Tonight's solution: Pepperoni pizza
To make the meal: Green salad, garlic toast
Make your own pizza in less time than it takes to pick one up or have it delivered. Like all the recipes we’ve received from Virginia-Highland resident Liz Coyle, a frequent 5:30 Challenge contributor, this recipe is all about preparing your family’s favorites in smart ways.
Any pepperoni will do, but Coyle has found turkey pepperoni works for her family. “I often use turkey pepperoni because it’s significantly lower in fat and calories and seems less greasy when it cooks," she said. "My boys like it just fine.”
Pizza dough is available in a number of different forms. You’ll find pizza dough in the canned dough section of your grocery’s dairy case, and Trader Joe’s sells balls of pizza dough in its dairy case. Coyle sometimes uses the premade pizza rounds that can be found in the dairy case of most supermarkets.
Take the 5:30 Challenge. If you have a great-tasting main-dish recipe that uses no more than five ingredients and can be made in 30 minutes or less, tell us. (Salt, pepper, water and oil for greasing a pan don’t need to be included in the ingredient count.) You can also suggest a side dish if it can be made within the same time. Send recipes with your name, address and phone number to fivethirty@ajc.com.
Pepperoni Pizza
Hands on: 10 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4
1 (1-pound) ball whole wheat pizza dough
1 cup marinara sauce, store-bought or homemade
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups shredded low-fat Italian-blend cheese
2 ounces sliced turkey pepperoni (about 1/3 cup)
Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Lightly coat a rimmed cookie sheet or 16-inch round pizza pan with nonstick cooking spray or olive oil.
Roll dough into a 15-by-10-inch rectangle or 16-inch circle. Gently move dough onto prepared pan. Stretch dough to reach the edges of pan.
Spread sauce evenly over dough to within 1/2 inch of edge. Sprinkle oregano over sauce. Scatter cheese over top. Place pepperoni slices over cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until edges brown. Remove from oven. Cool slightly before serving.
Per serving: 463 calories (percent of calories from fat, 29), 26 grams protein, 55 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 15 grams fat (7 grams saturated), 38 milligrams cholesterol, 707 milligrams sodium.
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