Homemade Pizza Recipes That Are Healthy and Delicious

Homemade pizza can be a healthy and delicious alternative to restaurant or store-bought pizza. When you make pizza at home, you get to choose the ingredients and toppings, from low-fat cheeses and meats to fresh vegetables. A reduced-fat cheese, for example, can save you 8 grams of fat. Additionally, Italian turkey sausage contains significantly less fat than Italian pork sausage.

Following are some healthy and delicious pizza recipes you can try at home. It all begins with a reduced-fat pizza crust.

Reduced-fat pizza crust

- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/3 teaspoon instant dried yeast
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine water, yeast and olive oil in large bowl. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Add the flour and then the salt. Mix with your hands until a dough ball is formed. When the ball is formed, knead for another 5 minutes until the dough feels elastic and is free of lumps. Dust the dough ball lightly with flour, cover with plastic wrap and leave for 1 hour to rise.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. If you're using a pizza stone, place it in the cold oven and preheat. Shape the dough into a round crust, about 12 or 14 inches in diameter. Lightly brush olive oil onto the crust with a pastry brush. Do not saturate. It should just have a light sheen when coated. Slide the crust into the oven and onto the pizza stone. If you do not have a stone, sprinkle a large cookie sheet with cornmeal, shape the crust on it and place into heated oven on a center rack. Bake the plain crust for 2 minutes.

Remove the crust from the oven with oven mitts or a pizza peel and return it to the counter. The crust is ready for your healthy and delicious toppings. When the toppings are on the crust, return the pizza to the oven and bake for about 6 minutes. Let pizza stand for 2 minutes before cutting and serving.

Rustic sausage pizza

- 1 cup Italian turkey sausage, thoroughly cooked
- 1/2 cup roasted red peppers, sliced
- 1/2 cup sliced button mushrooms
- 1/2 cup sliced green peppers
- 1/4 cup chopped black olives
- 2 cups shredded, reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
- 8-ounces tomato sauce
- 2 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Thoroughly cook the sausage in a skillet. Brown and crumble it. Drain any fat and then blot the meat with a paper towel. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine sauce, garlic, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Stir until all seasonings are blended into sauce. Spoon the sauce over the partially baked, low-fat crust. Be careful not to use too much or the pizza may become soggy. Add remaining toppings and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake for about 6 minutes. Remove pizza from oven and let stand for 2 minutes before slicing and serving.

California chicken pizza

- 1 cup fat-free ranch dressing
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- Juice from one small lime
- 2 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed
- 1 packet fajita seasoning
- 2 cups shredded, reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
- 2 cups shredded lettuce
- 1 cup diced tomato

Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a food processor until blended. This mixture becomes your pizza's sauce. Spoon the sauce over the partially baked, low-fat crust. In a bowl, toss the cooked cubed chicken breast with the fajita seasoning until each piece is coated lightly. Top the sauce with the chicken. Top the chicken with the cheese and bake for 6 minutes. Remove pizza from oven and let stand for 2 minutes. Spread the shredded lettuce and diced tomato over the cooked pizza. Slice and serve.

Specialized tools: pizza stones and peels

There are some accessories you can purchase, especially if you're planning to bake a lot of homemade pizza.

Pizza stones are flat pieces of ceramic or earthenware. They come in round or rectangular shapes and are available at most general retailers and kitchen stores. The stone allows even heating for the crust, which helps a homemade pizza crust taste more like one from a pizzeria. The trick is to make sure your oven and the stone are hot before you place the crust on the stone.

A pizza peel is a large wooden paddle and ideal for homemade pizza. It gives you a surface for preparing the pizza and is the best tool for moving the homemade pizza into and out of the oven. Before shaping your pizza crust, lightly dust the pizza peel with cornmeal. This will help the crust slide smoothly from peel to oven in one fluid motion.