Make pizza night extra special with this healthy homemade crust and sauce!

Serving Size: 1 slice

Yield: 8 slices (12-inch pizza crust)

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• ½ cup warm water (110 ˚F)
• 1½ teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1½ teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup all-purpose flour, plus more for the counter and rolling pin

For the tomato sauce:

• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup crushed red tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

For the Pizza:

• 1 cup artichoke hearts
• 1 cup sun-dried tomato
• ½ cup kalamata olive
• ½ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 4 ounces feta cheese
• 4 ounces mozzarella cheese
• ¼ cup fresh basil (optional)

Directions:

For the dough:

1. Mix the water, yeast and sugar in a large bowl. Cover with towel and let sit for 5-10 minutes, or until it develops a foam.
2. Add honey, salt and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the yeast mixture.
3. Add flours, ¼ cup at a time, knead with a dough hook or by hand until the dough is smooth, soft and a little bit sticky. Then knead the dough for additional 5 minutes.
4. Roll the dough into a ball and coat evenly with remaining olive oil. Place the dough into a bowl and cover with a towel and let rest for 20 minutes in a warm place (you can warm up or “proof” your oven on a very low setting).

 For the tomato sauce:

1. Combine the olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, and garlic in a cold saucepan.
2. Stir while you heat the saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté just 45 seconds or so until everything is fragrant – you don’t want the garlic to brown.
3. Stir in the tomatoes and heat to a gentle simmer – this takes just a couple minutes.
4. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon zest.

For the Pizza:

1. Preheat oven to 450˚F.
2. Shape dough into a pizza crust that is ¼ inch thick and 12 inches wide, use flour on the counter and rolling pin to prevent sticking.
3. Lightly brush pan or pizza stone with oil or dust with corn meal to prevent sticking.
4. Brush the top of the pizza crust with olive oil. Using fingers, push dents into crust to prevent bubbling.
5. Top with tomato sauce, olives, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and cover with cheeses.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crust is lightly browned and cheese is bubbling.
7. Remove from oven, top with fresh basil, slice, and enjoy!

Nutrition Information / Amount per serving:

Calories                                  275 kcal                                   Protein                                                10 g

Total fat                                  14 g                                          Total Carbohydrates                         30 g

Saturated fat                          4 g                                           Dietary Fiber                                      4 g

Cholesterol                            22 mg                                      Sodium                                               992 mg

Sugars                                    5 g                                           Added Sugars                                    3 g

 

For more delicious recipes, nutrition tips, and cooking and nutrition classes, contact the Kendall Reagan Nutrition Center at (970) 495-5916 or see the KRNC website. More health tips are also available at the College of Health and Human Sciences Pinterest board. Lastly, don’t forget to sign up for the KRNC monthly newsletter!

The Kendall Reagan Nutrition Center is in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.