Low Cheese Pizza Options
I looove pizza. And, since I generally prefer homemade, which involves thinner crust and healthy varied toppings, I wouldn't feel too guilty about this except.... the cheese. I love mounds of gooey cheese on my pizzas. I don't want to go cheese-less, but it's such a calorie bomb on an otherwise decent meal, that I'm looking for ways to cut back without sacrificing on flavor. I'm looking for ideas on things I can substitute for cheese (either completely or for part of the cheese). I don't really want to go the soy cheese route, but would love pretty much any other ideas.
A few I've thought of myself:
1) Drizzle with alfredo sauce instead of cheese
2) Dot with part-skim ricotta
(both of the above use high fat alternatives, but are high moisture. My hope is that since they are so rich and spreadable, I could use less but not lose the flavor or gooeyness mozzarella gives.)
3) Mix some nutritional yeast into the tomato sauce for tanginess and use less cheese on top.
4) Maybe putting the sauce on top of the cheese. Would it keep the cheese gooey while using smaller amounts of cheese? Anyone tried this?
A few I've thought of myself:
1) Drizzle with alfredo sauce instead of cheese
2) Dot with part-skim ricotta
(both of the above use high fat alternatives, but are high moisture. My hope is that since they are so rich and spreadable, I could use less but not lose the flavor or gooeyness mozzarella gives.)
3) Mix some nutritional yeast into the tomato sauce for tanginess and use less cheese on top.
4) Maybe putting the sauce on top of the cheese. Would it keep the cheese gooey while using smaller amounts of cheese? Anyone tried this?
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Replies
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I looove pizza. And, since I generally prefer homemade, which involves thinner crust and healthy varied toppings, I wouldn't feel too guilty about this except.... the cheese. I love mounds of gooey cheese on my pizzas. I don't want to go cheese-less, but it's such a calorie bomb on an otherwise decent meal, that I'm looking for ways to cut back without sacrificing on flavor. I'm looking for ideas on things I can substitute for cheese (either completely or for part of the cheese). I don't really want to go the soy cheese route, but would love pretty much any other ideas.
A few I've thought of myself:
1) Drizzle with alfredo sauce instead of cheese
2) Dot with part-skim ricotta
(both of the above use high fat alternatives, but are high moisture. My hope is that since they are so rich and spreadable, I could use less but not lose the flavor or gooeyness mozzarella gives.)
3) Mix some nutritional yeast into the tomato sauce for tanginess and use less cheese on top.
4) Maybe putting the sauce on top of the cheese. Would it keep the cheese gooey while using smaller amounts of cheese? Anyone tried this?
Make the pizza you want, portion it out so it fits in your cals. No need to bastardize it0 -
I looove pizza. And, since I generally prefer homemade, which involves thinner crust and healthy varied toppings, I wouldn't feel too guilty about this except.... the cheese. I love mounds of gooey cheese on my pizzas. I don't want to go cheese-less, but it's such a calorie bomb on an otherwise decent meal, that I'm looking for ways to cut back without sacrificing on flavor. I'm looking for ideas on things I can substitute for cheese (either completely or for part of the cheese). I don't really want to go the soy cheese route, but would love pretty much any other ideas.
A few I've thought of myself:
1) Drizzle with alfredo sauce instead of cheese
2) Dot with part-skim ricotta
(both of the above use high fat alternatives, but are high moisture. My hope is that since they are so rich and spreadable, I could use less but not lose the flavor or gooeyness mozzarella gives.)
3) Mix some nutritional yeast into the tomato sauce for tanginess and use less cheese on top.
4) Maybe putting the sauce on top of the cheese. Would it keep the cheese gooey while using smaller amounts of cheese? Anyone tried this?
