How Did Frozen Cheese Pizza Make it to My Favorite List?

Like many people, pizza is one of my all-time favorite foods. Since my place of employment has us mainly working from home now, I have to admit I’m eating more pizza than ever; most of it has been frozen.

Photo by Cook for Today

All types of pizza do not come without calories, carbohydrates, and protein.

Eating frozen pizza at least twice per week regularly, I started to analyze how to make my pizza healthier and still enjoy it.

My favorite pizza, frozen or otherwise, has always been pepperoni. But pepperoni itself can have a lot of guilt attached.

To begin my experiment, I removed half of the slices of pepperoni. By doing this, immediately half of the fat and sodium content disappeared.

It took my taste buds a few weeks adjusting to the pepperoni downgrade. But with this taste test a successful accomplishment, I went further to consider a plain cheese pizza, a flavor I would have never touched in the past.

Frozen cheese pizza has become delicious by adding fresh vegetables and a sprinkle of my favorite cheeses. I am even craving it beforehand as I did for pepperoni.

Purchase and Storage:

1. Purchase your favorite frozen cheese pizza. My preference is whole pizzas; I find they cook more evenly than a single size. I buy three to four whole pizzas and keep them in the freezer for later use.
2. If the crust is too thin or thick, it does not always cook well. The only way to determine for yourself is to experiment with different brands of cheese pizza.
3. I could eat a whole pizza, but I only eat part of it. Cut in half and place the remaining part of the pizza in a gallon-size freezer bag. I find it freezes well this way up to a week.

Oven Setting:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees before removing the pizza from the freezer. (Do not let frozen pizza thaw before preparing the vegetables.)
2. The oven rack should be in the middle of the oven.

Vegetable Preparation:

Rinse the peppers and mushrooms; shake excess moisture off and thinly cut each fresh vegetable.

1. 1/3 of red pepper, green pepper, or yellow pepper.
2. One large or two medium fresh button mushrooms.

Options:

• Variety of chili peppers.
• Artichokes.
• Fresh herbs.
• Red or white onion.

Photo by Cook for Today

Have all selected cut vegetables waiting at the side.

Final Pizza Preparation:

1. Place cut frozen pizza on a sterile acrylic cutting board.
2. Sprinkle one heaping tablespoon of grated mozzarella, extra sharp cheddar, pepper jack, gouda, cheese on frozen pizza. (I always keep a small bag of shredded mixed cheese in the fridge on hand for cooking omelets, Italian and Mexican dishes.) (I grate cheese at least once per week.)
3. Evenly place the selected vegetables on the pizza. (I do not overdo it with add-ons, too much can make a pizza soggy.)
4. Placing mushrooms last on top allows them to crisp up.
5. Placing the pizza directly on the rack, allows the heat to circulate the top and bottom to cook evenly.
6. I cook frozen pizza for 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown.
7. Then turn on the broiler for at least three to five minutes watch closely until topping is crispy and bubbly.
8. Carefully remove pizza from the oven with a spatula and oven mitts.
9. Place on clean, dry cutting board.
10. Cut as desired.

Photo by Cook for Today

Final Words:

I have discovered that restaurants have all the right kitchen equipment to work best with pizza preparation. But it is possible to create a great lower fat and salt frozen pizza at home. Cheese pizza still has calories and carbs, but at least I’m going in the right direction.

My next experiment will be creating a homemade pizza with a whole wheat crust.

1/4 of a whole cheese pizza is approximately 30 grams of carbohydrates (two servings of carbohydrates).

Disclaimer: My food and nutrition articles are for informational purposes only. Always follow your healthcare provider’s guidance and orders.

Thank you for reading. :-)