Pizza night is a tradition in many households. Usually hosted on a Friday or Saturday night as a weekend treat, ordering in or buying pre-made pizzas is something we’ve all done and tend to do quite regularly. But, pizza night isn’t typically the healthiest meal on the plan.
With a small margarita pizza from Domino’s containing 922 calories and a Pizza Express margarita pizza from the supermarket containing 636 calories for the entire pizza, it can get pretty unhealthy pretty quickly. But, by making the right choices, you needn’t miss out.
We’re going to be sharing our top healthy pizza recipes and hacks for making pizza less calorific, so you and the family can all enjoy this delicious dish together without ruining your diet!
Making Pizza at Home
Tortilla Pizza Bases
One of the easiest ways to make pizzas healthier is to make your own at home using tortilla wraps as bases.
This method of making pizzas is one of the quickest ways of doing it and also makes your pizza a fraction of the usual calories.
Grab yourself a tortilla wrap of your choice, top with pizza sauce or passata, around 20-30g of cheese and top with whatever you like such as veggies, chicken or cured meats, pop in the oven for 10 minutes and they’re ready!
Cauliflower Pizza Bases
If you want to get a little more creative in the kitchen to create some healthy pizza bases, this cauliflower pizza base recipe may be of interest.
Super affordable and really healthy, the humble cauliflower is so easy to transform into tasty and filling pizza bases, ready for you to top in any way you like.
Ingredients:
1 Cauliflower
100g Ground Almonds
2 Eggs
Method:
- Remove the leaves and stalk from your cauliflower and chop the into small chunks
- Blitz the cauliflower in a food processor until it has a rice-like consistency
- Place the whole thing in the microwave and heat for around 5 minutes to soften
- Remove as much liquid from the heated cauliflower as possible, using a tea towel or kitchen towel to blot it.
- Transfer your cauliflower to a new bowl and add the ground almonds and egg, and mix the whole thing to create a dough-like consistency. Season with salt, pepper and a little oregano.
- Once you have formed a dough, place on a lined baking tray and mould into a pizza shape. Bake for 15-18 minutes before adding your toppings
Pitta Pizzas
A perfect way to manage portion size on pizza night and an easy meal to make with the kids, using pitta bread as your pizza base saves a lot of work and calories.
Choose between white, wholemeal or gluten-free pitta bread, add passata or pizza sauce, cheese and your toppings before popping in the oven or under the grill for 5-10 minutes to crisp up.
Buying Supermarket Pizza
If you really just want to get in from work and throw a pizza in the oven from the fridge or freezer, there are healthier options you can make when buying supermarket pizzas.
Sainsbury’s Love Your Veg Pizza
Sainsbury’s have developed a range of vegan pizzas, including the Love Your Veg BBQ Jackfruit and Mushroom Pizza which contains 394 calories for the full pizza.
Cooking in just 10 minutes in the oven from chilled, this quick and easy veg packed pizza is a unique take on the classic dish but a healthier alternative if you’re really trying to watch the calories.
No Dough Pizza Company
If you fancy the idea of the cauliflower pizza base but simply don’t have the time to make it, the No Dough Pizza Company sell cauliflower base pizzas for the supermarkets, including Sainsbury’s.
The recommended serving size is half a pizza and for their vegan margherita version, this serving will contain 316 calories. These ‘no-dough’ pizzas are also gluten-free, vegan and one of your 5 a day.
Pizza Express Chicken and Mediterranean Vegetable Leggera Pizza
A popular choice for dieters from their restaurant menu that is now available in Tesco, the Pizza Express Leggera pizza is less dough, more salad and with healthier toppings like chicken and vegetables, this whole pizza contains just 396 calories.
Getting a Takeaway Pizza
If you’re looking for the ultimate easy pizza night in and really want to order a takeaway, there are some healthier choices you can make when ordering from the big pizza chains that will make your relaxed night in a little less calorific.
Domino’s
The Delight range at Domino’s features three different pizzas, all under 650 calories for a small pizza. They use a lighter cheese, thinner base and healthier toppings to keep things a little more balanced.
The range includes the Delight Chicken, Delight Vegi or the option to create your own.
At Domino’s, you can also swap the cheese on ANY pizza for their light mozzarella.
Pizza Express
Pizza Express offer takeaway pizzas fresh from their restaurants that can either be collected or delivered to your door via Deliveroo if it is available in your area.
Their full range of leggera pizzas can be ordered for takeaway, all of which are under 600 calories thanks to the thinner, ring-shaped base that swaps a bit of the dough for a heavy helping of salad.
So, just because you’re on a diet, doesn’t mean you need to miss out on pizza night! With these three different options for making your pizza a little more nutritionally balanced, you can enjoy something delicious with the whole family.
