If you’re anything like me (or human), you probably love pizza and can tear through one with little assistance. In the words of Joey Tribbiani, “What’s not to like?”…. Bread? good! Sauce? good! Cheese? gooooood!

Image result for joey tribbiani gooood gif

I’ve got some bad news… you might want to sit down for this. Pizza is horrible for you. That is unless you choose the right options. A 12″ cheese pizza from Domino’s has 1,760 calories, 60 grams of total fat, 3,600 mg of sodium, 216 grams of carbohydrates, and 64 grams of protein.

In comparison, making your pizza at home allows you to choose exactly what you want to include on your pie, healthy and fresh toppings, and it’s pretty fun as far as cooking goes! The 12″ pizza you’ll see below has approximately 1,466 calories, 44 grams of total fat, 2,400 mg of sodium, 58 grams of carbohydrates, and 63 grams of protein. Here’s a look at how this breaks down per slice:

PizzaComparison.png

Instead of ordering delivery pizza the next time you’re with family or friends, pick a few different toppings and make it right in the comfort of your own kitchen. Below, I’ll walk you through the steps I take when I make my own pizza’s. You might love or hate the toppings I use, but you can add whatever you’d like to yours, which is the great part of making your own pizza.

  1. Pick toppings. I went with broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and onion for mine. You could go any way- peppers, spinach, olive, mushroom, etc. If you want to add meat, try picking a low sodium option like ground turkey or chicken as opposed to sausage or bacon.
  2. Pre-cook toppings. After selecting your toppings, chop them up and throw them in a pan on medium heat with olive oil.  This helps remove the moisture in the vegetables so that the crust doesn’t get soggy as it bakes. Cook the vegetables until they are tender- this time will vary.

3. Prepare the crust. Before adding anything, brush the crust with a thin coat of olive oil. I used Boboli’s 12″ 100% Whole Wheat- choose whichever crust you prefer, but the nutritional information will vary.

4. Add on toppings. Spread on the pizza sauce and add your toppings and cheese. I used Rao’s Homemade Pizza Sauce and Galani’s Fresh Mozzarella. Again, different sauces or cheeses will vary in nutritional info, so be sure to check the label.

5. Bake the pizza. Cook time will vary based on the crust, so follow directions on the package. This pizza baked for 10 minutes on 450ºF.

img_27951.jpg