Healthy Cooking: Healthy Pizza
Ranked #1,120 in Food, #24,241 overall | Donates to NPR - National Public Radio
Pizza can be good for you!
Include pizza as a part of your healthy diet by changing a few key ingredients. You can find newer versions of traditional toppings with less fat and more flavor than their "healthy" cardboard counterparts of 20 years ago. Combine these with fresh ingredients and reinvent your pizza from the crust up. Your taste buds and your body will thank you.
Explore this lens and give the recipes and tips a try. If you have hints, suggestions, or recipes of your own, please drop me a line in the guestbook below. I look forward to reading your healthy pizza ideas. Thank you!
Top It Off!
Fresh, flavorful toppings complete your pizza.
Consider your toppings before you begin assembling your pizza. Use only three or four toppings to avoid overloading the pizza. Meats and large-cut or very juicy vegetables must be cooked before you top your pizza. Fail to do so and you run the danger of under-cooked meat on top of a soggy crust from excess juices. Drain and cool cooked toppings completely before you use them on an unbaked crust.Skip the pepperoni and sausage. Select a low-fat meat, such as chicken breast or Canadian bacon, to keep your pizza healthier. Purchase pre-shredded low-fat or no-fat cheese. Many brands spray fat-free cheese with a thin coating of oil that helps the cheese melt and brown like the full-fat version, making your pizza look like the "real thing", without the pools of fat on top. Use cheeses with a strong flavor, like parmesan, as you need less to get a great, cheesy taste.
If you absolutely must use full-fat cheese, blot it thoroughly with paper towels or napkins to absorb as much fat as possible before you eat your pizza. You can suck a lot of the nasty stuff off of your pie, rather than putting it in your body, while preserving the flavor of the cheese left behind.
Pizza Making Equipment
Get the tools you need to make fantastic pizza.
Bialetti 4-Piece Pizza Stone Set
Amazon Price: $24.99 (as of 07/13/2009) 
Sassafras Rectangular Superstone Baking Stone with Rack and Cutter
Amazon Price: $24.99 (as of 07/13/2009)
Zyliss Palm-Held Pizza Slicer, Red
Amazon Price: Too low to display (as of 07/13/2009)
Oxo Good Grips 4-Inch Pizza Wheel
Amazon Price: $11.45 (as of 07/13/2009)
Lodge Logic Pre-Seasoned 8-Inch Cast-Iron Meat Rack/Trivet
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 07/13/2009)
Use a Whole-Wheat Crust
Get rid of your bleached out crust and brown it up.
Substitute whole-wheat flour for white flour when making pizza crust from scratch. Try the following recipe if you don't have one that you love.2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, divided
1 packet active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon olive oil
Dissolve the yeast in the water, then add it two cups of the flour. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. If your dough is too sticky, add a tablespoon or two more flour. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let it rise for ten to fifteen minutes.
Turn the pizza crust dough out onto a board floured with the whole-wheat flour and knead the dough a few times. Roll or press it out on a pizza stone or into a pan sprayed lightly with cooking spray. This recipe will make two small pizzas, one large thick-crust pizza, or a large pizza and a few breadsticks or buns on the side.
Pre-bake your pizza crust for five minutes at 500 degrees to save it from getting soggy under the sauce. Use a seasoned pizza stone to get the best crust.
If you're not the type to start from scratch, look for whole wheat pizza crust mixes. If you want a crispier, thin crust, use veggie tortillas or whole-wheat pitas for your pizza.
Make Your Own Sauce, Fast
Try this quick, no-cook pizza sauce recipe.
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2-3 cloves minced garlic
Mix all ingredients well. Stir in a sprinkling of red pepper flakes or chili powder for a little kick. Let the sauce rest for about half an hour to let the flavors blend.
Compare labels and find the tomato products with the least sugar and oil. This recipe makes enough for two pizzas. Use half of the sauce today and freeze the rest to use for your next pizza (or just use the leftover sauce to dip your crust).
You can also use salsa for a fat-free, veggie-packed pizza sauce. Choose spinach tortillas, salsa, grilled chicken, and low-fat cheese for a spicy pizza twist. Pre-cooked chicken breasts reduce the prep time for this healthy pizza to less time than it takes to pre-heat the oven.
Bake, Slice, and Enjoy!
With a little planning, you can pull your pre-cooked pizza crust from the oven, spread the sauce, sprinkle on the cheese and toppings, and have it back in the oven in five minutes. Cook your new, healthier pizza for another 12-15 minutes or until the crust has browned and the cheese bubbled.Let the pizza set for at least five minutes, then cut and serve. You will get all of that fantastic pizza flavor with less fat and more fiber than store-bought brands.
Healthy Pizza Variations
Links to other healthy pizza ideas
- Tuna on Rye Pizza
- Super-healthy and tasty. You could experiment with toppings and sauce on this rye base for months and still not exhaust them all.
More Light and Tasty Pizza Ideas
Pizza: More than 60 Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pizza
Amazon Price: $12.89 (as of 07/13/2009)
The Pizza Deck: 50 Delicious Recipes for Perfect Pizza at Home
Amazon Price: (as of 07/13/2009)
Pizza on the Grill: 100 Feisty Fire-Roasted Recipes for Pizza & More
Amazon Price: $10.88 (as of 07/13/2009)
Think Thin Pizzas
Amazon Price: (as of 07/13/2009)
James McNair's New Pizza: Foolproof Techniques and Fabulous Recipes
Amazon Price: (as of 07/13/2009)
Have comments, suggestions, topping ideas, or recipes?
Please post them here!
SusanVillasLewis wrote...
Congrats on winning (in a tie!) the pizza party day category in May's Carnival of Squid! - http://carnivalofsquid.blogspot.com
Posted May 24, 2009
rms wrote...
Nice work on this lens! I'm Squidoo's Giant Squid Mentor and I wanted to be sure you were aware of our Giant Squid Lensmaster program. Giant Squids enjoy great perks.
You can learn more about the program and get some wonderful lensmaking tips by visiting: http://www.squidoo.com/giantsquidmentor
Posted April 10, 2009
AveragePat wrote...
Very nice lens, glad you did this. I love pizza! The easy recipes are a great help too. :)
Posted February 18, 2009
kevmarket wrote...
Love the Lens - I love the fact that you have taken the time to put together a great site for easy healthy recipes. If you get the chance check out my Easy Healthy Recipes blog
Posted August 20, 2008
ecogreenbags wrote...
Nice work! I might try out that whole wheat pizza dough, too. Sounds good and healthy.
Posted August 15, 2008
