Healthy Pizza

huge2fan2 · September 2013

I buy the whole wheat crust at Trader Joe's and roll it out to a thin crust (you can cut it in half and make 2 smaller pizzas). I use 1 cup of Newman's Marinara, Boar's Head Turkey Pepperoni, and thinly sliced onions and bell pepper and 1 package of Trader Joe's Light Mozzarella. A nice sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and fresh basil to finish it. Very tasty and less than 200 calories per slice when sliced to 12 servings.

NonnyMary · September 2013

ewwww cauliflower crusted pizza is just nasty!!!!

cruzcrzyMarie · September 2013

I buy pizza by the slice so I can manage some portion control.

flashesbuck · September 2013

we get pizza every once in a wile, The trick to making it mildly healthy, is cutting back on the high calorie items.

get thin crust, a big portion of calories are here, also cut out the meat! get alot of vegys. Then skip the pop and bread sticks, you can round up with a "meal" under 1000 calories if you do all this and still have 2-3 slices.

When we splurge, i personal like to get the Tower from East of Chicago, on thin crust, this is kinda of a Taco pizza with salsa and lettuce.

Quieau · September 2013

making it at home is the right idea! if you are wanting a super quick and easy-to-fit item for your plan, a tortilla makes a great super thin but sturdy crust and you need no more than a toaster oven.

when i make my own real crust, though, i go really authentic to the official neopolitan style crust which eliminates both sugar and oil (both are american things, i think) and you need only bread flour, salt, water and yeast for that. you can keep that very thin as well to save carbs.

you can always use traditional sauce (lots of great recipes) but another option is to try bbq sauce, diced chicken breast, bacon or prosciutto crisps, caramelized onion and a bit of really good cheese. really good cheese means you need less of it so indulge yourself on the cheese, it and the crust are both more critical than sauce/toppings!

lots of veggies! but if you want to keep the top from getting soggy when the veggies sweat, cook them first! onions, peppers and mushrooms can be sautéed, cooled and then sprinkled across the top. putting meats and veggies on top will keep them crisp!

hope you enjoy!

trogalicious · September 2013

Bingo.

It's the same for me. I can make a better pie than papadominohut, and still know exactly what's goin into it.

shartran · September 2013

Ever try a pizza with Cauliflower as the crust? Try it out! Pretty damn healthy to me!

The Best Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Added by The Lucky Penny Blog on February 18, 2013 in Main Courses, Pizza
Prep Time 15 Minutes
Cook Time 20 Minutes Servings 2 Difficulty Easy
Ingredients

1 head (Small Head) Cauliflower
¼ cups Parmesan Cheese
¼ cups Mozzarella Cheese
¼ teaspoons Kosher Salt
½ teaspoons Dried Basil
½ teaspoons Dried Oregano
½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
1 Tablespoon Almond Meal (optional)
1 whole Egg

Preparation Instructions

Place a pizza stone in the oven, or baking sheet if you don’t have a pizza stone. Preheat oven to 450ºF. On a cutting board, place a large piece of parchment paper and spray it with nonstick cooking oil.

Wash and throughly dry a small head of cauliflower. Don’t get one the size of your head unless you are planning on making 2 pizzas. Cut off the florets—you don’t need much stem, just stick with the florets. Pulse in your food processor for about 30 seconds, until you get powdery snow like cauliflower. You should end up with 2 to 3 cups cauliflower “snow”. Place the cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl and cover. Cook for 4 minutes. Dump cooked cauliflower onto a clean tea towel and allow to cool for a bit before attempting the next step.

Once cauliflower is cool enough to handle, wrap it up in the dish towel and wring the heck out of it. You want to squeeze out as much water as possible. This will ensure you get a chewy pizza like crust instead of a crumbly mess.

Dumped squeezed cauliflower into a bowl. Now add Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, kosher salt, dried basil (crush up the leaves even more between your fingers before adding), dried oregano (crush up the leaves even more between your fingers before adding), garlic powder (not garlic salt), and a dash of red pepper if you want. I also added 1 tablespoon almond meal because my cauliflower yielded closer to 2 cups of cauli snow; this is optional and I would not add the almond meal if you have closer to 3 cups of cauli snow. Now add the egg and mix away. Hands tend to work best.

