What to choose from the Pizza Express menu if you want to lose weight

Yes, you can eat pizza on WW! Discover our top picks from the Pizza Express menu if you're on a weight loss journey.
Published 26 September, 2019

Quite frankly, we’re not interested in any weight loss plan where you can’t eat pizza. 

If you want to lose weight but can’t live without Dough Balls and mozzarella, WeightWatchers® has the answer. Our flexible weight loss plan is designed for real life, which means you can eat what you love and still lose weight - yep, even pizza!

Pizza Express menu

For an Italian food fix, you can’t go wrong with PizzaExpress.

Founded just two years after WW, the popular pizzeria offers a mouth-watering menu packed full of Points®-friendly dishes, including their delicious Leggera recipe.

Leggera means ‘light’. On your plate, that translates to a classic-sized ring of wholemeal, white and spelt dough with a hole in the middle, which accommodates a generous helping of freshly dressed salad. It is worth knowing that you can ask for any of their pizzas on a Leggara base.

Fancy pasta, salad or a classic pizza instead? There are plenty of tasty options that sit snugly within your daily Points® Budget, plus delicious dishes you can spend your weeklies on (a weekly Points® ‘cushion’ to use however you like, for example dining out at the weekend).

Find out more about Points , then tuck into our top tips for navigating the PizzaExpress menu.

PizzaExpress starters & sides 

Get straight down to business with some marinated green olives with garlic and pink peppercorns for 4P or slow-roasted tomatoes for 2P while you’re scanning the menu.

When you’re ready to order starters, here’s what you need to know.

Bring on the carbs!

Enjoy a portion of PizzaExpress’s famous Dough Balls and garlic butter for 17P. Ordering without the butter brings this dish down to 7P, or share with a friend.

The gluten-free Dough Balls with garlic butter are 15P per portion, and the vegan Dough Balls (served with a harissa spiced tomato dip instead of the garlic butter) are 11P per portion.

If you like the sound of Dough Balls but would like more flavour, how about going halves on the Loaded Pesto Dough Balls for 9P (18P per portion).

Alternatively, the garlic bread with mozzarella is 11P and Bruschetta Originale (dough brushed with garlic butter and topped with fresh tomato, red onion, basil and pesto) is 10P.

No carbs....yet!

If you don’t fancy something bready to start, the baked garlic mushroom - a Portobello mushroom with garlic, harissa and a vegan mozzarella alternative - is 12P.

The creamy buffalo mozzarella and fresh tomato salad (served with pesto and fresh basil) and the halloumi bites (served with a tomato dip) are 13P.

Hop up to 16P to try the lemon & herb chicken wings or the polenta chips with Gran Milano cheese and honey & mustard dip for 13P.

PizzaExpress mains: Leggera range

Slice, slice baby… We love the PizzaExpress Leggera range, where most pizzas span between 13-18PP.

  • Leggera American Hot - 13P
  • Leggera Pollo ad Astra - 13P
  • Leggera Quattro Verdure - 16P
  • Leggera Pomodoro - 17P
  • Leggera King Prawn - 17P
  • Leggera Padana - 18P

PizzaExpress mains: pizza, pasta and salads

Classic

Classic pizzas clock in at around double the Points value of Leggera pizzas.

  • Fiorentina - 26P
  • Margherita - 27P
  • La Reine, Sloppy Giuseppe, Sloppy Vegan - 28P

If you’re happy to spend a few extra Points, the Veneziana is 30P and the American is 33P.

Romana

Inspired by Rome, Romana pizzas are bigger, thinner and crispier than Classic pizzas, which also increases the Points.

  • Padana - 32P
  • American Hot - 34P
  • Pollo Ad Astra - 35P

Or, if you have a few extra Points to spend, a Diavolo is 39P. The Romana BBQ Burnt Ends Pizza is 41P - stay on track by sharing with a friend, or tap into your weeklies.

Calzone and Calabrese

The Calzone Verdure (peppers, aubergine, spinach and courgette) is 29P and the Calzone 'Nduja (spicy sausage, pepperoni, peppers and chilli) is 42P. The Calabrese - a rectangular pizza with two types of sausage, three types of cheese, pesto, salad and veggies - is 45P.

