Craving Pizza? Don’t reach for your cell phone. Instead, make your own.
Pita Pizza
Last semester, I bought a bag of pita rounds and ran out of things to do with all of the pita. Eventually, I decided to use the pita like premade pizza dough. Then I thought, if I’m already using whole wheat pita instead of pizza dough, I might as well choose some healthier options for the rest of the ingredients. I chose pesto sauce in place of pizza sauce, part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese in place of whole milk shredded mozzarella cheese, and diced tomatoes in place of pepperoni slices. Because I love this dish so much, I just knew I needed to share it with our Her Campus Towson readers.
What you’ll need…
- Diced Tomatoes (or choose your own vegetable topping)
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (preferably part skim)
- Pita Rounds (preferably whole wheat)
- Pesto Sauce
Note: Although I used jarred pesto sauce in the pictures on this article, I recommend buying the dry mix instead. The dry mix is much cheaper and is less likely to soak through the cheese. The only downside is that there is some minor preparation for the dry mix. You must boil the mix in water. The dry mix is called Knorr’s Pesto Sauce mix.
What you’ll do…
Step #1: Preheat the oven to 350°
Step #2: Set your pita round on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Step #3: Spoon and spread the pesto sauce on the pita round.
Step #3
Step #4: Sprinkle some cheese on top of the sauce.
Step #4
Step #5: On top of that, spread the tomato chunks as densely as you’d prefer.
Step #5
Step #6: Sprinkle some more cheese on top.
Step #7: Bake for 5-7 minutes (until the cheese is melted).
How is this a healthier choice?
Tomatoes are a great source of nutrition as they are high in dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron.
Mozzarella Cheese is high in protein. The part skim options have a lower calorie count.
Pesto Sauce is high in protein and low in calories. However, it is also high in sodium so be sure to use a thin layer of sauce on your Pita Pizza.
Whole Wheat Pita Bread is high in dietary fiber, iron, calcium, protein, and low in calories. The only downside is its high sodium content, so if you’re concerned about your sodium intake, just be cautious.
Next time that pizza craving hits, do your wallet and your body a favor. Don’t order out; make a Pita Pizza.