Make the pizza you want, portion it out so it fits in your cals. No need to bastardize it
^^ This0 -
I looove pizza. And, since I generally prefer homemade, which involves thinner crust and healthy varied toppings, I wouldn't feel too guilty about this except.... the cheese. I love mounds of gooey cheese on my pizzas. I don't want to go cheese-less, but it's such a calorie bomb on an otherwise decent meal, that I'm looking for ways to cut back without sacrificing on flavor. I'm looking for ideas on things I can substitute for cheese (either completely or for part of the cheese). I don't really want to go the soy cheese route, but would love pretty much any other ideas.
A few I've thought of myself:
1) Drizzle with alfredo sauce instead of cheese
2) Dot with part-skim ricotta
(both of the above use high fat alternatives, but are high moisture. My hope is that since they are so rich and spreadable, I could use less but not lose the flavor or gooeyness mozzarella gives.)
3) Mix some nutritional yeast into the tomato sauce for tanginess and use less cheese on top.
4) Maybe putting the sauce on top of the cheese. Would it keep the cheese gooey while using smaller amounts of cheese? Anyone tried this?
Make the pizza you want, portion it out so it fits in your cals. No need to bastardize it
This. If it's the cheese that you love, don't change it up. Weigh it out and don't go overboard, but still use, and just plan for it. Another option is to use Allegro cheese. It's fairly low in calories and fat. I personally can't eat dairy, but my sister swears by this cheese when it comes to incorporating mounds of it on homemade pizza. (I think it might be high in sodium though, so watch out. I also still stand by the first suggestion of keeping your regular cheese...)0 -
Load on the veggies, skip the fatty meats, and go with the goodness of plenty of skim mozzarella. Yums.0
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I looove pizza. And, since I generally prefer homemade, which involves thinner crust and healthy varied toppings, I wouldn't feel too guilty about this except.... the cheese. I love mounds of gooey cheese on my pizzas. I don't want to go cheese-less, but it's such a calorie bomb on an otherwise decent meal, that I'm looking for ways to cut back without sacrificing on flavor. I'm looking for ideas on things I can substitute for cheese (either completely or for part of the cheese). I don't really want to go the soy cheese route, but would love pretty much any other ideas.
A few I've thought of myself:
1) Drizzle with alfredo sauce instead of cheese
2) Dot with part-skim ricotta
(both of the above use high fat alternatives, but are high moisture. My hope is that since they are so rich and spreadable, I could use less but not lose the flavor or gooeyness mozzarella gives.)
3) Mix some nutritional yeast into the tomato sauce for tanginess and use less cheese on top.
4) Maybe putting the sauce on top of the cheese. Would it keep the cheese gooey while using smaller amounts of cheese? Anyone tried this?
Make the pizza you want, portion it out so it fits in your cals. No need to bastardize it
Seriously! Bastardize it. Why everytime someone asks a simple question about changing up a recipe do you insist on smart *kitten* and rude comments. It's ok to do things differently.
To the OP - I do fantastically delicous "pizzas" on wraps with lots of veggies and mushrooms. In terms of the cheese if I choose to do cheese, I will add garlic/italian seasoning on top of 30 grams (a single serving) of italian or mozza shredded cheese. I have found that the full fat version melts better, and gets more gooey, therefore being more satisfying.
I also "bastardize" my pizza by spreading 2 wedges of cow cheese with a sprinkle of itallian on the wrap to use as "sauce" - (gasp), piling on veggies (maybe chicken) adding a tbsp of parm and garlic. My favorite is mushrooms, spinach and tomato.0 -
I looove pizza. And, since I generally prefer homemade, which involves thinner crust and healthy varied toppings, I wouldn't feel too guilty about this except.... the cheese. I love mounds of gooey cheese on my pizzas. I don't want to go cheese-less, but it's such a calorie bomb on an otherwise decent meal, that I'm looking for ways to cut back without sacrificing on flavor. I'm looking for ideas on things I can substitute for cheese (either completely or for part of the cheese). I don't really want to go the soy cheese route, but would love pretty much any other ideas.
