5 Steps To A Healthier Pizza

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Hi Friends!

It’s time for another Recipe Redux post! Here’s the prompt they gave us for this month:

Pizza Party! Give the delivery guy a day off; whether it is for Friday Fun Night with the kids, a pizza chef competition among friends, or for Super Bowl Sunday (February 2). Share your healthy pizza recipe that we can all look forward to after a long week…or a long day.

I’m a huge fan of pizza…and I’m a firm believer that there’s nothing wrong with faceplanting into a good old fashioned greasy pepperoni pizza every once and a while.

Healthy- no? Tasty- you betcha!

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HOWEVER, I’m also a firm believer that pizza CAN be part of a healthy diet. So I thought I’d take a minute to give you my top 5 tips for a healthier {homemade} pizza…because we all know I love homemade everything because YOU control the ingredients. So- here we go:

1) Make your own crust. I’m not sure people realize just how easy it is to make your own pizza crust. Traditional pizza dough involves a minimal number of ingredients and it’s perfect for making ahead of time. With a little planning, you can spend 5 minutes putting together the dough one night and enjoy homemade pizza in a jiffy the following night!

  • If you’re going for traditional crust, spice it up by adding herbs or hot red pepper flakes and opt to roll the dough thin instead of leaving it super thick.
  • If you want to be non-traditional, try a socca crust (made with chickpea flour), cauliflower crust or even a homemade whole wheat tortilla!

2) Make your own sauce. Instead of buying pre-made sauce that tends to be loaded with sodium, opt for no-salt added plain tomatoes. I love Pomi Strained Tomatoes because they have just one ingredient- tomatoes.

From there, you jazz up the sauce with your own seasonings!

  • Add oregano, basil, garlic and just a pinch of salt and let simmer.
  • Plan ahead and make a batch of Crockpot Roasted Veggie Sauce. Freeze in batches and defrost when needed.
  • Take it a step further and puree some white beans into your sauce. It will add protein and fiber and no one will even notice!

3) Load up on healthy toppings. Think beyond just traditional pepperoni or sausage. There are all sorts of healthy toppings you can add to your pizza:

  • Grilled Chicken
  • Peppers
  • Onions
  • Eggs
  • Mushrooms
  • Spinach
  • Broccoli
  • Pineapple
  • Avocado
  • Pumpkin
  • Eggplant
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Kale
  • Asparagus
  • Tempeh
  • Artichokes

Rule of thumb- add your veggies, then add an extra handful or two 🙂

4. Go light on the cheese. To me, cheese is what makes pizza pizza. I know that’s not true for everyone…but in my world, almost every pizza needs some cheese. However, that doesn’t mean it needs a whole bag of cheese. Go for a flavorful cheese where a little goes a long way and learn to rely on the flavors you’ve incorporated into your homemade crust and sauce, plus the flavors of the toppings.

  • Try fresh mozzarella, goat cheese or parmesan!

5. Add veggies as a side. I always make an effort not to just eat pizza by itself.

  • Try serving it with a side of raw or roasted veggies, a slaw or a big salad!

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So, now that I’ve given you my favorite tips to healthify a pizza, here’s one of my favorite combos:

Grilled Chicken, Avocado & Fresh Mozzarella Pizza

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Crust (makes 2 pizzas): 

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1-2 teaspoons crushed hot red pepper flakes

1. Combine the water and yeast in a large bowl and let sit for 2 minutes.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Add a bit more water if necessary. If you can’t get it all to combine with a spoon, dump it on the counter and knead 5-6 times. That’s it. 
3. Let rise for 2 hours on the counter (or overnight in the fridge).
4. When ready to eat, divide dough in half and use a rolling pin to roll into a thin crust. 
5. Add sauce and toppings and bake at 425 for 7-10 minutes.

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Sauce:

13 oz Pomi strained tomatoes (or other no-salt added tomato sauce)
2-3cloves garlic
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/2 – 1 cup white beans
pinch of salt

1. Combine ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.
2. Pour into a small pot and let simmer for 15 minutes. 
(I don’t like a lot of sauce. If you’re a heavy saucer, you might need the whole 26 oz box)

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Toppings:
Diced chicken
Red peppers
Onion
Fresh Mozzarella
Avocado

1. Put the chicken, peppers and onions on the pizza.
2. Top with slices of fresh mozz.
3. Bake until cheese is melty and crust is golden brown. 
4. Top with avocado after removing from the oven. 

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Making your own crust is definitely the way to a healthier pizza. I myself have always been too lazy to make my own – I will be saving your recipe though to try out because I love a thin crust on my pizza.

    Reply

  10. Love your quote about doing a faceplant into a pepperoni pizza – I do that a few times of year and the rest of the year enjoy pizza according to your super tips. LOVE your Chicken/Avocado/Fresh Mozz combo…

    Reply

  11. Great tips. I especially like the one about rolling the crust thin. I always order thin-crust pizza when I’m out, but for some reason I never think to roll it thin when I’m making my own. I’m going to try that next time! Thanks. 🙂

    Reply

  12. This looks amazing! I love your tips, especially the idea to add some pureed white beans to the sauce. Such a great idea!! I will have to try that soon on some real crust- I ended up going the pita pizza route, but now I am craving a real pie after looking at everyone’s fabulous ideas 🙂

    Reply

  14. I love this post! Pizza is also a good way to clear out little bits of veggies from the back of the fridge. Last night I made onion, red pepper, sweet corn, and turkey pepperoni pizza. I found a recipe on Pinterest (I can’t take credit for it) for 10 minute pizza dough, which I used. It doesn’t have the same flavor as traditional dough but it is fast and easy! I made mine with 1/2 whole wheat flour and it worked well. Here is the link: http://www.sugardishme.com/2013/10/24/10-minute-pizza-dough/
    I love your blog and read all your posts!

    Reply

  15. We were going to do tacos for the Super Bowl but I think now we are going to do pizza! I think making some different crusts and having different toppings would be such fun for a party! All of those pizzas look amazing and I loved your tips on how to make a healthier pizza!

    Reply

  22. Since I absolutely love pizza and could eat it all the time, I’ll definitely be taking these tips into consideration. I like to make my own pizza crust – I use a combination of white and whole wheat flour. My favorite side to eat pizza is a big salad. Pizza and salad is the best combo ever!

    Reply

  25. I love all of your tips! I am a huge homemade pizza fan, and just in the last six months or so I have started making my own crust! It is so much better and healthier! I can’t wait to try your recipe!

    Reply

  27. Mmmm I’m ALL about homemade pizza! I think we have it just about every week for our Friday dinner. I love all the tips you shared. I always make our own pizza dough, and I had no idea how EASY it was for the longest time. Making my own sauce is another no brainer that’s super easy, healthier than store bought, and cheaper!

    Reply

  29. This is awesome – love all of the tips – we decided (as a family) that this year we are going to try making our own pizza instead of calling for delivery!!!

    Reply

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