Pizza & Crust - Recipe Girl®

Pepperoni Pizza

Lori Lange — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 14:39:12 +0000

Beloved by many, this is a classic Pepperoni Pizza recipe that you can make at home!

Pepperoni Pizza

Everyone needs to have a recipe for pepperoni pizza in their files. It’s a super traditional flavor as far as pizza goes. I’ve added mushrooms to my pizza because we’re kind of crazy about mushrooms on pizza, but you can certainly leave them off your pizza if you’re not a fan.

🛒Ingredients needed:

thinly sliced mushrooms (totally optional on this Pepperoni Pizza!)
ball of pizza dough
cornmeal
olive oil
pizza sauce
shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
pepperoni
fresh basil, for garnish (optional)

✏️How to make Pepperoni Pizza:

*The complete, printable recipe with all ingredients and instructions is at the end of this post.

Position oven rack in the middle setting. Position another rack in the lowest setting, and place a rimless baking sheet (or pizza stone) on the bottom rack. Preheat oven to 500°F.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sliced mushrooms to pan, and sauté for 5 minutes or until moisture evaporates. Mop up any excess moisture with a paper towel.
Roll out pizza dough on a lightly floured surface, sprinkle cornmeal on a rimless baking sheet and place the pizza dough on the baking sheet for a few minutes to rest. Brush the rested dough with olive oil. Remove preheated baking sheet from oven; close oven door. Slide dough onto preheated baking sheet, using a spatula as a guide. Bake on lowest oven rack at 500°F for 8 minutes. Remove from oven.
Spread pizza sauce in an even layer over crust, leaving a ¼-inch border. Top sauce with mushrooms.

Sprinkle mushrooms evenly with mozzarella and Parmesan. Arrange pepperoni in an even layer on top of cheese. Bake on middle rack an additional 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese melts. Sprinkle a little fresh basil on top, if you’d like.

➡️Recipe Tips:

For a ball of pizza dough, you should be able to easily buy one at your local market. Alternately, you can go into a pizza shop and ask them if they’ll sell you a ball of dough. They’ll usually be happy to do that! Homemade pizza dough works as well.
I like to use homemade pizza sauce for this recipe, but you can certainly buy jarred pizza sauce in your local market (usually located near the pasta sauce).
Turkey pepperoni may be used in place of regular pepperoni, if you’d like to lighten things up.

✔️What to serve with Pepperoni Pizza:

Some people like to eat their pizza dipped in ranch dressing. I know that’s not traditional, but it’s an American thing for a lot of people I know! I love having a pizza with a good caesar salad.

❤️Why I love this recipe:

Pizza is an excellent choice to make for Friday night dinner or a Game Day.
It’s super easy to adjust the toppings on pizza to your liking. If you don’t like pepperoni, try something else like meatball or sausage.
This is an easy recipe to make, especially if you already have the pizza dough and pizza sauce already made!

Best Pizza Recipes:

Pepperoni Pizza

Beloved by many, the classic Pepperoni Pizza!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword pepperoni, pizza

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 10

Total Time 35

Servings slices (from a 12-inch pizza)

Calories 256kcal

Author RecipeGirl.com (adapted slightly from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

2 cups (about 4-ounces) thinly sliced cremini or button mushrooms
1 ball pizza dough (for homemade see tips below)
2 tablespoons stoneground (or regular) cornmeal
2 teaspoons olive oil
1⅓ cups pizza sauce (for homemade see tips below)
1½ cups (6-ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 ounces sliced pepperoni

Instructions

Position oven rack in the middle setting. Position another rack in the lowest setting, and place a rimless baking sheet (or pizza stone) on the bottom rack. Preheat oven to 500℉.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sliced mushrooms to pan, and sauté for 5 minutes or until moisture evaporates. Mop up any excess moisture with a paper towel.
Roll out pizza dough on a lightly floured surface, sprinkle cornmeal on a rimless baking sheet and place the pizza dough on the baking sheet for a few minutes to rest. Brush the rested dough with olive oil. Remove preheated baking sheet from oven; close oven door. Slide dough onto preheated baking sheet, using a spatula as a guide. Bake on lowest oven rack at 500℉ for 8 minutes. Remove from oven.
Spread pizza sauce in an even layer over crust, leaving a ¼-inch border. Top sauce with mushrooms. Sprinkle mushrooms evenly with mozzarella and Parmesan. Arrange pepperoni in an even layer on top of cheese. Bake on middle rack an additional 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese melts. Cut into 8 wedges.

Notes

I used the following for this recipe: Easy Pizza Dough & Basic Pizza Sauce. Buy your own pre-made if you prefer.
Mushrooms are optional. Leave them out if you prefer.
Use turkey pepperoni if you'd like to save on the fat.

Nutrition

The post Pepperoni Pizza appeared first on Recipe Girl®.

Blue Cheese and Pear Pizza

Lori Lange — Sat, 12 Aug 2023 15:27:00 +0000

This Blue Cheese and Pear Pizza is cooked on the grill. It’s a simple pizza recipe that is a nice, light dinner or a fun summer appetizer to share.

