As a perennial favorite dish, versatile Pizza can be as healthy and delicious as you want it to be. This recipe calls for a whole wheat yeast crust, which you can make to flex your culinary muscles in the kitchen. You can also buy a premade crust at the supermarket to save time. The easy sauce recipe calls for extra garlic to give
You might think of that healthy pizzas are chock full of veggies, and you’re right about that, but if your pizza feels like it’s lacking without meat, add skinless chicken breast, ground turkey, lean ground beef or even tuna or salmon so you’re not sacrificing flavor or texture.
You might also consider topping your healthy pizza with thin slices of extra firm tofu or seitan, an Asian-style wheat meat. Use this recipe to make several mini pizzas, wrap in wax paper, freeze and reheat for enjoyment in the days ahead.
Easy pizza crust from scratch
- 1 to 1 ½ cups of lukewarm water
- 1 tbsp of bread yeast
- 1 tbsp of sugar (or honey)
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 ½ cups white flour
- 1 ½ cups of whole wheat flour
Steps
Add lukewarm water to a mixing bowl
Stir in yeast, sugar, salt, and oil
Let stand for 10 minutes
Add flour, mix and knead until playdough texture
Let dough rise for 20 minutes
Easy pizza sauce recipe
- 1 jar of spaghetti or pizza sauce
- 1-2 cloves of crushed garlic
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- Dry oregano and basil to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- A pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
- Meat of choice (optional)
In a saute pan, heat olive oil.
Add meat (chicken, ground turkey, tofu, or seitan) and cook until done first, if you’re using meat. Then, add spaghetti sauce to the pan. Mix in crushed garlic, dry spices, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and turn off.
Suggested toppings
Thinly chop or slice any toppings you wish. Great healthy pizza toppings include green and yellow peppers, cherry or grape tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, spinach, and whole basil leaves.
To cut calories, limit the amount of cheese you use. Low-fat mozzarella cheese works great for a healthy pizza, but you can also use Provolone cheese. For a flavor boost, substitute shredded, aged Parmesan cheese or Vermont-style sharp, white cheddar.
Assembling the pizza
Roll your pizza dough ¼ to ½-inch thick and place it on a lightly oiled or parchment paper covered baking sheet.
Spoon the pizza sauce into the crust and spread it thin. Evenly distribute your toppings over the pizza and top with a thin layer of cheese.
Bake for 20-25 minutes in an oven preheated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
