Pizza, often considered a guilty pleasure, can be a part of a healthy diet when prepared with the right ingredients and mindful choices. The key to enjoying pizza while maintaining a weight loss plan lies in making simple tweaks to traditional recipes. This article explores various healthy pizza recipes, focusing on ingredient substitutions and preparation techniques that reduce calories and increase nutritional value.
The Foundation: Choosing a Healthy Crust
The crust is a fundamental component of any pizza, and selecting a healthier option can significantly impact the overall nutritional profile.
Whole Wheat Pizza Dough: Opting for whole wheat pizza dough is a great way to increase fiber intake. You can make your own homemade pizza dough or buy it store-bought.
Low-Calorie Flatbread: Using flatbread helps keep the calories low. With the flatbread crust, a little bit of cheese, meat, sauce and lots of veggies, you can have the whole pizza for around 350 calories! Flatout Light Original Flatbread is a light flatbread you can find on Amazon, Target, Walmart, pretty much any grocery store will have them.
Cauliflower Crust: Cauliflower crust is higher in protein and fiber and fewer carbs than traditional crusts but can also have fat and cholesterol. Depending on your preferences and dietary restrictions, choose whatever pizza crust you like!
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Alternative Crusts: These flatbreads are a terrific option, but you could use pita bread, naan, puff pastry or tortillas.
Two-Ingredient Dough: This dough consists of self-rising all purpose flour and Greek yogurt or cottage cheese. You can use either plain Greek yogurt or cottage cheese for the two ingredient dough, they turn out very similar! The cottage cheese will yield a saltier dough with a mild cheesy flavor.
Sauce Selection: Keep it Light and Flavorful
The sauce adds moisture and flavor to the pizza, but it can also be a source of added sugars and sodium.
Homemade Pizza Sauce: Make your sauce from scratch with this homemade pizza sauce recipe or store-bought from a jar. A recommend using a specialty pizza sauce or a low-calorie one to keep the ingredients healthy.
Pesto and Basil: These two are a great combination! You can use them for the sauce in replace of the marinara or red sauce for a lighter pizza taste.
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Tomato Sauce: Also known as passata (not ketchup).
Topping It Off: Prioritizing Nutrient-Rich Ingredients
The toppings are where you can truly customize your healthy pizza and load it with essential nutrients.
Vegetables
Mushrooms: Thinkly slice and prepare mushrooms to add on top.
Tomatoes: Wash and dice the tomatoes into small pieces that are bite-size.
Red Bell Pepper: Slice and dice the red bell pepper and remove any seeds from the pepper. Cut the diced bell pepper into small squares.
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Arugula: Add some greens overtop the pizza once it has cooled a bit after baking in the oven. This adds a salad texture and light crunch to the pizza.
Olives: Purchase a small can of sliced olives. Drain them and add them to the toppings.
Artichoke Hearts: Always a fun twist to pizza! Drain and cut artichoke hearts to add to the toppings. You will want to spread them out so they do not weigh down the dough and not cook the pizza properly.
Onions: Slice or chop the onions to make them into small squares or slices.
Sweet Potato: This topping sounds crazy but it is so delicious!
Chopped Zucchini: Pile on the veggies!
Protein
Chicken: Shredded chicken is a great topping for protein. If you would like to keep it a vegetarian pizza, leave off the chicken.
Turkey Pepperoni: This recipe calls for some turkey pepperoni, mozzarella cheese and lots of veggies, and you can add as many as you like.
Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese: Sprinkle the cheese over top of the toppings.
Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese: You can have a quarter cup of shredded cheese for about 170 calories.
Parmesan Cheese: Sprinkle parm cheese overtop the pizza before and after baking the healthy pizza in the oven.
Flavor Enhancers: Adding Depth Without the Calories
Enhance the flavor of your healthy pizza with herbs, spices, and glazes.
Garlic: Every recipe tastes better with garlic! It is a great topping that adds all the flavor.
Balsamic Glaze: Drizzle over top the pizza after it is baked in the oven.
Red Pepper Flakes: Add a little spice for those who like heat in every bite.
Italian Seasonings
Recipe Examples
Healthy Homemade Pizza
This low-calorie pizza is simple to make and can be done in less than twenty minutes!
Ingredients:
- Whole wheat pizza dough
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Garlic
- Pizza sauce
- Mushrooms
- Tomatoes
- Red bell pepper
- Chicken
- Mozzarella cheese
- Arugula
- Balsamic glaze
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 450ºF and lightly brush oil onto a pizza stone or large baking sheet.
- Brush olive oil on top of dough, then sprinkle all over with garlic cloves.
- Lightly spread pizza sauce on top with the back of a spoon.
- Top with sliced mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, chicken and mozzarella.
- Bake until crust is golden brown and the center is cooked (about 12-15 minutes).
- Remove from oven and top with fresh arugula and balsamic glaze if preferred.
- Slice and serve!
