Healthy Homemade Pizza Recipe with Swiss Chard

This recipe for a Healthy Homemade Pizza is made with whole wheat dough and topped with Swiss chard, caramelized onions, and mozzarella. Healthy never tasted so good!

Making a homemade pizza is a lot easier than you think. 

It all begins with a foolproof pizza dough recipe. Then, top it off with the best pizza sauce and your favorite pizza toppings like mozzarella and basil to make a simple but great-tasting Italian Margherita pizza. 

That’s just one of many examples. For more inspiration, make sure to check out these pizzas! 

As a dietitian, I’ve often been asked if pizza and focaccia are healthy for you.

You probably won’t be surprised if I tell you that it is definitely possible especially if you are having a pizza with zucchini! 

The portion size and the type of ingredients used will determine if a pizza is healthy. 

Today, I will share how this is not only possible, but it can actually taste great as well. 

To make a healthy pizza, stretch out whole wheat pizza dough, spread a pesto layer, and prebake it for 6 minutes, preferably on a hot pizza stone. Then top it off with sauteed Swiss chard, caramelized onions, low-fat mozzarella and grated cheese and continue to bake until the pizza crust becomes nice and crispy.  

Mise en place

Planning makes family pizza night a lot more relaxing and enjoyable. 

The day before: 24 hours before you plan on having it, prepare this recipe for whole wheat pizza dough. You can also prepare the caramelized onions (complete recipe) and the sauteed Swiss chard (complete recipe).

We also need about 2 tablespoons of basil pesto. Make your own or use a commercial brand. 

The same day: A few hours before you plan on serving it, remove the dough ball from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature. This usually takes 1 hour. 

We also want the pizza toppings to be at room temperature, so set them on the counter as well.

Place the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven. If using, place the pizza stone on the rack in the cold oven.

Next, preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C) for at least one hour before baking the pizza. Please plan accordingly. 

When it’s time to bake the pizza, we will lower the heat to 480°F (250°C).

Stretching the dough

The total yield for this recipe is 2 pounds of homemade dough. This makes 1 large (15-16 inches); 2 small (10- 12 inches) or 1 rectangular (10 x 15 inches) pizza.

Once the dough ball is at room temperature, fold each ball of dough over itself a few times and shape it into a ball. This can be done directly in the bowl or on a lightly floured wooden board. 

Separate the dough in half if making 2 small pizzas.

Place the dough ball in a pan that has been greased with about 1 teaspoon of butter, followed by 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  

Lightly oil the dough’s surface and allow it to rest for approximately 1½ – 2 hours or double in size. 

After this waiting period, the dough should easily stretch out.

Instructions

With lightly oiled fingertips, begin to push and gently poke at the dough, stretching it as you go along (I have a small bowl filled with about 1 tablespoon of oil). Remember to dip your fingertips in the olive oil and then “push” the dough and extend it over the surface of your pan. 

At the end of this process, there should be a thin layer of oil over the pizza’s surface.

Please note that if you are still having difficulty, allow the dough to rest for an additional 5-10 more minutes.

With the help of a pastry brush, spread about 1 tablespoon of basil pesto on the surface of each pizza. 

Lower the heat to 480°F (250°C) and place the pan in the oven on the pizza stone (if using). Bake for approximately 6-8 minutes or until the dough begins to form a crust. The total time will depend on your oven, so keep an eye on it. 

Remove the pans from the oven and quickly garnish each pizza with 1 cup of sauteed Swiss chard, approximately ⅓ cup of caramelized onions, ½ cup of grated mozzarella cheese and 1 tablespoon of grated cheese. 

Place it bake in the oven for about 8-10 minutes or until the pizza crust is nicely browned.

Allow the pizza to rest for a few minutes before slicing it. 

Tips

• This pizza dough makes 1 large (15-16 inches), 2 small (10- 12 inches), or 1 rectangular (10 x 15 inches) pizza.
• Preheat the oven for at least one hour before you plan on cooking your pizza. This ensures it cooks evenly. 
• Garnish the pizza with toppings that are at room temperature. Plan accordingly. 

How many pizza toppings is too much?

The risk of using an excessive amount of pizza toppings is that the pizza crust becomes soggy. 

When is the best time to cut the pizza?

Please wait a few minutes for the cheese and the rest of the ingredients to set before slicing it with your pizza cutter. 

What to serve it with

Enjoy this healthy pizza with this wonderful Italian salad with chopped greens. For dessert, nothing could be more refreshing than this fruit salad. 

Recipe inspiration

I grew up in an Italian household where my mom made pizza at least once a week. 

A few years ago, when I documented my mom’s recipe for sauteed Swiss chard, I also shared some pictures of my dad’s garden. 

Needless to say, it truly was such an amazing garden. What was even more special was that my mom had the wonderful gift of being a fantastic home cook. She would come up with all kinds of wonderful dishes using garden greens. 

One of our favorite recipes was her Swiss chard pie. 

I put on my dietitian’s hat, played around with my mom’s recipe and come up with this healthier version I am sharing with all of you today.

Just in case you are wondering, yes, I do plan on documenting my mom’s recipe as well. 

Stay tuned!

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Enjoy!

THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.

Ciao for now,

Maria

★★★★★ If you have made this healthy pizza recipe, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!

Recipe