There is nothing super fancy about this blue cheese and pear pizza recipe. It’s very simple to make (especially if you purchase the pizza dough already made). It’s fun to make pizza on the grill in the summer months. I like to serve this one as an appetizer. It’s the kind of thing that everyone is always surprised about. They’re surprised about having a unique appetizer, and they’re surprised that it’s so good!

Ingredients needed:

all purpose flour
crumbled blue cheese
pizza dough
fresh pear
olive oil

A note about the Pizza Dough:

You can use any pizza dough for this recipe. Buy it at the market if you want to make things easy, or make your own Basic Pizza Dough. If you cannot locate fresh pizza dough and don’t wish to make it yourself, try visiting your local pizza establishment and ask if they will sell a ball of fresh dough to you- they often will!

How to make Grilled Blue Cheese and Pear Pizza:

The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

Heat your grill to medium. Coat lightly with oil.

Sprinkle a work surface with flour and divide the dough in half. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to two 8-inch circles, approximately ⅛-inch thick. Carefully lift the dough directly onto the grill rack. Brush olive oil lightly over the top side of each crust. Grill about 2 minutes, until the dough bubbles and begins to char on the bottom. Turn over.

Evenly distribute half of the cheese and pear slices over each crust. Close the grill cover or tent with foil. Grill 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the crust is crispy.

Remove the pizzas from the grill and transfer them to a cutting board.

Let them rest for a few minutes to cool off.

Hot Tip:

Drizzle honey (or hot honey) on top of the blue cheese and pear pizza for serving. It’s so good!

Slice and serve! What you get with this pizza is a crispy grilled crust topped with slightly melted blue cheese and sweet pear slices. It’s simple and delicious. Enjoy!

Favorite Pizza Recipes:

Blue Cheese and Pear Pizza

This grilled blue cheese and pear pizza is fun, fast recipe for a summer barbecue.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Keyword blue cheese, pear, pizza

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Total Time 25

Servings appetizers

Calories 117kcal

Author RecipeGirl.com

Ingredients

1 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 ounces (or more) blue cheese, crumbled
1 ball fresh pizza dough
1 large pear, thinly sliced
olive oil

Instructions

Heat the grill to medium. Coat lightly with oil.
Sprinkle a work surface with flour and divide the dough in half. With a rolling pin, roll out dough to two 8-inch circles, approximately ⅛-inch thick. Carefully lift the dough directly onto the grill rack. Brush olive oil lightly over the top side of each crust. Grill about 2 minutes, until the dough bubbles and begins to char on the bottom. Turn over.
Evenly distribute half of the cheese and pear slices over each crust. Close the grill cover or tent with foil. Grill 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the crust is crispy.
Remove from the grill, cut into wedges and serve.

Notes

If you cannot locate fresh pizza dough and don't wish to make it yourself, try visiting your local pizza establishment and ask if they will sell a ball of fresh dough to you- they often will!

Nutrition

The post Blue Cheese and Pear Pizza appeared first on Recipe Girl®.

Barbecued Chicken Pizza

Lori Lange — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 13:48:09 +0000

This Barbecued Chicken Pizza is so super easy to make, and it’s a family favorite too!

I love that this pizza calls for only seven ingredients. That makes it an easy weeknight dinner! My son used to request this for dinner all the time when he was little. He picked off the onion, but he loved everything else. This is one of my favorites to order at a pizza place. I know it’s not traditionally Italian, but it’s a good Americanized pizza!

Ingredients needed:

cooked chicken
barbecue sauce
ball of pizza dough
extra virgin olive oil
mozzarella cheese
red onion
fresh cilantro

How to make Barbecued Chicken Pizza:

The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

In a medium bowl, mix the barbecue sauce with the chicken and allow it to marinate for a few minutes, or even up to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Roll the fresh pizza dough onto parchment paper or a pizza stone (no cookie sheet). Lightly brush the olive oil on the dough, leaving about a 1-inch edge. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top. Evenly distribute the barbecue chicken on top of the cheese. Scrape any extra barbecue sauce onto the dough too. Top with red onions and garnish with cilantro.

Bake the pizza on the middle or top rack for 9 to 13 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted and the crust is golden.

Let the pizza cool for a few minutes before cutting and serving. Serve with extra, warmed barbecue sauce for dipping, if you’d like. Enjoy!

Tip about Pizza Dough:

There are several options for what kind of pizza dough to use. You can always make homemade pizza dough. And then there’s always the “tube” pizza dough that you can pop out of a can. Many grocery stores sell balls of fresh pizza dough, and that’s the route I recommend. Alternately, you can visit a pizza place and ask them to sell you a ball of their pizza dough. They’ll most likely be happy to do that!

The Best Pizza Recipes:

Barbecued Chicken Pizza

Super easy and delicious pizza recipe!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword barbecue, chicken, pizza

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Total Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 573kcal

Author RecipeGirl.com

Ingredients

1 cup diced, cooked chicken
½ cup barbecue sauce
One 16-ounce ball of pizza dough
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1¼ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine the chicken and barbecue sauce and allow to marinate for a few minutes, or even up to 24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Roll the fresh pizza dough onto parchment paper or a pizza stone (no cookie sheet). Lightly brush olive oil on the dough, leaving about a 1-inch edge. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top.
Evenly distribute the barbecue chicken on top of the cheese. Scrape any extra barbecue sauce onto the dough too. Top with onions and garnish with cilantro.
Bake the pizza on the middle or top rack for 9 to 13 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted and the crust is golden.
Remove the pizza from the oven. Let cool a few minutes, then cut and serve.

