by Jennifer Locke, RD, LDN
March was national nutrition month and this year I celebrated by paying homage to one of my favorite foods of all time: pizza. When I have the time, I love to make my own pizza dough in my bread maker, but there are times when I am in the mood for pizza and time is not on my side. Not to worry, because today I am sharing 4 different pizza recipes that all have two things in common: they are easy and quick. The following recipes could work for different meals, different ingredients that you might have on hand, and varying time constraints. What’s your favorite way to enjoy pizza?
- Naan pizza
- Ingredients: naan bread, tomato sauce, sliced fresh mozzarella, sliced fresh tomatoes (I like to use yellow or orange for color contrast), fresh basil – torn into small pieces, baking sheet, nonstick cooking spray
- Directions: preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray nonstick cooking spray on your baking sheet and place naan on baking sheet. Top with tomato sauce (use what you like), sliced fresh mozzarella, sliced tomato and fresh basil. Bake in preheated oven for ~10-15 minutes or until bottom of naan bread starts to crisp and cheese is melted.
- Tortilla pizza
- Ingredients: large wraps or tortillas, pesto (homemade or store bought), shredded mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, diced onions, olive oil, one clove minced garlic, baby spinach, baking sheet (make sure this is larger than the tortilla), nonstick cooking spray
- Directions: preheat oven to 400 degrees. While oven is preheating cook onions in a sauté pan with olive oil and minced garlic over medium heat until onions start to brown. Add baby spinach to the pan for the last minute or so of cooking (it doesn’t need long, just cook until wilted). Spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and place tortilla flat on baking sheet. Top with desired amount of pesto, then add desired amount of mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Top with caramelized onion and spinach mixture. Bake in preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes (until tortilla crisps up / cheese starts to brown)
- Taco Pita Pizza
- Ingredients: refried beans (I use canned but feel free to make your own from scratch), 1 diced tomato, shredded cheddar cheese, diced onion, diced green bell pepper, ground beef (or vegetarian alternative) cooked according to package directions with taco seasoning packet, pita bread of choice, baking sheet, nonstick cooking spray (optional ingredients: shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacamole)
- Directions: preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and place pita bread on baking sheet. Top pita bread with refried beans (spread evenly over entire pita, like you would tomato sauce). Add desired amount of shredded cheddar cheese, desired amount of diced veggies, and desired amount of taco meat. Bake in preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes (until cheese is melted). After baking feel free to top with shredded lettuce, a drizzle of sour cream, and guacamole.
- Easy Pizza quesadilla
- Wraps or tortillas (feel free to use spinach or tomato wraps if desired), shredded mozzarella cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese, dried oregano seasoning, sliced pepperoni, diced cooked veggies of choice (I like diced peppers and onions), tomato sauce, medium sized sauté pan (we want it to be the size of the tortilla or larger), olive oil or cooking spray
- Directions: heat sauté pan over medium heat on stove top. Drizzle with olive oil or use cooking spray if desired. Place tortilla on preheated sauté pan and top with desired amount of shredded cheese spread evenly over entire tortilla. Sprinkle with desired amount of dried oregano. Add pepperoni and cooked veggies to one half of tortilla. Once cheese starts to melt, using a spatula fold cheese side of wrap onto pepperoni side of wrap evenly so it resembles a quesadilla. Once tortilla starts to brown, flip to the other side to finish cooking. Once tortilla is browned on both sides and cheese and melted, remove from pan and slice into triangular pieces. Serve with tomato sauce.
- Breakfast pizza
- Ingredients: English muffin, tomato sauce, cooked spinach, shredded cheese, 2 eggs, baking sheet, olive oil or cooking spray, sauté pan to cook eggs
- Directions: preheat oven to 400 degrees. While oven preheats, split English muffin and place on baking sheet. Top English muffin with tomato sauce, spinach, and shredded cheese. Place in oven to bake for about 5-10 minutes (until cheese is melted). While English muffin is baking, heat sauté pan over medium and add drizzle of olive oil or nonstick cooking spray. Cook eggs as desired (I like mine over medium). Take English muffins out of the oven once cheese is melted and top with eggs (plus salt and pepper if desired)