Once mixed together, use your hands to form the dough into a crust on your oiled parchment paper. Pat it down throughly, you want it nice and tightly formed together. Don’t make it too thick or thin either.

Using a cutting board, slide the parchment paper onto your hot pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 8-11 minutes, until it starts to turn golden brown. Remove from oven.

Add however much sauce, cheese, and toppings you want. I’m not gonna give you measurements for this. You know how you like your pizza—so go for it! Slide parchment with topped pizza back in the hot oven and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and slightly golden.

Test your patience and allow it to cool for a minute or two. Probably closer to two. Then using a pizza cutter and a spatula, serve up your delicious grain-free cauliflower crust pizza!

2
The Best Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Added by The Lucky Penny Blog on February 18, 2013 in Main Courses, Pizza
Prep Time 15 Minutes
Cook Time 20 Minutes Servings 2 Difficulty Easy
Ingredients

1 head (Small Head) Cauliflower
¼ cups Parmesan Cheese
¼ cups Mozzarella Cheese
¼ teaspoons Kosher Salt
½ teaspoons Dried Basil
½ teaspoons Dried Oregano
½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
1 Tablespoon Almond Meal (optional)
1 whole Egg

Preparation Instructions

Place a pizza stone in the oven, or baking sheet if you don’t have a pizza stone. Preheat oven to 450ºF. On a cutting board, place a large piece of parchment paper and spray it with nonstick cooking oil.

Wash and throughly dry a small head of cauliflower. Don’t get one the size of your head unless you are planning on making 2 pizzas. Cut off the florets—you don’t need much stem, just stick with the florets. Pulse in your food processor for about 30 seconds, until you get powdery snow like cauliflower. You should end up with 2 to 3 cups cauliflower “snow”. Place the cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl and cover. Cook for 4 minutes. Dump cooked cauliflower onto a clean tea towel and allow to cool for a bit before attempting the next step.

Once cauliflower is cool enough to handle, wrap it up in the dish towel and wring the heck out of it. You want to squeeze out as much water as possible. This will ensure you get a chewy pizza like crust instead of a crumbly mess.

Dumped squeezed cauliflower into a bowl. Now add Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, kosher salt, dried basil (crush up the leaves even more between your fingers before adding), dried oregano (crush up the leaves even more between your fingers before adding), garlic powder (not garlic salt), and a dash of red pepper if you want. I also added 1 tablespoon almond meal because my cauliflower yielded closer to 2 cups of cauli snow; this is optional and I would not add the almond meal if you have closer to 3 cups of cauli snow. Now add the egg and mix away. Hands tend to work best.

Once mixed together, use your hands to form the dough into a crust on your oiled parchment paper. Pat it down throughly, you want it nice and tightly formed together. Don’t make it too thick or thin either.

Using a cutting board, slide the parchment paper onto your hot pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 8-11 minutes, until it starts to turn golden brown. Remove from oven.

Add however much sauce, cheese, and toppings you want. I’m not gonna give you measurements for this. You know how you like your pizza—so go for it! Slide parchment with topped pizza back in the hot oven and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and slightly golden.

Test your patience and allow it to cool for a minute or two. Probably closer to two. Then using a pizza cutter and a spatula, serve up your delicious grain-free cauliflower crust pizza!

3
The Best Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Added by The Lucky Penny Blog on February 18, 2013 in Main Courses, Pizza
Prep Time 15 Minutes
Cook Time 20 Minutes Servings 2 Difficulty Easy
Ingredients

1 head (Small Head) Cauliflower
¼ cups Parmesan Cheese
¼ cups Mozzarella Cheese
¼ teaspoons Kosher Salt
½ teaspoons Dried Basil
½ teaspoons Dried Oregano
½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
1 Tablespoon Almond Meal (optional)
1 whole Egg

Preparation Instructions

Place a pizza stone in the oven, or baking sheet if you don’t have a pizza stone. Preheat oven to 450ºF. On a cutting board, place a large piece of parchment paper and spray it with nonstick cooking oil.

Wash and throughly dry a small head of cauliflower. Don’t get one the size of your head unless you are planning on making 2 pizzas. Cut off the florets—you don’t need much stem, just stick with the florets. Pulse in your food processor for about 30 seconds, until you get powdery snow like cauliflower. You should end up with 2 to 3 cups cauliflower “snow”. Place the cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl and cover. Cook for 4 minutes. Dump cooked cauliflower onto a clean tea towel and allow to cool for a bit before attempting the next step.

