Turkey Crust Pizza with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Calories 383 (46% from fat)
Fat 19 gram
Saturated Fat 7 gram
Trans Fat 0 gram
Cholesterol 156 mg.
Sodium 1215 mg.
Carb. 16 gram
Fiber 2.5 gram
Sugar 3 gram
Sugar Alcohol 0 gram
Protein 39 gram
Ingredients
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
3 bell peppers
(We chose red, yellow and orange.)
2/3 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves (2 tsp.) garlic, minced
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Meat Crust
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 pound lean ground turkey or chicken
(93/7 lean-to-fat ratio)
2 large whole eggs
1/3 cup pecorino cheese, grated
(Or other aged hard cheese.)
olive oil spray
Toppings
18 mini meatballs
(We used Simek's Classic Turkey Meatballs.)
2 Tbsp. fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 cup fat free mozzarella, shredded
1 cup regular mozzarella, shredded
This recipe transforms traditional pizza by using a seasoned lean turkey or chicken crust instead of carb-heavy dough. The meat base is perfectly spiced with oregano, basil, and rosemary for incredible flavor.
The roasted red pepper sauce is the star. Fire-roasted bell peppers blended with Greek yogurt and smoked paprika create a creamy, smoky foundation that's absolutely delicious.
While higher in sodium and slightly higher in fat than usual, this pizza is perfect when you need a substantial protein boost. Whether you're following a high-protein diet or just want something amazingly different, this delivers on both nutrition and taste.
Thanks to Haven for sharing this protein-packed masterpiece!
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
1. Roast the peppers: Preheat oven to 425°F. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast 25-30 minutes, turning once, until skin is charred and peppers are soft.
2. Steam and peel: Place hot peppers in a sealed plastic bag or covered bowl for 15 minutes. Remove skin, seeds, and stems. The skin should peel off easily.
3. Drain excess moisture: Pat peppers dry with towels and let them sit on towels for 10 minutes to remove excess water.
4. Make sauce: In a blender or food processor, combine roasted peppers, Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic, onion powder, smoked paprika, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth, 1-2 minutes.
5. Chill: Refrigerate sauce for at least 30 minutes to thicken.
Meat Crust
6. Preheat oven: Set to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet or pizza stone with parchment paper.
7. Mix seasoning: In a small bowl mix together the 8 seasoning ingredients, cornstarch, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, basil and rosemary. Set aside.
8. Mix the crust: In a large bowl, gently combine ground meat, eggs and cheese. Mix by hand or with a spoon until combined.
9. Stir in the seasoning ingredients: Put 1/3 of the seasoning in at a time, mix it into the turkey, then add more until it's thoroughly combined.
10. Shape the crust: Transfer mixture to prepared baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a silicone spatula or your hands, spread into a thin, even layer about 1/4 inch thick, forming a rectangle or circle shape. If you made a circle, the crust should be at least 12 inches across.
11. Bake: Spray top lightly with olive oil. Bake 22-25 minutes until cooked through and lightly browned. Don't overcook or it will become dry.
12. Cool briefly: Remove from oven and let cool 3-5 minutes.
Final Steps
13. Bake Meatballs: While the meat crust is cooling, put the mini meatballs in the oven and bake them, but not completely. If you use Simek's turkey meatballs like we did, bake them at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. Then remove from the oven.
Whatever meatball you choose, bake or cook them until they have about 6-8 minutes left, then take them out. You will finish them off after you put them on the pizza and do the final bake for the cheese to melt.
14. Add sauce: Spread the chilled red pepper sauce evenly over the meat crust, right to the edge. Save any extra sauce for dipping.
15. Add basil: Sprinkle basil over the sauce.
16. Add meatballs: Once the meatballs are baked, put them on top of the pizza. 12 around the edge and 6 inside so when you cut the pizza, each slice gets 3 mini meatballs.
17. Combine cheeses: Mix together the fat free and regular shredded mozzarella.
18. Sprinkle cheese: Sprinkle shredded mozzarella over sauce and meatballs. I spread it right over the edge a little.
19. Final bake: Return to oven (at 400 degrees Fahreheit) for 6-10 minutes until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.
20. Serve: Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with extra red pepper sauce on the side.
Yield: 6 Servings
