Pizza has been a staple favourite to many kids and adults alike. Everyone loves pizza so much they want to eat it every day. They like it because of its variety of toppings that can include some of their favourite dishes like chicken, ham or pepperoni. Don’t forget the cheese-ooh the cheese! It makes everything yummier. But, the challenge to make children eat their vegetables more instead of pizza has become a challenge in many homes for many years. The rising cases of obesity globally has been blamed on eating junk food, and pizza almost always tops that least in many statistics! Parents needed a way to make their children eat healthier food and find a way to reduce weight while still enjoying their favourite meal.
Hence the need for healthier pizza oven recipes that can be made at home. In this article, we outline some of the healthy options to have in your pizza to make it healthier while still enjoying its deliciousness!
How to Make Pizza Healthy?
Despite its junk-food reputation, homemade pizza is a well-balanced nutritious meal! The tip is to have it made with whole grains, lycopene-rich tomato sauce, topped with protein-rich whole cheeses and sprinkled with fresh vegetables.
The Pizza Dough
Replace the all-purpose flour with 100% whole grain wheat flour. Make the dough slightly wet to enjoy a stretchy light crust. Add a thin olive oil barrier to your crust so it will not be made soggy by cheese and the toppings.
The Sauce
The good news is that you don’t have to spend hours stirring a bunch of tomatoes on the stove to make a pizza sauce. Use a simple no-salt-added tomato sauce and add your own seasonings. The cheese will have enough salt of their own. In a bowl, mix a can of plain tomato sauce, one or two pinches of dried oregano, basil or parsley, and a clove of garlic, grated, or a dash of garlic powder and there you have it!
The Cheese
For a lot of people, cheese is the most important pizza topping. To get the best combination of creaminess and meltiness, go for fresh mozzarella. It has less sodium content than most cheeses. Pair it with parmesan to get the perfect tang.
Healthy Pizza Toppings
Veggie toppings are the way to go, of course! If your family are picky eaters, go for two-three vegetables that they like and load them on your pizza. There are so many varieties to choose from like; broccoli, mushrooms, bell peppers, fresh tomatoes, red onion slices, black olives, pineapple, deli ham, fresh basil leaves, fresh or frozen spinach.
Protein
White meat is much healthier than red meat. Go for leaner meats such as ground turkey or chicken instead of ground beef, sausage or bacon.
The Recipe
So, with the above tips in mind, here’s what you’ll need to make this homemade pizza:
- Whole wheat pizza dough
- No-salt added tomato sauce
- Fresh basil and oregano
- Seasoned ground turkey or chicken crumbles
- Red and green peppers
- Red onion or garlic cloves
- Tomatoes
- Fresh mozzarella
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450ºF and lightly brush oil onto a pizza stone or large baking sheet. Place dough on top of stone or pan.
Add the sauce to the dough. Brush olive oil on top of the dough, then sprinkle all over with garlic cloves. Then lightly spread sauce on top using the back of a spoon.
Add toppings. Top with sliced red onion, tomatoes, peppers, chicken or turkey and mozzarella.
Bake in the oven until crust is golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.
Remove from oven and top with fresh basil. Slice using a pizza cutter and serve!
Read More
