Food

There are so many styles of pizza out there: traditional Italian thin crust, New York style and, the big boy of the bunch, the Chicago-style deep dish - basically a giant pie-size slice of pizza stuffed with various meats and piles of cheese. Chef Jo Lusted swaps the meat for a low-fat version and adds a ton of veggies. Sautéing the vegetables lightly before assembling and putting a layer of cheese at the bottom helps keep the filling from making the crust soggy.

[deepdishpizza]

Find Chef Jo's whole wheat pizza dough recipe here.

Ingredients

1 10-inch deep dish pizza pan, non stick cake or springform pan, or cast-iron skillet
2 low-fat turkey or chicken sausage (3 oz each), casings removed
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 cups thinly sliced cremini mushrooms
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
to taste sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp finely ground cornmeal
1 lb prepared whole-wheat pizza dough, or 1/2 recipe Jo's Dish Do-Over Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
1/2 cup sliced pimento-stuffed green olives
1 cup all-natural jarred tomato sauce
2 cups grated low-fat mozzarella cheese
4 oz turkey pepperoni
1 tsp Italian herb seasoning
3 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat; mist with cooking spray. Add sausages to pan and cook, stirring frequently and breaking up with a wooden spoon, until cooked through and lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a large paper towel-lined bowl to drain excess fat.
3. Return pan to heat, mist with cooking spray and add onion and mushrooms to pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent and mushrooms are softened and browned, about 4 minutes. Add bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add to bowl with sausage. Allow to drain for 5 minutes, then remove paper towel and mix together sausage and vegetables.
4. Mist pizza pan with cooking spray and sprinkle with cornmeal. Roll or stretch dough into a 14-inch circle and place in pan, gently pressing dough into the bottom and sides of pan and ensuring it extends about 2 inches up the sides.
5. Sprinkle half of mozzarella over crust. Add layer of pepperoni slices and top with sausage and vegetable mixture, then olives. Pour tomato sauce over top and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella, Italian herbs and Parmesan.
6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until crust is golden, cheese is bubbling and filling is heated through. Let rest at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving, to allow filling to set.

Before

770 calories , 55 g fat

Dish Do-Over

Calories: 219, Total Fat: 10.2 g

From: Dish Do-Over, by Jo Lusted

Yield: Serves 10