Homemade Healthy 12″ Pizza = $6

pizza_text

What do you think of when you hear the word pizza? I bet a lot of you think of it as party food or junk food.

Well…let’s sit back a minute and think about this: If the ingredients of a pizza are bread dough, tomato sauce, cheese, vegetables, and meats–all of which are in many healthy dishes, too– what makes pizza unhealthy?

My observation: It’s the type of pizzas we order and what we pair with it on our plates.

Some people (especially us young folk) go “all out” when they order pizza because they want to indulge in the junkiness of it. We’ve had a hard day and/or want to join a group of friends for a movie night with triple meat pizza and beer. OR we are starving and feel the need to go “all cheap” because they can’t afford anything else, so order a $5 Little Caesar’s. AND what better way to compliment sliders, sodas, chips and brownies at a Tailgate than a sloppy, over-priced, takeout pizza? (Actually, I’ve eaten some really tasty take-out pizza before, but my point is that it’s overpriced.)

Now, I’m all for saving money and having fun and eating pizza (I really like pizza!!). But what if I told you that you could make a pizza that’s healthy and tasty for $6?

Here’s the breakdown for you math lovers of the cost of the pizza I made last night. (Omitted are the fresh basil and jalapeno, which were both from my CSA box. Since they’re remotely expensive I didn’t add it to the price list. You could buy dried oregano or basil for a fraction of the cost if you don’t have fresh herbs on hand…same with garlic powder).

If you’re like me and hate numbers just trust that I did the math right and skip to the recipe below ;)


1 bag all-purpose flour = $2.50
15 cups per bag = $2.50 / 15 cups = 16¢ per cup
1.5 cups flour per recipe X 16¢ = 25¢ per recipe

1 bag whole wheat flour = $3.50
15 cups per bag = $3.50 / 15 cups = 23¢ per cup
1.5 cups flour per recipe X 23¢= 35¢ per recipe
FLOUR = 16¢ + 35¢ = 60¢ per recipe

1 – 4 oz jar of Fleischmann’s yeast = 142 servings / 4  (because there’s .25 tsp in a serving) = 35.5 tsp in the jar
$4 per jar / 35.5 tsp = 11¢ per tsp
2.25 tsp per recipe X 11¢ = 25¢ per recipe
YEAST= 50¢ per individual packet (which is 2.25 tsp) -or- 25¢ for 2 1/4 tsp from the jar


TOMATO SAUCE = 33¢ per recipe (1/3 of a 24 oz Hunt’s can for $1)


GREEN BELL PEPPER= $1

 

Cheese = $8 / 8 cups (2-lbs bag cheese) = $1 per cup
3 cups per pizza x $1/cup = $3
CHEESE = $3 per recipe

 

Turkey Pepperoni = $2 per packet / 3 (because you’d probably use 1/3 of the packet) = 66¢
TURKEY PEPPERONI = 66¢

 

TOTAL = $6.09*

*this includes the 50-cent yeast packet instead of the 25-cent one

 


 

This is a pretty legit pizza that TASTES good and won’t make you feel gross after eating it. I can only eat 2 pieces before feeling satisfied instead of 4 pieces of storebought and feeling kinda icky. Seriously, if you make this pizza you’ll never want to buy a $5 storebought one again. Or order a $20 takeout. Why not pay the extra dollar to make this one? PLUS! You can make this pizza with some friends! It’ll be so much fun to choose your toppings and create your own masterpiece. You can have everyone pick their 1/4 or 1/3 of the pizza and personalize it to their liking!

Easy Homemade Pizza
Using half white flour and half wheat flour gives the crust lots of wholesome flavor without the density. Kneading the dough slightly, then letting the dough rest briefly and baking it quickly before placing on the toppings corresponds to the crust's perfect texture, thickness and crispiness. Plus, adding herbs to the tomato sauce and garlic powder to the dough creates immense flavors. The greatest thing about this recipe is that even the pickiest eaters will like it! Yield: 1 pizza. Takes about 1-1.5 hours to make and bake.
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Ingredients
Crust
  1. 1 (0.25 oz) pkg active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp)
  2. *If doubling recipe, only use 4 tsp, not 4 1/2 tsp
  3. 1 1/2 tsp white or brown sugar
  4. 1 cup warm water (110F)
  5. 2 1/2 cups flour (I used half whole wheat and half white), with another 1/2 cup reserved for kneading
  6. 2 tsp olive oil
  7. 1 tsp salt
  8. (optional) dried herbs and garlic seasoning
Toppings
  1. Sauce: marinara, alfredo, pesto
  2. Vegetables/other: peppers, tomatoes, olives, onion
  3. Cheeses: cheddar, mozzarella
  4. Herbs/other: basil, oregano, garlic
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375F for a dark pan and 400F for a light pan.
  2. Measure out your water and heat it in the microwave for 1 minute on high.
  3. Pour yeast and sugar into a large bowl. Pour warm water over the top.
  4. Let stand until creamy/foamy, about 10 minutes.
  5. While yeast proofs, combine dry ingredients in a small bowl: flour, salt, garlic powder (optional).
  6. Combine dry with wet ingredients, adding oil as well. Stir until smooth and a dough ball forms.
  7. Knead dough if you wish for a minute or two (this isn't critical but it seemed to help the texture be more elastic; otherwise it may fall apart while holding it with your hands). Then let the dough rest for at least five minutes.
  8. Turn dough out into a lightly greased pizza pan. Roll into desired shape. Prick the dough all over with a fork, leaving two inches around the edges of you want a crust.
  9. Bake crust for 10 minutes or until crust is slightly firm/crunchy.
  10. Then, spread desired toppings on crust and bake for another 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and pizza is slightly crispy and golden brown.
  11. Serve immediately with a side salad, a bowl of freshly cut oranges and a table full of friends!
Adapted from Allrecipes
Adapted from Allrecipes
Oh My Foodness! http://oh-my-foodness.com/
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