Gluten-Free Pizza Guide
Hi! Are you all feeling inspired after my inspiration board post? Today I wanted to share some of my favorite ways to satisfy a pizza craving while still avoiding gluten. As you might already know, pizza crust is made with wheat flour, which contains gluten. Sometimes I miss eating regular pizza, but like every other type of glutinous food craving that I get, I find a way to fulfill it.
Frozen Pizza
Luckily, we have many gluten-free pizza options. If I need a frozen pizza, Amy’s gluten-free pizzas have a rice flour crust and come in both dairy cheese and dairy-free cheese varieties. I especially like the spinach & tomato one.
I’m kind of ashamed to say that it’s the only brand of frozen pizza that I have tried, but most gluten-free pizzas are expensive and if I already know that I like Amy’s, why should I risk it?
Homemade Pizza
Now, if you are feeling a little more gourmet and in the mood to make your own gluten-free pizza dough from scratch, Gluten-Free Mommy has a good recipe posted here.
Or, if you want to make a super-quick pizza, take a brown rice tortilla, spread some pizza sauce, sprinkle your favorite cheese (low-moisture mozzarella or mozzarella Daiya non-dairy cheese work well,) and load up on lots of vegetables (mushrooms, spinach, onion, olives, sweet potato slices, broccoli, etc.) Bake at 400º for 10-12 minutes or until the edges start to brown. Simple and satisfying!
Or, if you want to go completely vegetable crazy, remove the stems from whole portobello mushrooms. Coat the mushroom caps with a little olive oil and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, thyme and balsamic vinegar. Pre-heat the oven to 350º. Place the mushroom caps with the gills-side down on a lightly oiled pan and bake for 15 minutes.Remove from the oven and turn the caps over and top with pizza sauce, veggies and cheese and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
Eating Out
Sometimes you just want to go out for a slice of (or whole) pizza! If that’s the case, and you don’t know where to go, then google it. I usually just type in, “gluten-free pizza” plus whatever town I’m in. Up pops a list of pizzerias serving gluten-free pizza. If you happen to live in the Portland area, Bellagio’s has my favorite personal size gluten-free pizzas. Or, check out glutenfreeportland.org’s list of pizza spots around Portland.
More and more national pizza chains are starting to offer gluten-free crust. I know that Garlic Jim’s gluten-free pizzas are really popular.
If you are trying to watch your waistline while enjoying some pizza, here are three tips to slash some calories:
1. Avoid fattening meat toppings. Pepperoni, sausage and meatballs are loaded with extra fat and sodium.
2. Ask for half the cheese. Trust me, you will not even miss it. Then next time you order pizza, try it without any cheese and see how you like it. Well, this may be taking a little too much of the fun out of pizza, but it’s a great option for vegans and people with a dairy-intollerance.
3. Have 1 slice of pizza along with a large green salad. This way, you get to enjoy some pizza and fill up your stomach with lots of fresh vegetables. Just be sure not to drown your salad in creamy dressing. Try to add a little vinaigrette instead.
If none of there pizza options are available to you, here is another pizza-flavored meal that I love, pizza salad. I made this the other night when I went to grab a brown rice tortilla and it was moldy – eww!
Pizza Salad
2 cups mixed greens
1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato
5 Kalamata olives, sliced
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms (baby bellas work great)
2 tablespoons grated cheese (parmesan, pecorino romano, mozzarella, etc.)
1/4 cup pizza sauce
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 fresh basil leaves, sliced
sea salt and pepper to taste
Combine all of the ingredients in a large salad bowl. Toss and serve. This seriously satisfied my pizza craving the other night!
I hope that these gluten-free pizza tips with help you find a new way to indulge your pizza cravings. Does anyone have any amazing gluten-free pizza suggestions? I’m all ears :)
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