4 Dinners You Can Make with Pancake Mix (Plus 1 Dessert!)
It's just flour, leavening, salt and a dash of sugar—but the base can help you make some speedy suppers that have nothing at all to do with maple syrup.
By Lynn Andriani
An Anytime, Easier Quiche
This recipe for a savory egg, cheese and veggie pie is one of the most versatile you can have in your repertoire. You mix shredded zucchini, eggs, chopped onion, shredded Cheddar, oil, seasonings and pancake mix, pour into a pie dish and bake. Cut it into wedges and serve hot, room temperature or cold for a filling brunch, lunch or dinner.
Get the recipe: Savory Zucchini Pie
Hand-Held Pizzas
These muffin-tin pizzas have all the hallmarks of a regular-sized pie—mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, even pepperoni—but they're small enough to hold in your hand. The crust is a quick blend of pancake mix, melted butter and egg, and you don't even have to roll it out; instead, press spoonfuls into muffin tin cups. Lay the pizza "toppers" on the crust, then pour a mixture of beaten eggs, milk and half and half over it all to hold everything together. They bake up in minutes and are great on their own or over a bed of greens.
Get the recipe: Muffin-Tin Pizzas
The Crispiest Fish Tacos
The best fish tacos have the perfect contrast of soft tortilla, crunchy lettuce (or cabbage), and seafood fillets that are crisp on the outside and tender inside. Dipping the fish in beer batter made with pancake mix is one trick to getting it just right; the beer's carbon dioxide,
foaming agents and alcohol make the crust light and crisp, and the pancake mix includes a leavening agent, so there's no need to add additional baking soda or powder. Another trick: fry the fish twice. The first time cooks it; the second time gives it a deep golden hue.
Get the recipe: Ensenada Fish Tacos with Pancake Beer Batter
Photo: mamahoohooba/iStock/Thinkstock
Pancakes, But Not Like Any You've Tasted Before
Italian ham and cheese are a brilliant way to transform a kid-friendly breakfast food into a dinner that will please any grown-up. It's as simple as stirring a half-cup each of diced prosciutto and shredded mozzarella into the batter (use a cup of mix, 3/4 cup milk, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 egg). Cook the pancakes as you normally would, and finish with sliced tomatoes and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
Photo: Lilechka75/iStock/Thinkstock
The "Wait…What Are Those?" Desserts
Thin slices of fruit dipped into pancake batter and pan-fried is a fun way to reverse the usual fruit-with-pancakes. In fact, it's such an eye-catching (and delicious) dish, we'd just as soon serve it for dessert as we would for breakfast. We first saw Carla Hall make it with apples on
The Chew and then realized it also works for pears, bananas and peaches. You cut the fruit into 1/8-inch-thick slices, dip each one into the batter using a toothpick or wooden skewer, then cook until golden brown on each side. Powdered sugar on top, of course.
Published 07/14/2015
