Healthy Pizza Night

Pizza is one of America’s guilty pleasures.

There are approximately 61,269 pizzerias in the United States. And how could there not be? The cheese, the sauce, and toppings all make for a delicious combination of flare and flavor. Kids especially love pizza! According to a recent Gallup Poll, kids between the ages of 3 to 11 prefer pizza over all other food groups for lunch and dinner. As much as our little ones would love to eat this delicacy all day long, most pizza is greasy, filled with preservatives, and has low nutritional value. How can we enjoy pizza while balancing our regular diet? We have the perfect healthy pizza night recipes for you!

Whole Wheat Margherita Pizza

What You Will Need

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 Tbsp  sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 to 2 ½ cups wheat flour
• 1 tsp salt

Directions

1. Grease a pizza pan and preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
2. Put warm water into a large mixing bowl, add sugar, baking powder, and stir well.
3. Let this mixture sit for 5 minutes or until it becomes frothy, and you start seeing bubbles form.
4. Add olive oil and gently stir to combine.
5. Add two cups of flour and salt and mix with a spatula until a ball begins to form (the dough will still be slightly sticky).
6. Add more flour as needed to create a ball of dough.
7. Transfer the ball to a floured surface and knead into a smooth paste, adding up to ½ cup extra flour if needed.
8. Roll dough into your desired shape and gently transfer to your prepared pan.
9. To prevent air pockets, use a fork to puncture the top of the dough, being careful not to go all the way through.
10. Bake on the lower rack of your preheated oven for 5 minutes.
11. After removing your crust from the oven, add pizza sauce and your toppings of choice.
12. Bake on the lower rack of your oven for 15-20 minutes until the crust looks crispy and lightly browned.
13. Cut, serve and enjoy!

Cauliflower Pizza

What You Will Need

• 6 cups grated cauliflower 
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• ⅓ cup mozzarella cheese
• ⅓ cup parmesan cheese
• basil
• red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place the grated cauliflower in the microwave for about 2 minutes, let it cool and drain any excess water.
3. In a large bowl combine cauliflower, eggs, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, salt and Italian seasoning.
4. Place on a pizza pan and make a circle in uniform shape.
5. Place in the oven 20 minutes until golden.
6. Remove from the oven and add tomato sauce, rest of mozzarella and parmesan  cheese as well as anything you’d like (spinach, bell peppers, olives, pineapple)
7. Back in the oven for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
8. Cut, serve, and enjoy!

Simple Pita Pizza

What You Will Need

• Pita bread
• Tomato sauce
• Cheese
• Cherry tomatoes
• Basil

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Begin by dressing your pita with tomato sauce
3. Add your preferred cheese on top
4. Cut cherry tomatoes in halves and dress your mini pizzas
5. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until your cheese is melted and your pita crust is at your desired consistency.
6. Cut, serve and enjoy!

Make it your own.

Feel free to substitute any of the veggies we listed for your family’s favorites. We hope you enjoyed putting together these delicious and healthy pizza recipes.