Once cauliflower is cool enough to handle, wrap it up in the dish towel and wring the heck out of it. You want to squeeze out as much water as possible. This will ensure you get a chewy pizza like crust instead of a crumbly mess.

Dumped squeezed cauliflower into a bowl. Now add Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, kosher salt, dried basil (crush up the leaves even more between your fingers before adding), dried oregano (crush up the leaves even more between your fingers before adding), garlic powder (not garlic salt), and a dash of red pepper if you want. I also added 1 tablespoon almond meal because my cauliflower yielded closer to 2 cups of cauli snow; this is optional and I would not add the almond meal if you have closer to 3 cups of cauli snow. Now add the egg and mix away. Hands tend to work best.

Once mixed together, use your hands to form the dough into a crust on your oiled parchment paper. Pat it down throughly, you want it nice and tightly formed together. Don’t make it too thick or thin either.

Using a cutting board, slide the parchment paper onto your hot pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 8-11 minutes, until it starts to turn golden brown. Remove from oven.

Add however much sauce, cheese, and toppings you want. I’m not gonna give you measurements for this. You know how you like your pizza—so go for it! Slide parchment with topped pizza back in the hot oven and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and slightly golden.

Test your patience and allow it to cool for a minute or two. Probably closer to two. Then using a pizza cutter and a spatula, serve up your delicious grain-free cauliflower crust pizza!

4
The Best Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Added by The Lucky Penny Blog on February 18, 2013 in Main Courses, Pizza
Prep Time 15 Minutes
Cook Time 20 Minutes Servings 2 Difficulty Easy
Ingredients

1 head (Small Head) Cauliflower
¼ cups Parmesan Cheese
¼ cups Mozzarella Cheese
¼ teaspoons Kosher Salt
½ teaspoons Dried Basil
½ teaspoons Dried Oregano
½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
1 Tablespoon Almond Meal (optional)
1 whole Egg

Preparation Instructions

Place a pizza stone in the oven, or baking sheet if you don’t have a pizza stone. Preheat oven to 450ºF. On a cutting board, place a large piece of parchment paper and spray it with nonstick cooking oil.

Wash and throughly dry a small head of cauliflower. Don’t get one the size of your head unless you are planning on making 2 pizzas. Cut off the florets—you don’t need much stem, just stick with the florets. Pulse in your food processor for about 30 seconds, until you get powdery snow like cauliflower. You should end up with 2 to 3 cups cauliflower “snow”. Place the cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl and cover. Cook for 4 minutes. Dump cooked cauliflower onto a clean tea towel and allow to cool for a bit before attempting the next step.

Once cauliflower is cool enough to handle, wrap it up in the dish towel and wring the heck out of it. You want to squeeze out as much water as possible. This will ensure you get a chewy pizza like crust instead of a crumbly mess.

Dumped squeezed cauliflower into a bowl. Now add Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, kosher salt, dried basil (crush up the leaves even more between your fingers before adding), dried oregano (crush up the leaves even more between your fingers before adding), garlic powder (not garlic salt), and a dash of red pepper if you want. I also added 1 tablespoon almond meal because my cauliflower yielded closer to 2 cups of cauli snow; this is optional and I would not add the almond meal if you have closer to 3 cups of cauli snow. Now add the egg and mix away. Hands tend to work best.

Once mixed together, use your hands to form the dough into a crust on your oiled parchment paper. Pat it down throughly, you want it nice and tightly formed together. Don’t make it too thick or thin either.

Using a cutting board, slide the parchment paper onto your hot pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 8-11 minutes, until it starts to turn golden brown. Remove from oven.

Add however much sauce, cheese, and toppings you want. I’m not gonna give you measurements for this. You know how you like your pizza—so go for it! Slide parchment with topped pizza back in the hot oven and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and slightly golden.

Test your patience and allow it to cool for a minute or two. Probably closer to two. Then using a pizza cutter and a spatula, serve up your delicious grain-free cauliflower crust pizza!