Nutrition

The post Barbecued Chicken Pizza appeared first on Recipe Girl®.

Spinach Mushroom and Feta Pizza

Lori Lange — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 13:40:53 +0000

This Spinach Mushroom and Feta Pizza uses all fresh ingredients and no tomato sauce.

The crust on this healthier-style pizza uses a combination of whole wheat flour and all-purpose. It’s a simple crust recipe that I’ve used for all of my pizza recipes for many years now. But you can use any pizza dough you’d like, if you prefer. This is the kind of pizza I’m craving when I want pizza for dinner but I don’t want to overindulge.

Ingredients needed:

pizza dough
cornmeal
garlic
extra virgin olive oil
garlic salt
mozzarella cheese
fresh spinach
sliced mushrooms
red onions
pear or cherry tomatoes
crumbled feta cheese
fresh basil

How to make Spinach Mushroom and Feta Pizza:

The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

Brush olive oil and garlic on the rolled out pizza dough. Sprinkle with a little garlic salt. Add a small handful of shredded mozzarella and fresh spinach. Top with additional veggies (flexible to what you want to use). Top with feta and mozzarella and fresh basil.

I use a pizza stone on which to bake my pizza. If you don’t have a stone, you can use a baking sheet instead. I sprinkle cornmeal onto a cutting board, place the dough on top of the cornmeal, add my pizza toppings and then slide the pizza onto the heated stone (or sheet) when ready to bake.

Bake until the crust is brown and the cheese is bubbly. Set the timer for 8 minutes, then check and add more time, if needed.

When done, remove the pizza from the oven by sliding the baked pizza onto a large cutting board. Cut with a pizza wheel, or carefully with a sharp knife.

My family thoroughly enjoys this Spinach Mushroom and Feta Pizza. My (now grown) son would gobble it up when he was little (spinach and all)!

Set aside the pepperoni pizza and all of those other traditional pizza recipes, and try this one for a change of pace. I think you’ll be glad you did. Enjoy!

Favorite Pizza Recipes:

Spinach Mushroom and Feta Pizza

This is a unique pizza recipe made without tomato sauce and plenty of veggies and cheese!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword feta cheese, Mushroom, pizza, spinach

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 10

Total Time 40

Servings servings (2 slices each)

Calories 627kcal

Author RecipeGirl.com

Ingredients

1 ball pizza dough
¼ cup cornmeal
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon garlic salt
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1½ cups sliced mushrooms
½ cup sliced red onions
¾ cup halved cherry or pear tomatoes
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Instructions

Roll out the crust.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the baking stone on the bottom rack to preheat with the oven. If you don't have a baking stone, place a baking sheet on the bottom rack instead.
On a separate baking sheet, sprinkle the cornmeal. Place the rolled out round of pizza dough on top of the cornmeal.
Brush a thin layer of olive oil onto the crust. Brush minced garlic onto the crust too. Sprinkle lightly with garlic salt. Sprinkle ½ cup of the mozzarella cheese as the first layer. Sprinkle fresh spinach on top of the cheese. Then add the mushrooms, onion and tomato. Top with the remaining mozzarella and feta cheese. Sprinkle basil on top.
Slide the pizza onto the hot stone and bake until the crust is browned and the cheese is bubbly. Set the timer for 8 minutes, then check and add more time, if needed. When done, remove the pizza from the oven by sliding the baked pizza onto a large cutting board. Use a pizza cutter to cut into 6 slices.

Notes

*Play with the veggies on this one... add or substitute your favorites.

Nutrition

The post Spinach Mushroom and Feta Pizza appeared first on Recipe Girl®.

Ricotta and Vegetable Stuffed Pizza Pie

Lori Lange — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 14:01:27 +0000

This Ricotta and Vegetable Stuffed Pizza Pie begins with a basic pizza dough.

Why make a regular pizza when you can enjoy a stuffed pizza pie? There is so much to love about this type of pizza. Crust on the bottom, all kinds of fillings, and then a crust on top as well. It’s all baked together to create one, thick, stuffed pizza. It kind of reminds me of my very popular Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza Recipe since it’s so substantial and tasty.

This is one pizza that you’re really going to love. The nice thing about it is that you can use whatever fillings you’d like to stuff your pizza! There are suggestions for other ways to stuff your pizza toward the end of this post. Read on!

What ingredients are needed to make a stuffed pizza pie?

