Mexican Pizza

This recipe is so quick and easy! Start to finish it took me a total of 20 minutes to make...what could be easier then that? This pizza also comes in under 500 calories a serving which is always a plus when you are trying to eat healthy. This pizza reminds me of the Tostada Pizza that California Pizza Kitchen serves, the base of this Mexican pizza uses Pillsbury Crescent rolls, where as California Pizza Kitchen uses pizza dough. Either type of base will work, depending on what your family likes. Pizza dough would also bring the calorie count down even more if you wanted to go in that direction.

Bake the pizza in the oven at 375 degrees until the cheese has melted.

Ingredients-

1 lb. ground beef; 90% lean, 10% fat

2 (8 oz) cans Pillsbury Crescent rolls

2 tbs. Taco seasoning

2 (16 oz) cans refried beans

2 cups shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese, I used low-fat cheese

5 scallions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup tomatoes, diced

1/3 cup black olives, sliced

4 cups shredded lettuce, I used Romaine

1/3 cup low-fat Greek yogurt

1 tbs. Ranch seasoning

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Unroll the Pillsbury Crescent rolls into rectangles and place in an ungreased 11 1/2 in x 16 1/2in jelly roll pan or baking sheet. Press the dough into the bottom of the pan and up the sides. The rolls may overlap slightly, that is ok. Bake the crust in the oven 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. 

While the crust is baking, brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat, about 10 minutes. Drain off any extra grease. Season the ground beef with salt, pepper, and taco seasoning. While the ground beef is cooking, heat the refried beans in a medium sized pot over medium heat. 

Once the crust is done cooking, carefully spread a layer of the refried beans over the crust. Next, spread that browned ground beef over the crust and top with the shredded cheese and scallions. Place back in the oven and cook for another 4-6 minutes until the cheese has melted. 

While the pizza is cooking, in a large bowl, mix together the Greek yogurt and ranch seasoning. Toss the lettuce, tomatoes, and olives in with the yogurt mixture until all the lettuce is nicely coated. When the pizza comes out of the oven top with the salad mixture and serve. Enjoy!

Homemade Pizza

Prosciutto-Arugula Pizza

My husband and I love to make pizza at home, it is much cheaper then delivery and you can customize to your taste and liking. 

1 lb prepared pizza dough, at room temperature

Flour, for dusting

4 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

1 large clove garlic, grated

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. fresh ground pepper

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

4 cups arugula

1 small shallot, thinly sliced

Juice and zest of one lemon

4 oz. prosciutto, thinly sliced and cut into 1/2 in. strips

Parmesan cheese, for topping

Start by placing a pizza stone, or upside-down baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees. While the pizza stone is heating up, roll out the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle (from the picture above you can see that my circle is not perfect, so do not stress about getting a perfect circle). Once the pizza stone/baking sheet and oven have come to temperature, remove the pizza stone/baking sheet from the oven and carefully transfer the pizza dough onto the pizza stone/upside-down baking sheet. Prick with a fork to avoid the dough from forming bubbles while baking. Place the pizza stone/upside-down baking sheet, back in the oven and bake the pizza dough for 8 minutes. 

While the pizza is cooking, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil in a bowl with the grated garlic, salt, and pepper. Whisk mixture until combined. Once the pizza has cooked, remove from the oven and brush with the olive oil mixture, then top with the mozzarella cheese. Return the pizza to the oven and bake for another 6 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown. 

Next, in a medium bowl whisk together the remaining olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, shallots, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the arugula and toss with dressing to coat. Remove the pizza from the oven and top with the arugula salad, sliced prosciutto, and parmesan cheese. 

Cut into slices and serve.