5
The Best Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Added by The Lucky Penny Blog on February 18, 2013 in Main Courses, Pizza
Prep Time 15 Minutes
Cook Time 20 Minutes Servings 2 Difficulty Easy
Ingredients

1 head (Small Head) Cauliflower
¼ cups Parmesan Cheese
¼ cups Mozzarella Cheese
¼ teaspoons Kosher Salt
½ teaspoons Dried Basil
½ teaspoons Dried Oregano
½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
1 Tablespoon Almond Meal (optional)
1 whole Egg

Preparation Instructions

Place a pizza stone in the oven, or baking sheet if you don’t have a pizza stone. Preheat oven to 450ºF. On a cutting board, place a large piece of parchment paper and spray it with nonstick cooking oil.

Wash and throughly dry a small head of cauliflower. Don’t get one the size of your head unless you are planning on making 2 pizzas. Cut off the florets—you don’t need much stem, just stick with the florets. Pulse in your food processor for about 30 seconds, until you get powdery snow like cauliflower. You should end up with 2 to 3 cups cauliflower “snow”. Place the cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl and cover. Cook for 4 minutes. Dump cooked cauliflower onto a clean tea towel and allow to cool for a bit before attempting the next step.

Once cauliflower is cool enough to handle, wrap it up in the dish towel and wring the heck out of it. You want to squeeze out as much water as possible. This will ensure you get a chewy pizza like crust instead of a crumbly mess.

Dumped squeezed cauliflower into a bowl. Now add Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, kosher salt, dried basil (crush up the leaves even more between your fingers before adding), dried oregano (crush up the leaves even more between your fingers before adding), garlic powder (not garlic salt), and a dash of red pepper if you want. I also added 1 tablespoon almond meal because my cauliflower yielded closer to 2 cups of cauli snow; this is optional and I would not add the almond meal if you have closer to 3 cups of cauli snow. Now add the egg and mix away. Hands tend to work best.

Once mixed together, use your hands to form the dough into a crust on your oiled parchment paper. Pat it down throughly, you want it nice and tightly formed together. Don’t make it too thick or thin either.

Using a cutting board, slide the parchment paper onto your hot pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 8-11 minutes, until it starts to turn golden brown. Remove from oven.

Add however much sauce, cheese, and toppings you want. I’m not gonna give you measurements for this. You know how you like your pizza—so go for it! Slide parchment with topped pizza back in the hot oven and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and slightly golden.

Test your patience and allow it to cool for a minute or two. Probably closer to two. Then using a pizza cutter and a spatula, serve up your delicious grain-free cauliflower crust pizza!

shartran · September 2013

Sorry about my crazy...duplicated post...not sure what happened!

ktsmom430 · September 2013

For quick pizza I use the flat out bread.
Contadina Pizza Squeeze, all the veggies I want, a little cheese. It is great.
Pappa Murphys De Lite for take out. Veggies - spinach, mixed onions, peppers, red sauce we love it. I limit myself to 2 pieces and fit it in to my calories.

lisajmille58r · September 2013

do you have a recipe for your pizza dough?

Rocbola · September 2013

Exactly.

LiftAllThePizzas · September 2013

What happened is that the universe hates cauliflower "crust" because it is blasphemy.

shartran · October 2013

Understanding this...coming from someone who eats Burger King, Pizza Hut, Ice Cream and beer. The OP did ask for a Healthy Pizza...

trogalicious · October 2013

Yeah, but if you don't enjoy the pizza... you aren't gonna eat it. Cauliflower or not. Make good pizza fit into your macros and it's a lot easier to deal with.
Real crust vs cauliflower? I'll take dough any day.

lucystacy71 · October 2013

I make my own pizza and I'm planning on making one tonight actually. I usually go with turkey pepperoni and then I load on veggies with onions, green peppers, banana peppers. My crust is basically like most people have said - flour, warm water, yeast but I like to put a little parmesan and minced garlic for extra flavor. (I'm not allowed much salt, so I put garlic in everything. My breath may suffer, but I'll be safe from vampires for the rest of my life.) For the sauce, I take a small can of no salt added tomato sauce and add oregano, savory, and garlic (told ya). I don't have exact measurements unfortunately.

Edited because I can't spell.