One ball of pizza dough: Purchase a pre-made ball of dough at your market, or go to your favorite pizza place and ask them to sell you a ball of freshly made pizza dough. You’d be surprised how many pizza places would be willing to do that! Alternately, you can make your own homemade pizza dough.
Ricotta cheese: Use skim, whole or low fat. It’s completely up to you what type of ricotta you use for this recipe.
Parmesan cheese: I like to buy a wedge and freshly grate it. You’ll find that’s so much better than a bag or tub of already grated Parmesan.
Olive oil
Garlic: You will need a garlic press to mince the garlic.
Fresh spinach: It’s okay to buy the spinach leaves that are already washed and in a salad tub or bag.
Broccoli florets: Don’t use frozen! Buy fresh, and lightly steam them until they’re tender.
Kosher salt
Roasted red peppers: Buy the roasted red pepper strips that are sold in a jar. Drain them well before adding them to this recipe.
Frozen or canned artichoke hearts: Don’t buy the marinated artichoke hearts. There is no need to thaw the artichoke hearts.
Mozzarella cheese: Again, the cheese is best if you buy a ball of cheese and grate it yourself.
Italian seasoning
Dipping sauce: I recommend dipping your stuffed pizza pie into marinara sauce or Ranch dressing.

How do you make a stuffed pizza pie?

The full, printable recipe is at the end of this post. You will need a 9-inch springform pan to make this recipe. Spray it with nonstick spray, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Divide your ball of dough in half. Roll each half into an 9 or 10-inch round. Place one rolled-out piece of dough into the bottom and press it up the sides of the pan too.

Combine ricotta and Parmesan cheeses, and spread those on top of the dough in the pan.

In a skillet, cook garlic and spinach in olive oil. Then place the spinach in an even layer on top of the cheese.

Add artichoke hearts, broccoli and a sprinkle of kosher salt. Roasted red pepper strips are added next. A layer of mozzarella cheese goes on top of the peppers.

The final step is adding the 2nd rolled-out piece of dough to the top. Tuck the edges into the sides of the pan. Brush the top with olive oil, and sprinkle Italian seasoning on top.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes- until the dough is cooked through and golden. The cheese should be nice and melty inside. Let it cool for a bit before slicing.

Cut into wedges. Since it’s a pretty substantial serving, the whole stuffed pizza pie should serve 6 to 8 people. We like to serve it with a little bit of marinara sauce. Some people like Ranch dressing with their pizza too!

This is very much a family friendly recipe. Kids may prefer a stuffed pizza with alternative stuffings (see ideas below). Make it to your preference. It’s a good weeknight dinner, or consider doing Friday Night Pizza Night at home. Enjoy!

What kinds of fillings are best for stuffed pizza?

This stuffed pizza pie has cheese and vegetables in it. But there are so many other things you can stuff into a pizza!

If you like Hawaiian pizza, you can stuff it with ham and and pineapple (along with the cheese).

If you’re a meat lover, consider adding different meats. Sausage, pepperoni, ground beef and meatball are all good choices for stuffing into pizza.

And if you’re into the combination pizza idea, that works well too. Stuff it with pepperoni, sausage, ground beef, onions, black olives, mushrooms, and mozzarella cheese.

More Pizza Recipes:

Ricotta and Vegetable Stuffed Pizza Pie

Such a great way to eat pizza stuffed with all kinds of delicious goodies!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword pizza, ricotta, stuffed pizza, vegetables

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1

Servings servings

Calories 323kcal

Author RecipeGirl.com (adapted slightly from Picky Palate)

Ingredients

One ball (16 ounces) pizza dough, divided in half
1 cup ricotta cheese
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium garlic clove, minced
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
2 cups fresh broccoli florets, steamed until fork-tender
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup jarred roasted red bell peppers (drained)
¾ cup canned or frozen artichoke hearts
1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
jarred marinara sauce or Ranch dressing, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan (with removable bottom) with nonstick spray.
Roll out each piece of pizza dough into 9 or 10-inch rounds. Spread and press one piece of dough into the bottom and sides of the prepared pan.
In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta and Parmesan cheese until well combined. Carefully spread on top of the pizza dough in the pan.
Heat the olive oil in nonstick skillet. Add the garlic and stir for about a minute while it sizzles. Add the spinach and stir gently just until wilted. Remove from heat. Place the spinach in an even layer on top of the ricotta. Place the frozen artichoke hearts on top of the spinach (no need to thaw or cook). Scatter the broccoli florets on top of the artichoke heart layer. Sprinkle with salt. Lay strips of roasted red peppers and then scatter a nice layer of mozzarella cheese on top of everything.
Place the 2nd rolled out crust on top of the cheese and tuck the edges into the sides of the pan. Brush the top of the dough with olive oil and sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and cooked through. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan or cutting into wedges. Serve with a dollop of marinara or Ranch dressing, if desired.

Notes

If you are unable to find fresh pizza dough at your market, ask your local pizza establishment if they will sell you a fresh ball of dough- they often do!

Nutrition

The post Ricotta and Vegetable Stuffed Pizza Pie appeared first on Recipe Girl®.

Zucchini Pizza Crust

Lori Lange — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 13:20:32 +0000

Zucchini Pizza Crust is a delicious, alternative crust recipe.

I shared my version of Cauliflower Crust Pizza several years ago, and it was quite the hit with RecipeGirl readers. I even shared a breakfast version of it when I made Cauliflower Crust Bacon and Egg Pizza. Nowadays, cauliflower crust is sold in the grocery store freezer section. It’s crazy!

Now I’m introducing you to Zucchini Pizza Crust. It’s a fabulous alternative to carb-heavy regular pizza crust, and you seriously won’t believe how good it tastes. It’s my new favorite, for sure.

