Pizza Substitute

I love pizza...of course have been staying away since I am calorie counting.  While watching tv, I found a substitute and made it today.

I used portabella mushrooms grilled under the broiler with s/p and olive oil, stuffed them with 1tbs tomato sauce, 10oz frozen spinach(cooked) with some garlic and 1 cup 2% mozzarella cheese.  It was pretty good, liked the mushrooms, more tomato sauce and salt... about 160cals and filling!

So, anybody else have a good pizza substitute???

ps. you can make it with any meat...I don't eat red meat.

I love using rice cakes, salsa, and string cheese to make a yummy pizza substitute. Simply spread some salsa on a rice cake and top with a few strands of string cheese. It's about 165 calories for two rice cake "pizzas".

Ok this is a little out there but bear with me I swear its not bad!

Take boiled and drained cauliflower, 1/2 cup egg whites, 2tbsp Wheat Gluten or Soy or Almond Flour (if you dont have these it works without them as well)

Mashed it up in a bowl add some spray butter, garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.
Shape it into a pizza crust, top it with pizza sauce from a can, add 1 cup Kraft FF Mozzarella shredded cheese.
I top mine with Lightlife Veggie pepperoni and green pepper but any toppings will do.

Bake until cheese and "crust" browns (about 25 mins)

I swear its not that bad, it will never be pizza, but for a low cal substitution that you can eat whenever and still get massive servings of vegetables it isnt bad.

I make pitta pizzas by halfing a pita bread,spreading on some tomato puree and extra light cream cheese, top with veg like mushroom and pepper and a pinch of finely grated parmesan.

They arent bad for pizza substitute.

Ive heard you can also do the same with a tortilla as a base.

I've never tried this, but I've heard of people using 1/2 english muffin, topped with low-fat/fat-free cheese and a dab of tomato sauce, then put in the toaster oven or broiler until the cheese melts.  It's sounds good, maybe it's worth giving it a try!

I do the 1/2 English muffin with sauce, sometimes a bit of meat, and cheese. It's so good. My mum used to make them when I was a kid. Delicious. Just try to limit how many you make or you'll end up eating all of them. Oops.

i love making pizzas with whole grain tortillas, tomato sauce, spinach and low fat mozzarella cheese. soooooo good!

Original Post by oxsunrisesunset:

i love making pizzas with whole grain tortillas, tomato sauce, spinach and low fat mozzarella cheese. soooooo good!

Now that sounds yummy!! What kind of tortillas do you use? wraps?

Babyvdog - I think your recipe for stuffed mushrooms sound really good and yummy, but.... there is no substitute for Pizza.  Find yourself some place that makes good THIN crust (gotta be crispy) pies and just enjoy a slice or two at the most.  One key is the thin crust,  can't put on too much cheese or other toppings that way.  No need to deny yourself just account for in your day.

I find the easiest way to make skinny pizza is to cut way back on the cheese.  I use a gluten-free pre-made crust, lots of veggies and fresh tomatoes, and a very light sprinkle of flavorful cheese, like parmesan or aged cheddar.  Mozarella melts better, for sure, but flavorwise you need a whole lot more.  Now I look at the goopy pizza they sell on TV and it really turns me off!

The pita pizza is really awesome. What I do is take a pita bread circle (only about 120 - 200 cals), sprinkle some garlic powder on it, and about 1 1/2 tbsps of pizza sauce. More garlic seasoning, and then a thin layer of shredded parmesan cheese. Sometimes I add a little grated parmesan as well. More garlic powder if you so desire, lol. Put in a 380 degree oven for 14 minutes. The garlic makes it smell really good when it's cooking! And there's barely any grease. Seriously, I hate pizza grease. It's so gross. But my easy homemade pizzas are the bomb!

Get a light wrap, like for sandwiches, brush it with olive oil, spread on some marinara sauce, add mushrooms, olives, whatever you like, put a little cheese on top, throw it in the toaster oven or oven, and wala! You have your own pizza for under 250 calories!

rwnorth, I wish I could just eat 2 slices thin crust...but I have to buy the whole pie..since I live alone..guess who would eat it :)  Besides, I love hand tossed cheese pizza...can't have that :(  i can control myself with everything else..not pizza :)

Pitabread, flatbread or wraps make great pizzas... a lot of the calories in pizza are in the crust so reducing that cuts the calorie load in half (especially if you go light on the cheese as well...)

Red Baron makes a new lower calorie personal pizza.  It's 300 cals for 1 of the 2 in the box.  Check out Red Baron Singles Thin & Crispy!  They're individually wrapped, so it's not hard to cook only 1 serving at a time (microwaveable or oven).

i really love the south beach diet company's pizza. premade, averages around 350 per pizza.

I bought a package of the Boboli 8" pizza crusts.  Each crust is 380 cals, so I cut one in half, spread a couple tablespoons of Boboli pizza sauce on it, along with half a cup of 2% shredded mozarella.  Total cals was 375.  I suppose I could cut the cheese back to a quarter cup, but I LOVE the melted cheese. I've tried several different one-serving size microwave pizzas, but I can't stand the crusts, so Boboli works best for me.  However, I'm going to try the English muffin pizzas.  I noticed my local grocery has 100-calorie muffins and thought I'd give those a go.  Pizza is my Achilles heel and the main reason I gained so much weight to begin with.  I was eating it two-three times a week for many, MANY years. 

I haven't really tried most of these, but have you ever heard of hungry-girl.com?  It's a website that, monday thru friday has newsletters for dieters.  She writes about new, low-cal products or high-calorie foods to avoid.  Also, she has tons of recipes for low-calorie, healthy snacks.  www.hungry-girl.com ;

Just go to the website and search (there's a search engine) for pizza.  Here are some links to get you started:

1. http://www.hungry-girl.com/girls/biteoutdetai ls.php?isid=1259#pizza
2. http://www.hungry-girl.com/girls/biteoutdetai ls.php?isid=1617

Original Post by swimfan93:

I haven't really tried most of these, but have you ever heard of hungry-girl.com?  It's a website that, monday thru friday has newsletters for dieters.  She writes about new, low-cal products or high-calorie foods to avoid.  Also, she has tons of recipes for low-calorie, healthy snacks.  www.hungry-girl.com ;

Just go to the website and search (there's a search engine) for pizza.  Here are some links to get you started:

 

1. http://www.hungry-girl.com/girls/biteoutdetai ls.php?isid=1259#pizza
2. http://www.hungry-girl.com/girls/biteoutdetai ls.php?isid=1617

 

 

Hi, swimfan.  Not only do I get the Hungry Girl emails, but I recently bought the cookbook.  Thanks for providing the pizza links.  I discovered one of the pizzas they like so much is available at a store fairly near me, so I'm going to give it a try.  I'm just REALLY fussy about pizza, so we'll see how it goes.  Thanks, again.