Why not share these with a friend? That way, you can use any rollovers you’ve accumulated throughout the week (or your weeklies) for a starter or dessert.

Al Forno

Not in the mood for pizza? The Melanzane is a budget-friendly option for 13P. The Bolognese is 22P, the Cannelloni is 27P and the Lasagna Classica is 26P. The Pollo Pesto, which is Pizza Express' signature pasta dish is 39P per portion.

Salads

Salads come dressed (with or without dough sticks) and the Niçoise (tuna, anchovies, olives and egg) clocks in at 9P, add dough sticks and it comes to 17P.

The Grand Chicken Caesar Salad, with dressing but no Dough Sticks is 17P. Their new Vegan Nourish Bowl is a great budget-friendly and healthy option for 11P.

You can ask for no dressing, dressing on the side or no dough sticks - let your Points Budget guide you.

Pizza Wraps

Another delicious lower Point option is a Pizza Wrap. With the Lunch Bundle meal deal, you can choose a pizza wrap with a side salad for only £9.50.

  • Padana wrap - 21P
  • American Hot wrap - 20P
  • Pollo Ad Astra wrap - 15P
  • BBQ Burnt Ends wrap - 20P
  • Sloppy Vegan wrap - 10P

PizzaExpress desserts

If dessert’s the main event…

In the mood for something sweet? The Strawberries & Chocolate Dipping Sauce dessert is just 5P.

You may need to dip into your weeklies or rollovers to enjoy a Tiramisu for 22P, the Chocolate brownie with ice cream at 29P or the Red Berry & Vanilla Cheesecake for 34P.

Ice cream and sorbet

If you’d rather round off your meal with something a little lighter, the raspberry sorbet is 7P and the coconut sorbet is 12P. Or, ask for a Gelato - 2 scoops of your favourite ice cream flavour - Vanilla is 14P and Salted Caramel is 15P.

Dolcetti

Another reason we love PizzaExpress is their range of mini desserts called dolcetti.

  • Chocolate brownie - 11P
  • Caffè real (figs in a cinnamon and white wine spiced syrup with mascarpone) - 14P
  • Salted caramel profiteroles - 14P
  • Lotus biscoff - 15P
  • Vegan orange & carrot cake - 9P

If you order these with a tea or coffee, you’ll need to track the extra Points.

Sample meal combos*

1.

Meal idea: Leggera American Hot 13P + chocolate brownie dolcetti 11P = 24P

Top tip: Try building your other meals around ZeroPoint™ foods.

2.

Meal idea: Mixed salad (no dressing) 2P + Leggera Vegan Quattro Verdure 16P + Strawberries & Chocolate Dipping Sauce 5P = 23P

Top tip: Salads are good-for-you choices, but sometimes the wrong dressing choice can multiply the Points. When possible, order salad dressings and sauces on the side.

3.

Meal idea: Dough Balls with garlic butter (shared between 2) 9P + lasagna 26P + raspberry sorbet 7P = 42P

Top tip: Try saving up some rollovers beforehand, and don’t be afraid to dip into your weeklies (that’s what they’re there for!). Try to plan the rest of your day around ZeroPoint foods and low Points meals.

See the PizzaExpress menu 

*These are not meal plans and shouldn’t be considered as such, as they may not be nutritionally balanced. They are simply a suggestion to give you an idea of how to build a PizzaExpress meal into your day.

Freedom and flexibility with WW

The WW programme is not only rooted in science but also designed for real life, which means you can still eat out at your favourite restaurants and lose weight. We’ve given other popular restaurant menus the Points treatment, including Nandos and KFC!

Fancy a cosy night in instead? You can find PizzaExpress products in your local supermarket, including a range of Leggera dressings: Leggera Fat Free Vinaigrette (1PP per 30ml serving), Leggera Fat Free Chilli & Garlic dressing (1PP per 15ml serving), Leggera Light Pomegranate & Balsamic dressing (1PP per 15ml serving) and Leggera Light Avocado dressing (1PP per 15ml serving).

Whether you use them as dips or to dress salads, all dressings in the Leggera range have at least 30 percent less saturated fat than the PizzaExpress standard range of dressings, and are available in Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Ocado.

Or, try these 9 healthier homemade pizza recipes.