Ingredients needed:

finely shredded zucchini
eggs
all purpose flour (or gluten free flour)
finely shredded mozzarella cheese
finely grated Parmesan cheese
extra-virgin olive oil
Italian seasoning

Does Zucchini Pizza Crust taste like traditional pizza dough?

No, it does not. But it’s a pretty darn good substitute! Once you add the toppings, I think you’ll still enjoy it (almost) as much as a regular cheese or pepperoni pizza. You might be very surprised!

How to make Zucchini Pizza Crust:

The full printable recipe is available at the end of this post.

The crust begins with shredded zucchini. Squeeze the heck out of it to get the moisture out of it. Mix the zucchini with egg, cheeses, oil, spices and a small amount of flour. If you’re gluten-free, you can totally use your favorite gluten free flour blend for this.

The zucchini pizza crust actually gets quite crispy in the oven if you flatten it out thin enough, but do make sure to bake it on both sides for maximum crispiness.

Once baked, you can add whatever toppings you like on your favorite pizza. I recommend starting with some pizza sauce.

With the sample here, we added sautéed mushrooms, cooked and crumbled sweet Italian sausage and some mozzarella cheese.

Slice it up and serve it. It’s safe to say that even zucchini HATERS might like this one. When I first made this recipe, my 12-year-old son wouldn’t touch zucchini with a 10-foot pole, but he ate this zucchini crust pizza and then asked for more. Truth be told, I did give it to him without telling him what it was. He was pretty surprised when I shared that zucchini was the star of the meal. Now that he’s 20, he’d happily eat this knowing it’s all about the zucchini.

Be sure to try making some zucchini pizza crust for your next pizza night. The result is quite a nice surprise. Enjoy!

If you happen to be following the Weight Watchers WW plan, you’ll find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card below.

Zucchini Pizza Crust

Great alternative to traditional, carb-heavy pizza crust!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword pizza, pizza crust, pizza dough, zucchini

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1

Servings slices

Calories 137kcal

Author RecipeGirl.com

Ingredients

2 cups grated zucchini (packed) squeezed dry
2 large eggs, beaten (can also use egg whites)
¼ cup all purpose flour (can sub gluten-free flour blend)
½ cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
pizza sauce and toppings (as desired)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400℉. Line a flat cookie sheet or pizza pan with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper with nonstick spray.
In a medium bowl, combine the zucchini, eggs, flour, cheeses, oil and seasoning. Mix well.
Pat the zucchini mixture into a thin, round pizza crust- 12 to 14 inches in diameter. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crust begins to get golden brown. Remove the crust from the oven and flip it over. Return it to the oven for an additional 10 minutes (watch to make sure it's not becoming too browned). Remove the crust from the oven and add the toppings. Return to the oven and heat through until cheeses are melted and everything is heated through. Slice and eat!

Notes

I like to use the medium cut on my box grater for the zucchini. 2 cups will be about 2 large zucchini. When I squeeze my 2 cups of zucchini dry, I can usually get about 1/3 cup moisture out of them. The more you can extract, the better the crust will turn out.
Nutritional information and WW Points are for ⅙ of the zucchini crust only. Toppings should be counted as extra.

Nutrition

The post Zucchini Pizza Crust appeared first on Recipe Girl®.

White Pizza with Arugula, Bacon and Mushrooms

Lori Lange — Tue, 09 Jun 2020 17:51:19 +0000

If you’re looking for a lighter-style pizza recipe, try this White Pizza with Arugula, Bacon and Mushrooms.

This is not your typical pizza recipe. There is no marinara sauce to be found. I think that’s a nice deviation from the norm. Instead, the red sauce is replaced with ricotta cheese, toppings, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. So this white pizza doesn’t have an actual “sauce” on it. The toppings are all it needs.

How to make Homemade Pizza Dough:

Active dry yeast and warm water are combined with warm water briefly until the yeast is activated. Then it’s mixed with flour and salt to create a dough. That dough is kneaded out until a smooth and elastic texture is achieved. Then the pizza dough is placed into a bowl and set aside to rest and rise for about an hour. At that point, the pizza dough will be ready to punch down and roll out to make your white pizza.

How to make White Pizza:

The first thing you’ll do is pre-bake the dough on a pizza pan or baking sheet. Then you’ll cook the bacon, onion and mushrooms in a skillet. A lot of white pizza recipes call for using some type of Alfredo sauce. This white pizza is a lighter version. No Alfredo is necessary. Instead, you’ll spread skim ricotta cheese on the pre-baked crust, and then top the ricotta with arugula, bacon, onion and mushrooms. Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses are sprinkled on top. Then the pizza is ready for its 15 minutes in the oven.

After baking, you can slide your white pizza onto a good-sized cutting board and use a pizza cutter to cut slices.

If you happen to be following the Weight Watchers WW plan, this pizza should be divided into 6 equal slices. You’ll find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card below. And if you’re not following any kind of diet, you will just appreciate that this white pizza isn’t quite as heavy as the usual pizzeria pizza. Enjoy!