A few I've thought of myself:
1) Drizzle with alfredo sauce instead of cheese
2) Dot with part-skim ricotta
(both of the above use high fat alternatives, but are high moisture. My hope is that since they are so rich and spreadable, I could use less but not lose the flavor or gooeyness mozzarella gives.)
3) Mix some nutritional yeast into the tomato sauce for tanginess and use less cheese on top.
4) Maybe putting the sauce on top of the cheese. Would it keep the cheese gooey while using smaller amounts of cheese? Anyone tried this?
Make the pizza you want, portion it out so it fits in your cals. No need to bastardize it
Seriously! Bastardize it. Why everytime someone asks a simple question about changing up a recipe do you insist on smart *kitten* and rude comments. It's ok to do things differently.
To the OP - I do fantastically delicous "pizzas" on wraps with lots of veggies and mushrooms. In terms of the cheese if I choose to do cheese, I will add garlic/italian seasoning on top of 30 grams (a single serving) of italian or mozza shredded cheese. I have found that the full fat version melts better, and gets more gooey, therefore being more satisfying.
I also "bastardize" my pizza by spreading 2 wedges of cow cheese with a sprinkle of itallian on the wrap to use as "sauce" - (gasp), piling on veggies (maybe chicken) adding a tbsp of parm and garlic. My favorite is mushrooms, spinach and tomato.
What was rude or smart *kitten* about it?0 -
Folks, I eat plenty of un-bastardized pizza. But, I like options and am seeking them. Sometimes I'm not super-duper hungry and will go for small amounts of the original, other times I'm really hungry AND in the mood for pizza. My appetite is variable and I'm flexible. Just looking for options....0
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I use low fat substitutes that are still just as good, such as goats cheese, or jarlsberg cheese, low fat mozzerellav and cheddar a too, you can have like 3 times as much cheese for the same calories I also dot the pizza with blobs of low fat cream cheese and make sure the base is very thin mmmmmmm0
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I looove pizza. And, since I generally prefer homemade, which involves thinner crust and healthy varied toppings, I wouldn't feel too guilty about this except.... the cheese. I love mounds of gooey cheese on my pizzas. I don't want to go cheese-less, but it's such a calorie bomb on an otherwise decent meal, that I'm looking for ways to cut back without sacrificing on flavor. I'm looking for ideas on things I can substitute for cheese (either completely or for part of the cheese). I don't really want to go the soy cheese route, but would love pretty much any other ideas.
A few I've thought of myself:
1) Drizzle with alfredo sauce instead of cheese
2) Dot with part-skim ricotta
(both of the above use high fat alternatives, but are high moisture. My hope is that since they are so rich and spreadable, I could use less but not lose the flavor or gooeyness mozzarella gives.)
3) Mix some nutritional yeast into the tomato sauce for tanginess and use less cheese on top.
4) Maybe putting the sauce on top of the cheese. Would it keep the cheese gooey while using smaller amounts of cheese? Anyone tried this?
Make the pizza you want, portion it out so it fits in your cals. No need to bastardize it
Seriously! Bastardize it. Why everytime someone asks a simple question about changing up a recipe do you insist on smart *kitten* and rude comments. It's ok to do things differently.
To the OP - I do fantastically delicous "pizzas" on wraps with lots of veggies and mushrooms. In terms of the cheese if I choose to do cheese, I will add garlic/italian seasoning on top of 30 grams (a single serving) of italian or mozza shredded cheese. I have found that the full fat version melts better, and gets more gooey, therefore being more satisfying.
I also "bastardize" my pizza by spreading 2 wedges of cow cheese with a sprinkle of itallian on the wrap to use as "sauce" - (gasp), piling on veggies (maybe chicken) adding a tbsp of parm and garlic. My favorite is mushrooms, spinach and tomato.
What was rude or smart *kitten* about it?
