, fresh garlic, and herbs on hand, so I picked up a package of Naan and a bunch of asparagus (and grilled the rest of it as a side dish) and voila!  Dinner.  It was delicious and even provided the two of us with lunch the next day.  Talk about stretching a buck.

Looking forward to getting cheap and creative with our upcoming dinners-- and sharing those recipes with you too!

Ingredients:

• 2 Naan flatbreads *in my grocery store bakery section they are sold in packages of two
• 1 Tbs. butter
• 1/2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 cup gruyere, shredded and divided
• 2/3 cup asparagus, shaved or very thinly sliced *I used a mandolin to thinly slice mine
• 4 slices of prosciutto, roughly chopped
• Cooking spray
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray and arrange Naan flatbreads on the sheet.

Heat olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and a pinch of salt to the skillet and cook until soft (about 6-8 minutes), stirring frequently.  Once onions are softened, add garlic and thyme to the onions and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until nicely caramelized.  Divide the onion mixture and spread evenly on top of the two flatbreads. Top each flatbread with asparagus and then do the same with the shredded gruyere.

After you have removed the onions from the skillet, add chopped prosciutto to the pan.  Cook over medium heat until prosciutto becomes crispy, about 5 minutes.  Remove from pan and transfer to a paper towel to drain.  Top each flatbread evenly with the crispy prosciutto and bake until cheese is brown and bubbly, about 12-15 minutes.  Let the flatbread cool for 3-4 minutes and then divide each into quarters and serve.  Serves 4 people with 2 slices each.