ElsB25 · October 2013

My body really doesn't like wheat, but I've never found a wheat-free base I like. I tend to buy a pre-mixed 'just add water' pizza base from the supermarket. but where it says to make 1 pizza, I'll make about 4. Stretching it out nice and thin, make sure you pre-bake it partially once you've added the sauce base but before adding toppings so it doesn't fall apart and you've cut out a load of calories before you've even started with the toppings!
I mix up a tomato base using puree and herbs, or if I'm feeling it a barbecue sauce base using water to make it spread further (v. high in sugar - go steady with it) I then load on whatever I've got laying around! For example last time I used some roasted chicken pieces, frozen spinach (leave out to defrost for a few minutes, should pull apart easily) low fat mozzarella, a sprinkling of half fat cheddar, red chills, tomatoes, red onion etc.

Basically think about what you usually enjoy on a pizza and make it healthy! Cheese and sauce are the main baddies so just swap out for half fat and use sparingly. I'd recommend steering clear of processed meats unless you have serious moderation control.

Salad wise, I'm just beginning to fall for them myself, so depending on what you like you might be interested in these:

Pesto, chicken, babyleaf spinach, cherry tomatoes, red peppers. I use Ryvita as a healthy wheat-free crouton alternative (some have wheat in, so check if you care about that) and I sometimes chuck in a SMALL amount of sesame/poppy seeds to make it more interesting finished off with a splash of lemon juice.

That's what I've been taking to work recently.
Basically as long as you've got some sort of lettuce/rocket/spinach/watercress base, just add what you like and get creative!

I use things like olives, tuna, spring onion, even fruit! Just depends what your tastebuds enjoy, but for Pete's sake, don't sit there munching on a boring plate of pure lettuce. Chuck in some protein and put whatever you enjoy on.

bcattoes · October 2013

Pizza is as healthy as the ingredients used to make it. I make my own healthy pizzas pretty often, though I never use a recipe. Thin crust is a must for me if I'm trying to keep it "healthy" because otherwise the carb to protein ratio is way off. Thin crust, veggies, lean or no meat, reduce fat cheese.

My husbands LOVES the philly cheesesteak pizza from Dominos. So I make him a healthier version using Ragu reduced fat alfredo sauce, reduced fat cheese, lean beef and onions and peppers on a thin crust. Cuts the fat and calories almost in half.

LiftAllThePizzas · October 2013

None of those things are inherently unhealthy. So apart from advertising your own food phobias, what is your point?

brendamueller37 · October 2013

Well for me I make wheat tortilla pizza - its thin and crispy and you can put what you want on it as long as its healthy ingredients, but it satisfies my pizza craving
:happy:

lewandt · October 2013

Sorry if this is a repeat...i don't feel like looking at all the other posts.

We make our own using a tortilla, a little pizza sauce, some cheese and any other ingredients you like to use and grill it on the grill for a couple minutes.

My kids love them! And you can control the calories by making your own.

sometimes i make one in the toaster oven at work and they turn out ok there too.

firstsip · October 2013

Of all the things you mentioned, beer's the kicker. Unfiltered craft beer's like a slice of multigrain bread. Nice try.

In for homemade pizza dough recipes nomnom.

bcattoes · October 2013

Is cauliflower crust inherently unhealthy? If not, what was your point re: the universe hating it?

LiftAllThePizzas · October 2013

It's inherently not pizza.

Cindyinpg · October 2013

You call cauliflower pizza, pizza? Now, this, this is pizza! :happy:

LiftAllThePizzas · October 2013

I think the most important lesson to come out of this thread is that "animatedpizzagifs.com" is a real website.

Sabine_Stroehm · October 2013

ditto

NovemberJune · October 2013

Homemade pizza is by far the BEST! I've been using this recipe for dough lately:

http://food52.com/recipes/16641-jim-lahey-s-no-knead-pizza-dough

I love mushrooms, peppers, and onions and sometimes pepperoni or sausage :bigsmile:

Sabine_Stroehm · October 2013

You pretty well did that yourself.

Sabine_Stroehm · October 2013

That looks great. I'd make with an unbleached, unenriched whole wheat dough myself, but YUM! Thanks for linking.

Sabine_Stroehm · October 2013

OP: if you haven't tried the cauliflower crust PIZZA, and you like to cook and try new things, give it a try. I hear it's great, and keep meaning to try it myself.

But then, I also love kimchi pizza which I'm sure is sacrilege too. cheers!:drinker:

Healthy Pizza

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