Saturday, April 13, 2013

Healthy Homemade Pizza Pops


My hubby LOVES pizza pops. He would eat them every day if he could! The problem is that they are loaded with preservatives, artificial flavouring, unhealthy fats, refined flour, and lots of calories. So tonight I made my own healthier version. This recipe makes a batch of ~15 4-5" pizza pops, so there will be plenty left over to freeze and have for quick and convenient meals.

Ingredients:
Pizza dough (enough for 2 pizzas) - I used this recipe and subbed whole wheat flour for my crust.
~ 2 cups Pizza sauce (  Here's a good homemade sauce recipe)
~ 2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (use reduced fat mozza for lower calories)
1/2 Small Onion (diced)
1-2 Cloves Garlic (minced)
Other topping options include chopped tomato, spinach, feta cheese, lean ham, fresh pineapple, bell pepper, jalapenos, mushrooms ... etc.

Prepare pizza dough according to recipe. Form into a thick round patty and cut into ~ 15 equal pieces. Roll these into balls, place back in a bowl and cover with a tea towel to prevent them from drying out. Preheat oven to 375°.
Grab one dough ball and roll out very thin ~1/2 cm thick. In the center place ~ 2T sauce, a tiny amount of onion, garlic, and veggies/meat/whatever you like, cover with ~2T of mozzarella. Carefully fold edges of dough together, pinch all the way around, and then fold edge over and pinch again. Lightly oil a baking pan with olive oil. Place each pizza pop on the pan. When you are about 1/2 way done filling the pizza pops you should have one pan full.
Bake pizza pops for 15-20 minutes, or until crusts are lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and let stand on tray for ~ 10 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack.
I haven't frozen and reheated my pizza pops yet, so I don't know the exact time. But I am going to bake them at 375° for 15-20 minutes, or until hot and golden browned. You could also microwave them for 1-2 minutes or until hot. Let sit for several minutes after re-heating.

I filled mine with regular fat mozza, pizza sauce, onions, garlic, spinach, and fresh tomato. When I calculated the fat & calories they came to 5.6 g fat, and 140 calories each (about 1/2 the fat and calories of regular pizza pops).
Om nom nom! These are SO DELICIOUS! Way tastier and more filling than store bought pizza pops - and HEALTHIER of course~


                            


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