https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/nutrition/g771041/the-runners-guide-to-pizza/
Top it off…
Cheese is both the good news and the bad news. It provides calcium for strong bones and high-quality protein for building muscles, but it can derail your diet with huge amounts of calories and saturated fat, says sports dietitian Rebecca Scritchfield. ‘A good guideline is no more than 115g of cheese for a pizza that serves four,’ says Scritchfield. The real thrill of pizza-making is choosing the rest of the toppings. Perhaps it goes without saying that there are virtually limitless tasty and vitamin-rich veggie options, and you can get creative with choices like fennel or broad beans. Sliced pears or figs add a sweet contrast to your savoury slice. Committed carnivores are well catered for, too, with healthy choices like sirloin steak and pork fillet strips packing a lean, flavourful punch.
Topping the balance
For a well balanced pizza, combine earthy ingredients (mushrooms, spinach) with sweet (peppers, onion) and salty (parmesan, olives, anchovies), while resisting those that lack nutritional punch. We’ve rated classic toppings to see which earn their spot on the top, and which you should ditch. Then we’ve suggested some options you may not associate with pizza (yet), but which deliver on flavour and health.
Dough-gooders
Mushrooms For a low-calorie cost, mushrooms deliver umami flavour and cancer-fighting compounds called beta-glucans.
Onions The bulbs are laced with quercetin, an antioxidant that may improve endurance.
Spinach Nitrates in this leaf may bolster muscle function by improving muscular contraction.
Sliced tomato Packed with the super-nutrient lycopene and with just 40kcal in 10 slices, they don’t hurt your waistline.
Olives Packed with beneficial phytonutrients, a source of iron and big salty flavour.
Oregano/basil/thyme Herbs add a punch of flavour to pizza for virtually no calories.
Pineapple A controversial choice in taste terms, perhaps, but the ‘Hawaiian’ staple is brimming with vitamin C.
Chicken Provides low-fat protein and niacin, a B vitamin needed for converting food into energy.
Ham Unlike most other meats at the pizzeria, ham is low in heart-hampering saturated fat.
Chillies Rich in vitamins C and B, plus other antioxidants. Research suggests they may also fire your metabolism.
Broccoli Loaded with cancer-fighting sulforaphane.
Aubergine A boost of fibre and health-promoting antioxidants.
Anchovies A sustainable source of heart-healthy omega-3 fats.
Eggs Protein and the brain-boosting compound choline.
Fat chance!
Pepperoni Nitrites found in cured meats such as pepperoni have been shown to raise diabetes risk. Better protein toppings include chicken, prawn and lean steak.
Green pepper Go with more nutrient-dense red peppers.
Sausage A fat bomb. A healthier choice is chicken sausage.
Minced beef Opt for slices of leaner steak such as sirloin or lean minced beef.
Get creative
Avocado Loaded with vitamin K, folate and vitamin C.
Broad beans For fibre and folate, a B vitamin that’s been shown to fend off hypertension.
Fennel Liquorice flavour and a hefty hit of vitamin C.
Kale For vitamin K – higher intakes may cut diabetes risk.
Nuts Almonds or pistachios add heart-healthy unsaturated fats.
Sweet piquante peppers Sweet-spicy capsaicin, which may help with weight loss.
Pork tenderloin Underrated lean meat with great texture for pizza.
Right ho, cheese!
Brie The ripening process that produces oozy cheeses boosts levels of anti-inflammatory compounds to help fend off heart trouble.
Mozzarella Scritchfield says the high water content makes these springy white balls less calorie-dense.
Goat’s cheese Rich in heart-healthy omega-3s and bone-strengthening calcium, and packs around 30 per cent less fat than cheddar.
Ricotta ‘Ricotta contains more whey than other cheeses, which is great for improving recovery and building lean body mass,’ says Scritchfield.
Pecorino Blend into sauces for a sharp-tasting, calorie-controlled flavour punch.
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PUT THE PIZZAS TOGETHER
The recipes on this spread all begin with the same basic crust recipe. From there, the possibilities are endless.
Start here
Heat your oven to 260°C. If you’re using a pizza stone, place it in the oven on a rack in the upper-middle position as it heats. If you’re using a baking sheet, lightly coat it with oil. Roll your dough into a 30cm round or 30x20cm rectangle, roughly half a centimetre thick. Brush the dough with a small amount of oil, concentrating on the edges.
Pizza Margherita
• 285g pizza dough
• 240g fresh tomato sauce
• 115g mozzarella, patted dry and torn into 2cm pieces
• 6 large basil leaves, torn
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 20g parmesan, grated
• ½ tsp cracked black pepper
METHOD Spread the tomato sauce over the dough, leaving a 2cm border uncovered. Lay the mozzarella pieces on the sauce. Place your pizza on a pizza stone or baking sheet, and bake until the crust is golden and crisp, and the cheese is bubbling. This should take about 10 minutes. Garnish with basil, olive oil, parmesan and black pepper.
Mediterranean pork pizza
• 285g pizza dough
• 225g pork fillet, sliced
• 120g purple tapenade
• 85g soft goat’s cheese, crumbled
• 40g thinly sliced radicchio
• 90g thinly sliced fennel
• 2 tbsp pine nuts
• 6 basil leaves, torn
METHOD Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over a medium heat and cook the pork until browned on the outside, but still pink in the middle. Spread the purple tapenade over the dough, leaving a 2.5cm border uncovered. Top with the radicchio, goat’s cheese, pork and fennel, in that order. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the crust is golden and crisp. Top the cooked pizza with pine nuts and basil.
Chicken and mushroom pizza
• 285g pizza dough
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 240g garlic white bean sauce
• 140g sliced cooked chicken
• 90g sliced mushrooms
• 125g sliced courgette
METHOD Fry the onions in butter over a medium heat. Mix in the sugar and vinegar, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Spread the bean sauce over the dough, top with the chicken, mushrooms and courgette. Bake for 10 minutes, then finish with the caramelised onions.
Salmon pesto pizza
• 285g pizza dough
• 120g rocket pesto
• Handful cherry tomatoes, halved
• 60g sliced roasted red pepper
• 1⁄2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 115g smoked salmon, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped dill
METHOD Spread the pesto over the dough, leaving a 2.5cm border uncovered. Top with the cherry tomatoes, sliced peppers and red onion, in that order. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and crisp. Spread the smoked salmon over the cooked pizza and garnish with dill.
Bacon’n’egg pizza
• 285g pizza dough
• 240g fresh tomato sauce
• 30g baby spinach or chopped kale
• 60g mozzarella
• 130g grated sweet potato
• 115g bacon, sliced
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tbsp chopped chives
METHOD Spread the tomato sauce over the dough. Top with spinach, mozzarella, sweet potato, bacon and spring onions, in that order. Make four ‘nests’ in the toppings and carefully crack an egg into each. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the egg whites are set but yolks are still runny. Sprinkle with chives.
Butternut and prawn pizza
• 285g pizza dough
• 6 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 240g butternut squash sauce
• Small handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 225g prawns, peeled and patted dry
• 1 small avocado, peeled and chopped into 1cm cubes
METHOD In a pan, heat the vinegar and brown sugar over a medium heat and simmer until syrupy – about six minutes. Spread the butternut sauce over the dough and top with the parsley and prawns. Bake for 12 minutes. Finish with avocado and a drizzle of the balsamic syrup.
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