5 Tips For Turning A Simple Pizza Into A Healthy Dinner — Plus 10 Great Recipes For Inspo

A true crowd favorite, pizza seems almost universally loved. With so many iterations, and so many great local businesses you could buy from, it may seem like a waste of time to make your own—but it's actually a super fun way to spend a night in, whether it's with roommates, as a date night, or with the whole family.

When it comes to the wide world of baking, pizza crust is actually on the easier end of the spectrum for make-from-scratch simplicity. It's also manageable to make your own grain-free or even a veggie-based crust for an alternative to the bready classic—though you can recruit your sourdough starter for a chewy bread crust. The crust can also be a great place to sneak in some protein, by using a high protein flour or keto-substitute.

At the pizzeria, there may be a limit to how many veggies you can choose, or you may have to pay up for those extra leafy greens—but at home, you're free to add as much as you like, no charge necessary. When it comes to which veggies you add, you can let your preferences, and the contents of your fridge, guide you—or take your cues from whatever nutrients you're hoping to add to your pizza.

Though you wouldn't look at a pizza and think "added sugars," many canned tomato sauces might include a bit of sugar to offset the slight sourness of tomatoes. While you can find healthier store-bought sauces, making your own is a surefire way to bring some healthiness to your pizza pie.

For a pleasantly balanced sauce without the sugar, this goji-berry-powered marinara is a great place to start. But making your own sauce also gives you the chance to opt out of using tomatoes or other nightshades, if they bother you. Luckily, that doesn't mean sacrificing the tomato-y goodness: This nightshade-free sauce uses a blend of other veggies (like carrots, beets, and sweet potatoes) for a truly tasty alternative.

Sure, you could skip the cheese altogether, but that doesn't sound very nice to us. If you're nixing it for health reasons, there are healthier cheese options that also add punchy flavor to your pie (like a creamy goat cheese or a salty aged Parmesan).