It just seems that everytime someone wants a tip on how to change up a recipe, your response is "why change it; fit it in your macros" - I got my back up with your use of the word "bastardize" - it felt very condecending to me. Many people here are just looking for some recipe tweaks - they need to change their relationship with food and for many that is by changing up recipes. It is not as easy for some just to have a piece of pizza - it is a learning process. For many of us changing the way we eat includes changing the way we cook. And, for many of us, tweaking the recipe means we get to eat more of what we are cooking.0 -
I just use light cheese and don't spread it so thick. I weigh it first and then spread it as much as I can. I also love potato pizza and that has no cheese, but you've got potato and olive oil so I think you have to pick your poison here.0
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I use Taleggio cheese, which isn't always easy to find, but well worth the effort. The calorie content is less than a normal cheese, and it melts terrifically and has a nice strong taste. I typically make my own dough (very thin) and use a homemade sauce. I put sliced raw onions and a turkey pepperoni and then put about 1.5 ounces of Taleggio in chunks over the pizza. It's terrific, and it easily fits into my macros.
I love pizza and would never give it up!!
(You can also add sliced mushrooms, bell peppers, olives, etc.) Good luck to you!0 -
Nutritional yeast (nooch) is a great way of adding a cheesy flavour to your pizza without the cheese. You could always make a "cheese sauce" with the nooch and drizzle that over your pizza.
I "dot" notzarella (or mozzarella if you want the real cheese) over my pizza.
I also add more garlic to my base as that gives me the creamy taste I'm after. Something like an arabic garlic dip (or pulverised garlic and olive oil) is delicious.
You could always go for a more "gourmet" pizza style and put slivers of camembert or fancy cheeses, one per slice, on your pizza. Or what about some avocado for the healthy fats?
I had an entire pizza last night made on a tortilla base and my whole meal, including a chunk of corn on the cob, nuttelex and blanched English spinach on the side, came to 530 cals0 -
As much as I ADORE cheese, I've really had to teach myself to enjoy less of it!
I measure out what I want, and grate it on the small side of my grater. Smaller shreds go further...or at least trick my mind into that.
I also swear by parmsesan for pizza-type items. It stretches a lot further for the calories. Although, it doesn't get the gooey consistency...it does still taste delish.0 -
Do it like they do with Pizza in Italy. Use the best tasting (and pricey) full fat cheese you can find, but put on much less (about 1/4 or less of the typical American pie). It''l taste so good, you won't miss having a thick layer of tasteless goo. In America, more is considered better, but quantity usually forces big compromises in quality to keep the prices competitive.
I was in Rome last week and must have had pizza four or five times and it was incredible every time, but all totaled was still maybe only one tenth of the amount of fake part-skim crappy cheese you get on a single Papa John's pizza. Flavor is in quality ingredients. No quantity of so-so ingredients can make up for that. Toppings like fresh basil, wild mushrooms, or anything low cal and very flavorful can go a long way in making up for less cheese. Those porcini mushroom pizzas were just incredible with so much flavor.0 -
Does blotting all the oil off of the pizza with a napkin help make the pizza healthier? I totally do that to justify my love of the pie! I have such an issue with low fat cheese. Don't even get me started on faux cheese. 0
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Does blotting all the oil off of the pizza with a napkin help make the pizza healthier? I totally do that to justify my love of the pie! I have such an issue with low fat cheese. Don't even get me started on faux cheese.
I do this at Costco, it's covered! I would guess you could probably sop up a tsp of oil easy. It's not healthier but it has less calories by a tsp of oil worth?0 -
Slices of fresh mozzarella.0
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Load on the veggies, skip the fatty meats, and go with the goodness of plenty of skim mozzarella. Yums.
Yep what she said ^^^^ They also have a fantastic reduced fat grated cheese out in stores!0 -
Does blotting all the oil off of the pizza with a napkin help make the pizza healthier? I totally do that to justify my love of the pie! I have such an issue with low fat cheese. Don't even get me started on faux cheese.
