(single-serve thin crust whole grain here)
This pizza is such a refreshing change of pace around here for only 324 calories per serving! My family, except for myself, could practically live on pizza. I get terrible heartburn from the tomato sauce on pizza for some reason, and the good news is there is none of that on this pizza! Pesto and balsamic vinegar actually replace the pizza sauce layer!
Of course, my youngest was worried about and focused on the goat cheese in this recipe, but he ate two servings!
Full disclosure here, I tweaked this recipe in a few ways. I copped out on making the pizza dough recipe below from scratch with a 5-count pack of 100% Whole Grain thin crust personal pan size pizza crusts to save time! I also went with the fresh, snipped oregano straight from the garden! The recipe as written makes 6 servings with the homemade thin crust dough, and if you choose to make your dough from scratch, start way earlier in the day than dinner time to allow for the yeast to do its job!
You can tweak it with more flavorful cheeses as well! You can get more flavor into more healthful dishes by way of cheese by choosing smaller amounts of types like herb-flavored, horseradish-flavored, or smoked cheeses!!
Pizza Dough Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour, divided
3/4 cup warm water, divided (105 to 115 degrees F)
1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
Pizza Topping Ingredients:
6 oz lean ground pork
2 oz thinly sliced pancetta, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
1 cup bottled roasted sweet peppers, drained and chopped
2 tsp snipped fresh oregano, rosemary, or thyme
2 Tbs basil pesto
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
3/4 c shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 3 oz)
2 oz crumbled goat cheese
Pizza Dough Instructions:
In a medium bowl whisk together 1/4 cup warm water and 1/2 tsp active dry yeast until smooth. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 2 to 6 hours.
Gradually stir in the remaining 1/2 cup warm water, 1/2 tsp salt, and 3/4 cup whole wheat flour. Stir in enough of the 1/2 to 3/4 cup all purpose flour to make a dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl but is still sticky.
On a lightly floured surface kneed in enough of the remaining all-purpose flour to make a soft dough that is smooth and elastic (3 to 5 minutes).
Shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and let rise once more in a warm place for about 30 minutes (good to work on the remaining recipe during this time!)
Grease two 12" pizza pans and set aside. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Gently remove pizza dough from the bowl and divide in half.
On a lightly floured surface roll each dough half into a 12" circle (dough will be VERY thin).
Transfer dough to prepared pans and pat to edges building up the edges just slightly. Bake on two separate oven racks about 8 minutes or until just starting to brown.
Pizza Topping Instructions:
In a large skillet, cook ground pork, pancetta, and onion over med-high heat until pork is no longer pink breaking up the pork as it cooks. Drain off the fat and pat with paper towel to absorb as much as you can.
Add garlic and fennel seeds cooking for another minute. Remove from heat and stir in the red peppers and oregano stirring a bit for a minute to distribute heat. Set aside.
In a small bowl combine the pesto and the vinegar. Brush this mixture evenly over crusts in pans leaving the edges plain. Spread the pork and pancetta mixture evenly over the crusts. Bake for 8 minutes.
Sprinkle each with the mozzarella and goat cheeses and return to the oven for about 3 to 4 more minutes to melt the cheese until the crust is golden brown.
If desired, sprinkle with snipped fresh oregano.
Cut each pizza into six slices.
YIELDS: 6 servings
SERVING SIZE: 2 slices
Nutritional Information: Calories 324, Fat 16 g (7 g sat), Cholesterol 39 mg, Sodium 457 mg, Carb 20 g, Sugars 2 g, Fiber 3 g, Protein 18 g
