It may be a little more work than dialing your local pizza joint or ordering online, but at least with this quick and easy pizza recipe, you’ll know exactly what you and your family are eating. Plus, using fresh herbs and adding nutrients makes what you might have considered a “guilty meal” turn into a beneficial addition to your diet.
Ingredients:
- Olive Oil
- 1 pound store-bought pizza dough, cut in half*
- 1/4 cup jarred organic pizza marinara sauce**
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella or non-dairy shredded cheese mix***
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped basil, divided
Method Of Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, pour in a teaspoon or two of olive oil. Use a paper towel to go around the entire skillet to coat it so the dough will not stick to the pan while baking.
- Stretch out the half ball of pizza dough, pressing it until it completely covers the bottom of the skillet. Evenly spread the marinara sauce on the top of the pizza dough and sprinkle with the shredded cheese of choice and half of the basil. Transfer to the preheated oven to bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Then turn your oven’s setting to broil for about 1 to 2 minutes so the cheese can melt and also turn golden brown in color. Use a spatula to get under the pizza and transfer to a cutting board. Garnish with the rest of the chopped basil leaves. Enjoy!
*The pizza dough I like to buy is from Whole Foods. It comes in a frozen ball that weighs 1 pound. For this recipe, be sure to cut the ball in half once it is completely thawed so that you use only a half-pound of dough per pizza. You can thaw the dough out in the refrigerator or on the kitchen counter for 1 to 2 hours.
** I love spicing up a jar of organic pizza sauce by pouring it into a bowl and adding a few of my favorite fresh seasonings: 1/2 tsp soy sauce, pinch of salt to taste, 1/2 tsp fresh cilantro, and 1/2 tsp fresh basil. After this is all mixed up, it’s ready for the pizza!
*** Follow Your Heart is my favorite brand of meltable non-dairy cheese.
Photographer Credit: Nicole Garner
