Pork
Pizza (low carb and fast)
Author Notes
When I went low carb and no sugar, in 2015, one of the first things I needed an alternative for was pizza. And while I have published a few different versions of faux-dough alternatives, and all of them are good, this one is still my standby because it is fast, fresh, and really good. You can use the store-bought sauces and toppings, if you want, but when I make my own sauce and meatballs/sausages (see elsewhere), I make these super-simple and simply more delicious versions of this pizza. Joseph’s Bakery has a terrific low carb pita (“Flax, Oat Bran and Whole Wheat”) that keeps forever. I am not sure it is absolutely necessary, but I soften up the pita before I top it by sprinkling one of them with a generous amount of water on both sides, then plop it into my countertop convection oven (where this pizza gets baked, anyhow) while it is pre-heating to 425F. I keep the wetted pita in there about 1-2 minutes, just until the surface moisture is gone and it has been absorbed into the bread. This creates a more doughy texture to the pita.
UPDATE: I picked up a couple of small, round pizza stones that are just larger than these pitas. So now I pre-heat my toaster oven with the pizza stone in it to 450 F, holding at 450 F after the warm-up for 10-15 minutes to be sure the stone is heated. Then I sprinkle the surface of the stone with a little corn meal. I do not need to bother with wetting the bread ahead of time any more, and just slide the prepared pizza onto the stone. The baking time is definitely reduced to 12 minutes or so.
Note: The commercial brand of sauce named OTAMOT (yes, that is "tomato" spelled backwards) is really excellent, and they have a delightful spicy version.
Note in case you miss it: adding a bit of blue cheese with mozzarella changes the entire pizza experience. I might crumble (shmoosh, actually) about an ounce on one of these. The flavor really infuses.
And for a completely different twist: a layer of sauce... a couple of torn up pieces of prosciutto, mozzarella, and blue cheese, topped with some blueberries. —Brian Coppola
- Prep time 10 minutes
- Cook time 18 minutes
- Makes 1 personal pizza
Ingredients
-
1
low carb pita (Joseph's Flax, Oat Bran and Whole Wheat)
-
3/4 c cups
red sauce (see my meatball and sauce recipe elsewhere at this site)
-
1 tablespoon
EVOO
-
1 teaspoon
red pepper flakes
-
1/2 teaspoon
cayenne
-
1 teaspoon
Italian Seasoning
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1/2 teaspoon
basil
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2 ounces
fresh mozzarella (instead of slicing, they sell packs they call "pearls" - these work great
-
1
half a sausage, sliced; or 1 meatball, chopped (see my meatball and sauce recipe elsewhere at this site)
-
1 ounce
optional: crumble some blue cheese with the mozzarella
Directions
- Pre-heat countertop oven to 425F
- Prepare the pita. Wet it and place it into the oven for 1-2 minutes (see the general description).
- Add 1 T EVOO, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and herbs to the sauce and mix well.
- Drizzle a non-stick aluminum foil “boat” with EVOO. Coat both sides of the pita with this oil by rubbing it around on the oil-covered foil.
- Spoon and spread the sauce. Top with cheese and the chopped meatball.
- Sprinkle with more pepper flakes, basil, and Italian Seasoning.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes and slice onto a plate.
- At 13-15 minutes, with this amount of sauce, the pita will still be soft (you cannot lift this pizza with your hands, so do not forget the fork). If you like a stiffer and more cracker-y crust, use ½ cup of sauce and bake for 18 or so minutes (but be careful for too much charring along the edges).
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