Love pizza but not the guilt that follows more than a few slices?  Who says you can have your pie and topping, too?  With a few modifications, you can have a healthy pizza that leaves you just as full and satiated.  Although our kids still like homemade pizza on bread, we often use either halved red peppers, portobello mushroom caps, or eggplant as the base. The toppings are up to the chef, but at our house, it’s common for mom and dad to have a true “veggie” crust and kids prepare theirs on flatbread or pre-made pita or naan bread.  The base sauce for us is a bit richer, made from 1 T salt-free pizza seasoning into a 6 oz salt-free tomato sauce mixed with salt-free tomato paste.  However, feel free to mix and make a sauce best for you.  

If using portobellos, make sure to de-stem the center, then softly scrape the gills out with a spoon.  Coat the cap with olive oil, then fill the center with toppings of choice.  Bake at 450F for no more than 10 minutes.

For red peppers, slice in half lengthwise, de-seed, and coat the back side with olive oil.  Fill with toppings and cook for 450F for 10-15 minutes.  

For eggplant, slice into 1/2 wedges, lengthwise.  Again, coat the surface that will be on the baking sheet with olive oil, fill the top side, and bake for 10-15 minutes until tender.