With the start of a new year, it’s a great opportunity to begin incorporating healthier dishes into your weekly meals. Friday is pizza night in our house and in an effort to make healthier meals throughout the week, I decided to swap out the traditional crust and replace it with an unusual ingredient: quinoa.
Pizza Friday is something we look forward to each week, it’s always the perfect ending to a long week at work. While the toppings typically vary from week to week, I usually use store bought pizza dough because it’s easy. And who doesn’t want an easy dinner on Friday night? {You can see my entire collection of pizza recipes I’ve shared on the blog HERE} The only other time I didn’t use a traditional crust was almost two years ago when I made THIS cauliflower crust, which was delicious!
But, in the spirit of healthy eating, I made the traditional caprese pizza with a quinoa crust and wow, was it good! I used an 9 inch round cake pan to make them more “personal pan” size. And although this is healthier than traditional pizza, the personal pan slices allow you to limit how many slices you consume 😉 And although I didn’t use many toppings on this pizza, the crust is pretty durable so feel free to dress this healthy pizza like you would regular dough.
**I will say that the crust does really taste like quinoa. If you don’t care for quinoa, know that the baking and toppings {at least the toppings I used} don’t really mask the quinoa taste. It’s pretty tasty if you are a fan of quinoa like me though!**
Overall, an easy and delicious substitute for regular pizza dough. It is a little more time consuming than the store-bought version {what wouldn’t be!} but it is definitely better for you and more filling! Check out the recipe below.
But, in the spirit of healthy eating, I made the traditional caprese pizza with a quinoa crust and wow, was it good! I used an 9 inch round cake pan to make them more “personal pan” size. And although this is healthier than traditional pizza, the personal pan slices allow you to limit how many slices you consume 😉 And although I didn’t use many toppings on this pizza, the crust is pretty durable so feel free to dress this healthy pizza like you would regular dough.
**I will say that the crust does really taste like quinoa. If you don’t care for quinoa, know that the baking and toppings {at least the toppings I used} don’t really mask the quinoa taste. It’s pretty tasty if you are a fan of quinoa like me though!**
Overall, an easy and delicious substitute for regular pizza dough. It is a little more time consuming than the store-bought version {what wouldn’t be!} but it is definitely better for you and more filling! Check out the recipe below.
Personal Pan Quinoa Crust Pizzas: Caprese Toppings
{what you will need}
for the crust:
3/4 cup quinoa
2 – 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup water plus more for soaking
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
for caprese toppings {per individual pizza}
1/4 – 1/2 cup pizza sauce
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
6-8 cherry tomatoes, halved
3-4 fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
{directions}
Soak the quinoa overnight with water covering the quinoa by at least one inch. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a 9 inch round cake pan with parchment paper and drizzle 1 – 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil into the center, spreading the oil around with your hands to make sure the parchment paper and sides of the pan are covered. Rinse the quinoa that has been soaking overnight with cold water and transfer to a food processor. Add 1/4 cup water, baking powder, salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Blend until the mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and flip the quinoa crust. Bake for another 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are just brown. To make caprese pizza: top with sauce, cheese, tomatoes and basil and bake for another 12 minutes, or just until the cheese has melted. Allow to cool for 2 minutes in the cake dish before transferring to a cutting board. Slice, serve and enjoy!
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This post is linked up with: Tasty Tuesdays | Tickle My Tastebuds Tuesday | Two Cup Tuesday | Weekend Potluck | SITS Girls
I LOVE a homemade healthy pizza and this is IT!!! Looks scrumptious Rachel!!!
This sounds healthy and looks so yummy. Thanks for the recipe.
Nina
Nina's Style Blog
I have never tried making this and idk why! This looks great! You can't beat a healthy option!
What a fun way to try pizza! I actually love quinoa, so this sounds amazing to me.
xo, Whitney and Blaire
Peaches In A Pod
Totally trying this… I love quinoa and pizza so it only makes sense 🙂
Brittany 🙂
http://www.kingdomofsequins.com
This sounds so neat! I never would have thought to make a dough out of quinoa.
Yum!!!!! We're trying to stay on the healthy eating train this year, but I swear I always end up craving something that's bad for me! This would be a great way to eat pizza without it being too terrible for me health-wise!
this actually looks really yummy! I want to try it
Life is just Rosie
Instagram
I LOVE this idea- pizza is our fave vice, and since we're on a clean-eating kick right now, this is juuuuust the type of recipe I need in my life!
-Ashley
Le Stylo Rouge
Looks so healthy and yummy! Love this!
– Cielo
Mermaid in Heels
OOO! This looks incredible! I definitely want to give this a try. Thanks for sharing. XO, Ellese
Rock.Paper.Glam.
Omg this sounds delish! I definitely need to try this!
<3 Shannon
Upbeat Soles
Pinning this! I definitely need to give it a try! We love pizza and yay for healthy!
xo, Lily
Beauty With Lily
This is such a delicious idea, Rachel, and would be perfect to make on those snow days, as it's so easy to make. I've never tried pizza with a quinoa crust, it sounds so gourmet! I'll definitely be making this one! Thanks for sharing and I hope you're having a wonderful week so far!
XO,
Jalisa
http://www.thestylecontour.com