Yes, You Can Lose Weight and Still Eat Pizza!

Although some would argue that every day should be National Pizza Day, the official celebration occurs every year on February 9th. Whether you choose to order pizza from your neighbourhood pizza joint or you’re a fan of firing up the pizza stone at home, there’s always room to enjoy a slice or two — even when weight loss is your goal.

Ordering pizza from your favourite restaurant? Following these guidelines will yield a healthy (but still mouthwatering) delivery:

• Opt for flavourful cheese over mild cheese. Blue cheese, feta, goat cheese, parmesan and pecorino Romano offer big flavour in small amounts.
• Feeling extra hungry? Add more vegetables to bulk the pizza up.
• Order whole wheat, thin crust pizza if the option is available.
• Skip the pepperoni and opt for shaved prosciutto, chicken, shrimp or a plant-based protein (such as veggie crumbles.)
• If you typically order dipping sauces, opt for marinara or hot sauce instead of a creamy sauce.

Classic Pizzas

Thanks to short ingredients lists and easy-to-follow instructions, these pizza recipes are as perfect for beginners as they are seasoned pizza makers. For the sake of convenience, we suggest making these pizzas with store bought frozen pizza dough or with our 2-Ingredient Pizza Crust. If you don’t own a pizza stone, a preheated cast iron pan or baking sheet (use the bottom side) works just as well.

Special Pies

Big impact-ingredients, think kalamata olive, gorgonzola, pesto, and prosciutto, make these pizzas ideal for date night or an intimate dinner party. Fresh basil, sage and arugula elevate these pies without adding points; feel free to experiment with similar toppings such as fresh dill, Italian parsley or dried chili flakes. Convenience items such as jarred pesto, canned white beans and rotisserie chicken can be used as toppings to add pizzazz to any basic pizza recipe — the sky’s the limit when it comes to making pizza at home.

Pizza as a Snack

When you’re hit by a mid-afternoon pizza craving, why not try making a snack-size version to share? Once you’ve chosen a base, you can get creative with the toppings (this is a great way to clean out the crisper and the cheese drawer.) Enlist family members when making snack-size pizzas, little ones will have fun decorating the pizzas while older children can chop veggies and grate cheese.

Creative Crusts

While there’s nothing easier than an English muffin pizza (see below), there’s a whole other world to discover when it comes to making creative pizza crusts. We’ve included crusts made from chickpeas, cauliflower and even polenta, as well as pita bread, tortillas and flatbreads. When making pizza crust with cauliflower, we recommend pulsing cauliflower in the food processor to break it down or buying bagged, pre-chopped florets.