Low Carb Pizza
This low-carb pizza offers it all - flavor, crunch and, most importantly, a guilt-free conscience. The crust on this low-carb pizza is nothing short of sexy: savory and crunchy with a subtle chewiness; the texture is perfection.
Ingredients:
- Ground meat
- Egg
- Mozzarella
- Parmigiano cheese
- Italian seasoning
- Salt
- Pizza sauce
- Pepperoni slices
- Parmigiano cheese
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 425F (218C).
- In a bowl, add the ground meat, egg, mozzarella, Parmigiano cheese, Italian seasoning and salt. Mix well with clean hands.
- Form the mixture into a ball and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Place another piece of parchment paper and flatten the meat mixture into a 1/4 inch disc. Mine was about 9-10 inches in diameter.
- Place it in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, if there's any moisture sitting on top, I like to pat it with paper towel to absorb it.
- Add on your pizza toppings of choice and bake for another 10 minutes.
- I like to turn the oven on BROIL (top burner only) for the last 1-2 minutes to crisp up the top but keep a very good eye on it.
- Enjoy with fresh basil on top or a drizzle of hot pepper oil!
High Protein Pizza
This easy high protein pizza is topped with pizza sauce, shredded chicken, mozzarella and any extra toppings you enjoy. Plus, it’s SO simple.
Ingredients:
- Self-rising all purpose flour
- Greek yogurt or cottage cheese
- Pizza sauce
- Shredded chicken
- Mozzarella cheese
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, add Greek yogurt or cottage cheese and self-rising flour. Mix with a spoon and then finish with clean hands, forming into a round ball of dough. Note: it will be a little bit sticky! If it gets too sticky, rinse your hands and lightly coat your hands with flour before continuing to work on the dough.
- Next, roll out the dough on a piece of parchment paper using a lightly floured rolling pin. The dough should be quite thin but still durable. You can also use any floured cylinder shape to roll the dough, like a cup (use something non-breakable, like a plastic tumbler). Since the dough is a bit sticky, I recommend doing this directly on the parchment paper that you'll be baking on. You can roll out the dough on a floured surface too, but it may stick a bit. You can also use a silicone baking mat.
- Next, spread your pizza sauce evenly on the rolled out pizza dough.
- Add the shredded chicken first, and then top with shredded cheese, pepperoni and veggies.
- Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown. Note: If you like less sauce and less toppings, it will be done closer to 20 minutes. If you have more sauce and more toppings, it will likely take a few minutes longer.
Flatbread Pizza
With the flatbread crust, a little bit of cheese, meat, sauce and lots of veggies, you can have the whole pizza for around 350 calories!
Ingredients:
- Flatout Light Original Flatbread
- Pizza sauce
- Part-skim mozzarella cheese
- Chopped zucchini
- Turkey pepperoni
Instructions:
- On the flatbread, spread pizza sauce and some of the cheese.
- Layer with remaining ingredients and top with remaining cheese.
- Bake until the cheese melts and the crust is golden.
Baking Tips and Tricks
Learn all the special baking tips and tricks for making this healthy pizza recipe! It is a simple recipe that has a few great tips to help make it even better.
Double the Dough: Feel free to double the dough and make 2 pizzas.
Gluten-Free: Make this pizza GF! Choose a dough that is GF and make sure other toppings and ingredients are also marked and labeled GF when using them.
Vegan Pizza: If you would like to make it a vegan pizza, make sure the ingredients are not derived from animals. The cheese will need to be substituted for dairy-free cheese and the chicken will need to be left off as well.
Dough Consistency: Depending on the yogurt, sometimes the dough can be tacky.
Even Cooking: Flatten the meat mixture into a uniform thickness before baking to ensure even cooking throughout.
Preventing a Soggy Crust: Pat the surface of the crust with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture before adding toppings.
Topping Placement: Lightly press the toppings into the surface of the crust before returning it to the oven for the final baking period.
Browning Prevention: Tent the crust with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning while allowing it to continue cooking.
Nutritional Considerations
Understanding the nutritional content of your pizza is crucial for maintaining a healthy diet.
Serving Size: This recipe is for one 12-inch pizza. Feel free to double the dough and make 2 pizzas.
Estimated Nutrition: Serving: 1piece, Calories: 338kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 48mg, Sodium: 630mg, Potassium: 210mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 830IU, Vitamin C: 19.1mg, Calcium: 197mg, Iron: 0.5mg Nutrition provided is an estimate.
Addressing Common Questions
What is the healthiest type of pizza? The healthiest type of pizza would start with a thin crust instead of a thick crust. Then the toppings would need to be on the healthier side like veggies and light on the sauce.
What is the most unhealthy pizza topping? The most unhealthy pizza toppings are cheese, meats, and thick crust. You can avoid these by making a homemade pizza and knowing all the ingredients that you are going to consume.
Can pizza be a part of a healthy diet? Yes! Everything in moderation and a healthy pizza will really help make the diet taste better.
Which pizza is the lowest in calories? Pizzas with the lowest calories usually have a thin crust, are heavy on vegetables and lean protein, and are light on cheese.