Here are a few more pizza recipes you might like to try:

White Pizza with Arugula, Bacon and Mushrooms

Amazing pizza recipe!!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword arugula, bacon, mushrooms, pizza, white pizza

Prep Time 50

Cook Time 30

Rising Time: 1

Total Time 2 20

Servings servings

Calories 237kcal

Author RecipeGirl.com (adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

CRUST:

One .25-ounce envelope active dry yeast (2¼ teaspoons)
1 teaspoon granulated white sugar
½ cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees F.)
1½ cups all purpose flour, divided
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons yellow cornmeal

TOPPING:

2 slices center cut bacon
½ cup thinly sliced white onion
8 ounces whole button mushrooms, quartered
½ teaspoon Kosher salt, divided
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ cup part-skim ricotta
2 cups baby arugula (can substitute chopped fresh spinach)
⅓ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

PREPARE THE DOUGH:

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in ½ cup warm water; let stand 5 minutes. Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Stir 1¼ cups of flour and ¼ teaspoon salt into the yeast mixture to form a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands.
Place the dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray; turn the dough to coat. Cover; let rise in a warm place (85°F), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Press two fingers into the dough. If an indentation remains, the dough has risen enough).
Punch the dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Roll the dough into a 14-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Place the dough on a pizza pan or baking sheet coated with cooking spray and sprinkled with cornmeal. Crimp the edges of the dough with your fingers to form a rim.

PREPARE THE TOPPING:

Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon from the skillet, reserving 2 teaspoons of the bacon drippings in the pan. Crumble the bacon; set aside. Add the onion and mushrooms to the pan; cook 10 minutes or until tender and the moisture evaporates, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper.

ASSEMBLE AND BAKE THE PIZZA:

Drizzle oil over the dough; sprinkle with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Place the pan on lowest oven rack; bake at 450°F. for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven; spread the ricotta evenly over the crust, leaving a ½-inch rim. Arrange the onion mixture and arugula evenly over the ricotta. Sprinkle with the bacon, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned and the topping is bubbling. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Cut into wedges.

Notes

To save time/make this recipe easier, use a refrigerated pizza dough. Trader Joe's sells great pizza dough. (This will change the calorie count, of course.)

Nutrition

The post White Pizza with Arugula, Bacon and Mushrooms appeared first on Recipe Girl®.

Weight Watchers Pizza

Lori Lange — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 11:00:35 +0000

This Weight Watchers Pizza is made with the super popular 2 ingredient pizza dough.

If you love pizza but you don’t love how heavy it is and the amount of carbs it delivers, this Weight Watchers Pizza is an excellent option for you. You don’t have to be on the WW program to enjoy this pizza. It’s made with real ingredients that are quite delicious, and all of the non-dieting people in my family give it a big thumbs up! The crust is easy to make (only 2 ingredients) and you can add whatever toppings you’d like.

The WW (Weight Watchers) program:

Weight Watchers re-branded themselves as myWW this year, and they re-vamped their program a bit so that you have a choice of three different programs that you can choose from. It’s nice because there are three choices so you can see which program works best for you and your lifestyle. I’ve always really loved the Weight Watchers program because I just feel like it teaches you that you can eat a balanced, healthy, normal diet and still lose weight. The program involves counting “points” according to what plan you’re on. I feel like it’s a really do-able weight loss program, and I’ve done the WW program on and off for probably 30 years now. Check out the new program, if you want to see how it has changed!

Best of WW Cookbook:

This recipe comes from a new book by WW (Weight Watchers): Best of WW: 135 of our most loved recipes for everyday cooking. It’s a handy cookbook to have around if you’re following the program. All of the recipes I’ve tried so far have been delicious!

Here’s a sneak peek at some of the recipes being shared in the book: Easy and Perfect Poached Chicken, Pan Fried Fish Sandwich, Salmon with Basil-Dijon Cream Sauce, Mahi Mahi Soft Tacos, Hawaiian Pineapple Bowls, Greek Yogurt Fudge Pops, Buttermilk-Oat Pancakes, Garlic-Rosemary Lemon Oven Fries, Pot Roast with Gravy, Whole Wheat Chili Mac, Winter Beef Stew, Vegetarian Lo Mein, Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs, Perfectly Barbecued Chicken Breasts, Devil’s Food Cookies and Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake. It all sounds completely normal, right? These are all great things you can choose to eat if you’re following the WW program. That’s why I love it!

How to make 2 Ingredient Pizza Dough:

2 Ingredient Pizza Dough is a very popular choice for those who are trying to eat light or following the WW program. It’s very simple to make. You’ll combine 1 cup of nonfat Greek yogurt with 1 cup of self-rising flour. Then you’ll use your hands to knead the dough for about 2 minutes, adding in a tiny bit of flour here and there if the dough is sticky. The dough is divided into 4 pieces, and each piece is rolled out into an oval shape. The crusts are baked until golden. At that point, you can add your toppings and heat the pizzas in the oven again.

How to make your own self-rising flour:

If you don’t want to buy a bag of self-rising flour, you can make your own. It’s super easy! Just combine 1 cup of all-purpose flour with 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Then you’ll have self-rising flour!

Toppings for Weight Watchers Pizza:

You can add any toppings you want for your pizzas. If you are counting WW points for the pizza dough only, check out the recipe card below for a link to the recipe on the WW site. Anything you add to the top of the crusts to make your pizza should be counted as additional points. In this recipe, I add tomato sauce with herbs, mozzarella cheese, turkey pepperoni, Parmesan cheese, fresh basil and red pepper flakes.

