One of the big things I missed when we started the Trim Healthy Mama plan was thin crust meat lovers pizza. I know there are all kinds of ways to make “on-plan” pizza but I haven’t figured out how to get a really good crispy crust that my friends and family that are NOT “on-plan” would appreciate.
That said, what my friends that also liked a good meat-lover’s pizza like it for is the meat. So as I went down the list of thin and crispy things in my head, I realized that bacon is both meat and thin and crispy. So maybe, just maybe I could make a bacon crust pizza.
I worked at McDonald's as a teen and they had these flat crispy bacon circles they’d put on a bacon egg and cheese biscuit, so I thought I might go that route. Then by chance, I found a picture on Pinterest of a bacon lattice pizza. From there I knew I had struck trim healthy gold, crispy and meat! I knew this would be a hit at any game day party.
I’ve tried this a few times and the following recipe makes individual-sized pizzas that are good for a single meal. Note that most guys can get away with one pizza made the way I’m putting it together and still lose weight, but my wife has to make them a little lighter just because in a day she doesn’t need as much energy as I do. So I’ll share her lighter version at the end.
Also, I’m sharing how I made my most recent batch, other than the bacon you can vary the rest to make your perfect thin crust pizzas.
Ingredients
3-4 Slices Thick Cut bacon
4 Slices Large Pepperoni
1 Slice Canadian Bacon
1 Slice Provolone Cheese
¼ Cup Mozzarella Cheese
2 tablespoons no sugar added pizza sauce
Supplies
Scissors
Tablespoon
Roasting pan - Note on the roasting pan, I find that the bacon cooks more consistently when it’s elevated in an oven so the juices pool below it in a roasting pan. If you just put it in the pan you end up with places where it’s deep-fried and scorched and others not done at all. For a crispy crust, you need to cook the bacon uniformly. If you don’t have a roasting pan a wire rack on top of a regular cookie sheet will do.
Cooking Instructions
Preheat oven to 425
Get out a roasting pan and line it with foil before you get started. This will make clean up later much easier.
Bacon varies a lot so you may end up with a 3x3, 3x4, or 4x4 lattice to make a nice square of bacon. To figure that out cut three strips of bacon in half and lay out four pieces side by side. Then lay a fifth piece in the opposite direction to figure out which size will work best and cut one more piece of bacon if needed.
For the first row just pick up the first piece of bacon and place a strip under it, then lay a piece on top, pick up again to lay a piece under, and then set the last on top. That will make the first row of the lattice-like this picture.
For the second piece flip the two pieces that were under the cross piece over it and lay down a crosspiece. Then flip the two pieces back in place.
Repeat this operation until you have a square.
Transfer the lattice to a roasting pan.
Repeat until you run out of bacon or room on the pan
Cook for 12 minutes, then rotate the pan to ensure even heating. Cook for another 12 minutes or until the bacon is 90% as crispy as you like it. If you make it all the way then it might be burned or just too crunchy after you heat up the toppings.
Remove from the oven and apply toppings, (pepperoni, sauce, Canadian bacon, provolone, mozzarella)
Return pizza to the oven until cheese is fully melted.
Remove from the oven and plate, then cut with a pizza cutter as you might any other pizza
Add a side of your favorite finger food veggies and you have a perfect on-plan gameday snack.
The way my wife makes the pizza is with far fewer toppings and cheese and then cuts it to put it on top of a salad. In some ways, that’s like the default way to deal with pizza and THM, but she says she likes the crispy.
Pro-tip: If you end up with extra pizzas, wrap them in parchment paper before putting them in freezer-safe plastic bags. It helps with potential freezer burn, and then you can put the parchment paper directly on a cookie sheet to heat it back up later and save the mess of cleaning the pan.
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