A slice of pizza from your local parlor, smothered with cheese and topped with sausage and pepperoni, is a fat and calorie catastrophe. Make it yourself, however, and you can end up with a relatively healthful meal.
First, lighten up on the cheese. Part-skim mozzarella and other lower-fat cheeses are a great source of protein and calcium and often have half the fat and a third fewer calories than regular versions. Supplement the lower-fat cheese with just a sprinkle of a flavorful, full-fat cheese, such as parmesan or pecorino.
Don’t be afraid to slather on the tomato sauce. Tomatoes are loaded with antioxidants, plus they are high in flavor and fat-free. You can make a white pizza sauce by pureeing roasted garlic cloves with a small amount of extra-virgin olive oil.
Vegetables are filling, loaded with nutrients and low in calories, so pile them high on your pizza. If you want a meat topping, choose lower-fat turkey sausage or even try vegetarian sausage crumbles, which are surprisingly tasty.
Finally, to add nutrients and fiber, use a whole-wheat dough to make your crust.
Whole-wheat Pizza Dough
The earthier flavor of this crust stands up well to more robust flavor combinations, such as black olive tapenade (instead of tomato sauce) with caramelized onions and feta cheese, or roasted garlic puree, roasted red peppers, arugula and a sprinkle of gorgonzola. From “Pizza: Grill It, Bake It, Love It” by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough. Start to finish: 1 hour 40 minutes (10 minutes active) Servings: 6. Adapted for high altitude.
Ingredients
3/4 cup lukewarm water (about 110 degrees)
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups whole-wheat flour
2/3 cup all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
1 tablespoon walnut, canola or vegetable oil, plus additional for greasing
Directions
In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the water, yeast, sugar and salt. Set aside for 5 minutes, or until the yeast has bubbled and foamed. If it doesn’t foam, start again with fresh yeast and check that the water isn’t too hot.
If working by hand, stir both flours and the oil into the yeast mixture until a soft dough forms. Lightly dust a clean dry work surface with all-purpose flour and turn the dough on to it.
Knead by holding the dough with one hand, stretching it with the other, then pushing the heel of the holding hand into the mass.
Knead for 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. If the dough gets sticky, add 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour.
If using a mixer, attach the dough hook and the bowl to the mixer. Add both flours and the oil to the yeast mixture. Mix on medium until combined. Knead on low until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. If the dough gets sticky, add 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour.
Using a paper towel, coat a large bowl with oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat all sides with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1-1 1/2 hours.
When ready to bake the pizza, divide and roll out the dough as desired.
Per serving: 160 calories; 25 calories from fat; 3g fat (0g saturated; 0g trans fats); 0mg cholesterol; 30g carbohydrate; 6g protein; 4g fiber; 196mg sodium.