Be sure to check out my 2 Ingredient Bagels recipe too (it’s very popular!)

The Best Pizza Recipes:

Weight Watchers Pizza

Fabulous, lighter alternative for pizza!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword 2 ingredient pizza dough, pizza, weight watchers, weight watchers pizza

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 25

Total Time 45

Servings servings

Calories 254kcal

Author RecipeGirl.com (from the Best of WW cookbook)

Ingredients

2 INGREDIENT PIZZA DOUGH:

1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1 cup self-rising flour, plus more for kneading

TOPPINGS:

1 cup canned tomato sauce with Italian herbs
¾ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
20 slices turkey pepperoni
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil
4 pinches red pepper flakes (or to taste)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

PREPARE THE PIZZA DOUGH:

In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, stir together the yogurt and flour until combined. With your hands, knead the dough in the bowl until smooth, about 2 minutes, adding additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, if dough is sticky.
Place a large piece of parchment paper on a work surface and lightly sprinkle with flour; place the dough on the paper. With a knife, cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into a 6 to 7-inch oval. Place the ovals of pizza dough onto the prepared baking sheet; bake until the dough is beginning to turn lightly golden, about 18 minutes.

ADD THE TOPPINGS (these... or whatever toppings you want):

Remove the crusts from the oven and top each with ¼ cup of the sauce, 3 tablespoons of mozzarella and 5 slices of pepperoni. Return the pizzas to the oven and bake until the crust is cooked through and the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes longer. Sprinkle each pizza with 1 tablespoon Parmesan, ½ tablespoon basil and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cut and serve. One pizza per serving.

Nutrition

The post Weight Watchers Pizza appeared first on Recipe Girl®.

Sausage and Scrambled Egg Pizza

Lori Lange — Thu, 16 May 2019 13:37:00 +0000

Sausage and Scrambled Egg Pizza is a delicious choice for a weekend breakfast.

Sausage and Scrambled Egg Pizza

Yes, this is pizza that you eat for breakfast! It’s made sort of like traditional pizza. Chunky salsa acts as the sauce on this breakfast pizza, and then it’s topped with crumbled pork sausage, lightly scrambled eggs and cheese. It’s baked on a pizza stone, and it’s cut into slices just like the pizza you eat for dinner.

Pizza for Breakfast!

If eating scrambled egg pizza for breakfast seems odd to you, I totally understand. I was a new teacher in San Diego years ago when someone brought a pizza from a local pizza joint into the staff lunchroom one morning. I remember thinking it was weird that someone brought pizza in the morning. But then it was explained that it was an egg pizza. It was something that the local pizza place was known for. Apparently, everyone stopped by to grab breakfast pizzas from this place!

Of course I tasted the Scrambled Egg Pizza and immediately fell in love with it. I never stopped thinking about it, so I definitely had to create my own version at home.

Can you change up the toppings on this Scrambled Egg Pizza?

Probably. I’d still plan to use salsa as the “sauce” for the pizza. You could certainly add another kind of meat here– maybe prosciutto or ham– though I’m not sure how those would taste with the salsa. I think the eggs and cheese are a must. You could add in some sauteed veggies like peppers, mushrooms or spinach.

A drizzle of sour cream is perfect. An addition of avocado or guacamole would be delicious too.

This is a pizza that should be made and eaten the same day. Leftovers of Scrambled Egg Pizza won’t be as good as classic Italian pizza. The crust tends to get a little soggy overnight since the sauce is made out of salsa.

I suggest you try making this breakfast pizza one of these weekends when you’re looking for something interesting to make for breakfast or brunch. Maybe you’ll love it as much as I do!

Here are a few more delicious breakfast recipes you might enjoy:

Sausage and Scrambled Egg Pizza

It's perfectly okay to have pizza for breakfast!!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Italian

Keyword breakfast pizza, sausage and scrambled egg pizza, scrambled egg pizza

Prep Time 35

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1 5

Servings servings

Calories 490kcal

Author RecipeGirl.com

Ingredients

1 ball fresh pizza dough
cornmeal to sprinkle on pizza stone
16 ounces hot ground pork sausage
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
One 16-ounce jar salsa
8 ounces shredded Mexican blend cheese
sour cream, for topping (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425℉. Place pizza stone on bottom rack of oven and heat for 30 minutes.
Brown the sausage in large nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain and pat dry with paper towels; set aside. Wipe the skillet clean. Whisk together the eggs and pepper; set aside.
Roll out the pizza dough onto a nonstick cutting board. Sprinkle some cornmeal onto the pizza stone and slide the pizza dough onto the stone. Bake for about 4 minutes.
While the crust is baking, cook the eggs in a lightly greased skillet over medium heat, without stirring, until the eggs begin to set on the bottom. Draw a spatula across the bottom of the skillet to form large curds. Continue cooking until the eggs are thickened but still moist (do not stir constantly). Remove the skillet from the heat.
After the crust has baked for about 4 minutes (just until lightly browned and bubbling). Open the oven and carefully spoon and spread the salsa evenly over the partially baked crust; top evenly with the sausage, scrambled eggs, and cheese.
Bake for 8 to 12 more minutes- until crust is deep golden brown. Serve drizzled with sour cream, if desired.

