How to "Healthify" Pizza: Three Ways

Savory Eats

Whether it's for dinner, late-night drunk munchies, or leftovers for lunch, everyone loves pizza. What's not to like about hot doughy crust, fresh tomato sauce, and melty cheese stacked in one divine bite?

Oh My Yum.

But, like everything else that tastes this good, digging into a cheesy pizza pie is accompanied by lots and lots of guilt (unless you don't remember eating it the next morning). To create a guilt-free pizza-eating experience, I present to you...

Cauliflower Crust Pizza...Whole Wheat Pizza Dough...Portobello Pizza Cups

Cauliflower Crust

This recipe involves making pizza dough out of "riced" cauliflower (aka shredding fresh cauliflower with a cheese grater). Yes, the pizza comes out delicious and cheesy and it does hit the spot. No, it doesn't taste exactly like real-dough, but it's a great alternative.

Crust-gredients:

• One large head of cauliflower
• Enough to make 2 cups of "riced" cauliflower
• 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1.5 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt (or garlic powder + salt)

Pizza Toppings:

*These are the toppings I used, but you can use whatever toppings you like!

• Marinara sauce
• Italian cheese blend (or any cheeses of your choice)
• Fresh basil
• 1 zucchini
• 1 carton of sliced mushrooms
• Sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 cup steamed broccoli, finely chopped

Recipe:

-Rice the cauliflower by taking one large head of cauliflower and grating it with a cheese grater...

It will look like shredded cheese.

-Microwave the riced cauliflower for 4-5 minutes.

-Mix 2 cups of the riced cauliflower, 1 beaten egg, and 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese in a bowl. Add oregano, crushed garlic, and garlic salt. Stir.

-Transfer the faux-dough to a baking sheet and pat out into a 10 inch round. I used a baking dish, but found that the crust came out better when put on a cookie sheet (or greased aluminum foil).

-Brush the top of the crust with olive oil to help with browning.

-Bake in the oven at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.

-Remove from the oven and add sauce, toppings, and extra cheese.

-Place pizza under the broiler at high heat until the cheese is melted (about 5 minutes).

Voilà!

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Trader Joe's dominates all other grocery stores. I spend an embarrassing amount of time there every week. One of their many amazing items is the Trader Giotto's Whole Wheat Pizza Dough.

Simply leave the dough at room temperature for 20 minutes. Then, spread out or roll the dough on a lightly floured baking pan so it is 12 inches in diameter. Brush the top with olive oil and add toppings of choice. Bake in the oven at 450 degrees or cook on a grill for 8-10 minutes (until cheese is nice and bubbly).

I suggest roasting some garlic in olive oil and spreading it on the dough before applying toppings of choice. I added a few dollops of ricotta cheese on top and it was delicious.

Portobello Mushroom Pizza Cups

Ingredients:

• 4 large portobello mushrooms
• Marinara sauce
• 1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese
• Olive oil
• Pizza toppings of choice

Recipe:

-Remove the stems and gills from the mushrooms. Brush the caps with olive oil.

-Place the mushroom caps, round side down, on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.

-Remove from oven. Spoon sauce, cheese, and toppings into the mushroom caps.

-Return to the oven for 5-7 more minutes.

-Optional: top with some extra Parmesan cheese and broil for a few minutes until cheese is browned and melted.

ENJOY!