Getting Creative with Homemade Pizza

After my son was born we ate frozen pizza more than I care to admit. It was quick, easy and one of our favorite foods. Eventually the dietitian in me could not allow our habit to continue. We decided to start making our own and usually make one or two every other week. 

 What I like about making my own pizza is that 1) It is still pretty budget friendly, we can usually find a pack of two whole-wheat pizza crusts for under $5.00 at the grocery store 2) We can get super creative and use up lots of fresh veggies on hand and 3) it can be quick and easy as far as making dinner goes and allows us to get our vegetable (sometimes fruit), whole grain and protein all in one dish. Plus, our little guy will always eat pizza, even with veggie toppings. 

Here are some of our recent pizza creations to help inspire you. Just add toppings and bake!

1) Mediterranean Pizza: Olive or garlic flavored hummus spread thinly on top of the pizza crust. Top with thinly sliced tomatoes, thinly sliced cucumber, chopped olives, chopped cooked falafel and sprinkle with feta or goat cheese. Trader Joes has fully cooked frozen falafel patties. 

2) Chickpea Avocado Pizza:  Spread avocado, garlic or roasted red pepper flavored hummus thinly on top of the pizza crust (I think we had a garlic hummus for this pizza). Add tiny, chopped broccoli florets, thinly sliced avocado, chickpeas (we roasted ours in the oven first with olive oil, garlic and turmeric--this step takes a bit more time), thinly sliced red onion and thinly sliced red, yellow or orange bell pepper. Top with mozzarella cheese. This pizza is pictured below!

3) Black Bean Mango Pizza: Spread black bean dip or refried black beans mixed with a little bit of salsa on top of the pizza crust. Sprinkle pizza with pieces of corn (we used frozen and thawed), diced mango and black beans. Top with thinly sliced tomatoes, thinly sliced green bell pepper and chopped cilantro. Sprinkle lightly with cheddar cheese. 

4) Coconut Currry Pizza: Spread a curry inspired hummus on top of your pizza crust (we used locally made ROOTS Thai Coconut Curry hummus). Top with thinly sliced red onions, thinly sliced red bell pepper, chopped cauliflower florets and protein of your choice (a curry flavored tofu would be delicious too) such as diced grilled chicken or shrimp. Sprinkle with unsweetened coconut flakes. 

5) Butternut Squash and Greens Pizza: Top pizza crust with butternut squash or pumpkin inspired pizza sauce (I use Dave's Gourmet sauce...it can be pricey but I always snag it at Whole Foods or TJ Maxx for almost half the usual grocery store cost). Top with baby spinach or torn kale leaves (stems removed) and protein of your choice. For this one, half of the pizza had garbanzo beans (for me) and the other half had sausage (for my hubby). Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. 

6) Goat Cheese Pesto Pizza: Spread  pre-prepared pesto and goat cheese over the pizza crust. Top with whatever vegetables and protein options you have on hand! Pine nuts or walnuts sprinkled over the pizza during the last minute or two of baking add a nice healthy crunch!

Anyone else want to share their ideas? Could use a few new ones!