Notes

To lighten-up this recipe, try using reduced-fat sausage, egg substitute, reduced-fat shredded cheese, and low fat sour cream.
If you do not have a pizza stone, use a pizza pan or cookie sheet instead. Just be sure to sprinkle the pan with cornmeal before placing the dough, and don't preheat the pan in the oven as you would the stone.

Nutrition

The post Sausage and Scrambled Egg Pizza appeared first on Recipe Girl®.

Bertucci’s Nolio Pizza

Lori Lange — Mon, 14 Jan 2019 16:08:09 +0000

Here’s the perfect copycat recipe for Bertucci’s Nolio Pizza.

Bertucci’s Nolio Pizza

Bertucci’s Brick Oven Pizza and Pasta is a restaurant chain that can be found in eleven states in the Northeast. My husband grew up in Connecticut, and he loved going to Bertucci’s for their awesome Pizza. Bertucci’s Nolio Pizza was his absolute favorite.

The Nolio Pizza is described by Bertucci’s as having Parma-style prosciutto, caramelized onions, lightly seasoned cream, Pecorino Romano, and mozzarella. I’ve left off the Parmesan on this recipe (but you can certainly top it with a little Parm, if you’d like), and the cream sauce is seasoned as slightly lemony. It sounds like it might be an odd combination, but it’s totally not. It’s an amazing pizza!

I’ve made my share of homemade pizzas. My Easy Pizza Dough is used often for Pepperoni Pizza (a family favorite). I even make my own Basic Pizza Sauce! I might be kind of pizza-obsessed. If you don’t like to make your own pizza dough (totally understandable), you can usually pick up a pretty good ball of fresh dough at Trader Joe’s. Good grocery stores usually carry balls of dough too.

My absolute favorite in the pizza world is to make and eat cream sauce pizzas. Have you ever had a cream sauce pizza? This Nolio Pizza is one of them. Yep, that means no red pizza sauce. The sauce is made entirely of rich cream and then paired with the best toppings. The cream sauce makes it a bit more decadent and (I think) more delicious than classic pizza.

The Best Pizza Pan:

Do you have a pizza pan? I’ve had so many pizza pans over the years. I’ve even tried to use a pizza stone. But the best pan for me in making pizza has been to just use a nonstick-type pizza pan. I know that’s not the usual, and good pizza bakers out there might critique me for using a nonstick pizza pan… but I think it’s the best (and easiest) way to go. And this Nolio Pizza works well when baked on a nonstick pan.

You should be able to find a pretty good nonstick pizza pans at Target or some other kind of store that has a good selection of inexpensive kitchen items. Since I like to shop on Amazon for the immediate gratification of getting things in the mail within a day or two and not having to get in my car and go search for things, I’ve found one on Amazon that I like to recommend. I like this Probake Nonstick 16-inch Pizza Pan (and it has a ton of good reviews from other people too).

And now for the cute story of how I first tried this Nolio Pizza:

I mentioned before that my husband is familiar with Bertucci’s, and he’s tried all of their pizzas. This Nolio Pizza has always been his favorite. Back in 2007, he decided he was going to make me a romantic dinner for us (all made by him). He dug up this pizza recipe from somewhere, and he had me sit at the kitchen counter and drink wine while I watched him make pizza for us. It was very cute. He wasn’t sure how to slice an onion, and he was a little sketchy on juicing the lemon. But he wouldn’t let me do a thing.

The photo below (taken back in 2007) is the result of his grand efforts. He did a good job with this pizza, and we’ve been enjoying it ever since. He hasn’t cooked much for me since this pizza night LOL, but I appreciate the memory!!

If you’re looking for recipes that might be good to make and eat with pizza, you might enjoy my Pesto- Tomato Stuffed Mushrooms or this Caesar Salad with Balsamic Dressing and Parmesan Croutons. Easy Gourmet Salad, Garlic- Parmesan Breadsticks, and The Best Red Wine Sangria are also good pairings with pizza!

Bertucci's Nolio Pizza

Fantastic copycat recipe from Bertucci's restaurant: a cream sauce pizza with caramelized onions and prosciutto.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword bertucci's nolio pizza, copycat bertucci's pizza recipe, nolio pizza, nolio pizza recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Total Time 40

Servings slices

Calories 425kcal

Author RecipeGirl.com

Ingredients

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 medium lemon, juiced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup (8 ounces) chopped or shredded prosciutto
1 ball pizza dough (store-bought or homemade)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a small saucepan, boil the heavy cream until thickened. Add the white pepper and lemon juice; remove from heat and set aside. In a medium skillet, sauté the onions in olive oil until they begin to brown.
Roll out the pizza dough and place onto a non-stick pizza pan. Sprinkle on the cheese, then prosciutto. Add the cream mixture a little at a time to the pizza (Tablespoons full) forming little puddles spread around the pizza. Drain the onions and put them on last. They will continue to caramelize as the pizza bakes.
Bake 8 to 12 minutes. Don't overbake. You don't want to "dry-out" the pizza. Slice and eat!

Nutrition

The post Bertucci’s Nolio Pizza appeared first on Recipe Girl®.