Tomato Artichoke Calzone

 Ingredients:

• 1 lb. pizza dough, thawed out
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 can (13 1/2 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained & sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried rosemary
• cooking spray

Makes 4 Servings (1/2 calzone per serving)

1. Heat oven to 425ºF. On a lightly floured surface roll out 1/4 of dough into an 11-inch circle; move to a parchment-covered baking pan.
2. Cover half of circle with 1/4 cup of sauce, 1/3 cup of mozzarella, 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese and 1/4 of artichokes, leaving a 1/2-inch boarder. Fold dough over sauced half, pinching edge with fingers and rolling edge up one turn. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make three more calzones.
3. Coat calzones with cooking spray. Bake until golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

WW POINTS VALUE: 8 pts. 

Note: This recipe appears on www.weighteatchers.com. Calzones are a wonderful, filling comfort food when they are done right. The combination of  Italian cheeses, homemade tomatoe sauce and artichkoes is quite delicious no matter how you prepare it. If you're thinking of ordering takeout, put down the phone and make this instead. You'll save a lot of money and you'll be more satisfied. 

Three-Cheese Pizza with Garlicky Spinach and Bacon

Ingredients:

• 3 slices turkey bacon, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 (5 oz.) package baby spinach leaves
• 1 (10 oz.) prebaked whole wheat thin pizza crust
• 2/3 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup fat-free shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Makes 4 Servings

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F. Spray large baking sheet with nonstick spray.
2. Spray large skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer bacon to plate lined with paper towels.
3. Add garlic to skillet; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Add spinach to skillet few handfuls at a time, stirring constantly and adding more spinach as it will fit. Continue cooking until spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes more. Stir in reserved bacon.
4. Place crust on baking sheet. Spread ricotta evenly over crust. Top evenly with spinach mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake until cheese is bubbling, about 8 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces.

WW POINTS VALUE: 7 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Tastier than Takeout Cookbook. This is a different take on a traditional pizza. It has three different kinds of cheeses, bacon and spinach. It's a nice comfort food without feeling any guilt that you get when you order takeout pizza. I do highly recommend adding Italian herbs such as basil, oregano, and parsley and maybe add some chopped tomato for a more filling and flavorful pizza. This pizza will be even better when you make your homemade pizza dough from scratch.

Five-Ingredient Tomato-Cheese Pizza

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb. whole wheat pizza dough, at room temperature
• cornmeal, for the pan
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Makes 8 Servings

1. Place oven rack on bottom rung oven and preheat oven to 500 F.
2. Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface. With lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into 12-inch round. Sprinkle pizza pan or large baking sheet with cornmeal. Transfer dough to prepared pan, gently pulling dough back into 12-inch round. (If dough resists, cover lightly with clean kitchen towel and let rest about 10 minutes.)
3. Spread tomato sauce over dough; sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Top evenly with mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake until crust is golden and cheeses are melted, 12-15 minutes.

WW POINTS VALUE: 4 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Family Meals Cookbook. This is a quick and easy dish that is better than takeout. The only thing hard about this recipe is actually rolling out the dough because pizza dough sometimes has a mind of its own. This pizza tastes better and is cheaper than what you would order at a pizzeria. I highly recommend putting on homemade tomato sauce on this pizza as well as fresh herbs like basil and oregano for a more authentic Italian taste. It will be more than 5 ingredients but it's worth it.

An Italian Favorite: Basic Cheese Pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. whole wheat pizza dough from Trader Joe's
• 1-2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups of tomato sauce
• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzerella cheese
• 2 tbsp grated parmesean cheese
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano and/or basil

Serves 6

1. Arrange one rack on the bottom rung of the oven. Preheat the oven to 500 F.
2. Sprinkle a work surface lightly with flour. Turn the dough onto the surface; knead lightly. With a lightly loured rolling pin, roll into a 12-inch circle. Transfer the circle of dough to a non-stick pizza pan or baking sheet, gently pulling the dough back to a 12-inch circle.
3. Brush the dough with the extra-virgin olive oil. Place the oiled dough in the oven and bake the crust 5-10 minutes.
4. Take the pizza dough out of the oven  Spread the tomato sauce over the dough, then sprinkle the mozzerella and parmesean cheeses. Bake on the bottom rack of the oven until the crust is golden and the cheeses melt, 12-15 minutes. Sprinkle with the oregano/basil just before serving.
    

WW Points Value: 5

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW New Complete Cookbook but I've made some adjustments. I added the olive oil and baked the crust to make it easier to make and tastier to eat. Trust me, it's really delish. I love the Whole wheat pizza dough from Trader Joe's because it's delicious and inexpensive.