I do this at Costco, it's covered! I would guess you could probably sop up a tsp of oil easy. It's not healthier but it has less calories by a tsp of oil worth?
I have done this. It does seem to soak up "some" But i think it basically displaces the fat. ** mainly because you ever try to soak up spelt oil on a counter top with a napkin? Not easy!!0 -
When I did low carb I skipped the dough all together and thus focused on the cheesy goodness. You just put it all in an oven safe bowl. Sauce on bottom topped with cheese and vegies...then add your spices for flavor and a hint o' meats. I use pepperoni (Marghereta) and cut thin slices into quarters to spread out and lightly flavor. YUM!
Hey, dough is calorie costly and cheese is heaven!0 -
Folks, I eat plenty of un-bastardized pizza. But, I like options and am seeking them. Sometimes I'm not super-duper hungry and will go for small amounts of the original, other times I'm really hungry AND in the mood for pizza. My appetite is variable and I'm flexible. Just looking for options....
This is just how I feel. I do not feel that real pizza is evil or whatever....I love it and I will never give it up. But variety and options are awesome, too. And yes, I honestly, legitimately loved the cauliflower crust. I will not apologize for that, just because other people think it sounds weird or isn't loyal to my relationship with real pizza. Real pizza and I have an understanding. I know open relationships aren't for everyone, but it works for us.
I think you've hit on some of the really workable solutions. Using less cheese, but focusing on high-flavor and good quality is really effective. Honestly, I've been using this approach with a lot of things and as long as the rest of the dish is good and flavorful, I miss it surprisingly little or not at all. Sometimes I miss it only during the preparation of the meal....and never think of it once while I'm eating. When I really want it, I have it, and that's fine too.
Last time I made pizza at home, I had a friend over who doesn't tolerate tomato sauces very well, so I made a simple white sauce with fresh garlic, black pepper, and fresh basil added...it made a very flavorful, rich-tasting base and I used very little cheese on mine just because of that. It was really good.
I think the nutritional yeast suggestion could be a good one - at least I would try it, but I haven't at this point.much less (about 1/4 or less of the typical American pie). It''l taste so good, you won't miss having a thick layer of tasteless goo. In America, more is considered better, but quantity usually forces big compromises in quality to keep the prices competitive.
I was in Rome last week and must have had pizza four or five times and it was incredible every time, but all totaled was still maybe only one tenth of the amount of fake part-skim crappy cheese you get on a single Papa John's pizza. Flavor is in quality ingredients. No quantity of so-so ingredients can make up for that. Toppings like fresh basil, wild mushrooms, or anything low cal and very flavorful can go a long way in making up for less cheese. Those porcini mushroom pizzas were just incredible with so much flavor.
Yes, I agree, with the disclaimer that I have never gotten to test this theory in Rome. : )0 -
As much as I ADORE cheese, I've really had to teach myself to enjoy less of it!
I measure out what I want, and grate it on the small side of my grater. Smaller shreds go further...or at least trick my mind into that.
I also swear by parmsesan for pizza-type items. It stretches a lot further for the calories. Although, it doesn't get the gooey consistency...it does still taste delish.
Also this. I use a lot more shredded Parmesan than I used to and find that in some dishes, I'm just as satisfied with a tablespoon of this as with a much larger portion of another more calorie-dense cheese. And more finely grated cheese does cover really nicely.0 -
I use a spicy tofu spread mixed with chilli paste. It does the cheese and tomatoey bit all in one fell swoop and tastes awesome.
OK yeah, sometimes I grate a bit of cheese over the top too. I'm only human.0 -
Wanted to second the parmesan cheese – it's much more pungent than mozzarella, so a little goes a longer way. I also add Laughing Cow or low-fat cream cheese for creamy cheesiness with low-cal impact.
If I want super mucho mondo cheesiness, I scrap the crust and make my pizza in a portobello mushroom – then I load that mother up with all the cheese my macros can stand! Nom nom nom.0
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