Pizza
Is there anything easier to feed children than pizza? If it’s a big hit in your house, then good news! There are simple, small steps you can take to turn pizza night into a chance to eat more veg and turn it into a more balanced meal.
Is there anything easier to feed children than pizza? If it’s a big hit in your house, then good news! There are simple, small steps you can take to turn pizza night into a chance to eat more veg and turn it into a more balanced meal.
Why is Pizza so great?
Most kids love pizza!
Yes, there are occasional exceptions, but for most families pizza is a big hit, making it a great place to start adding more veg to the meal. Pizza is fantastic for its ability to be a “base” – it is a building block (and a tasty one!) that can become a vehicle for making better choices for toppings, sides, or small improvements. A plain pizza already contains some carbs (bread base) and protein (cheese) and even a tiny bit of veg (tomato sauce), so adding some more veg as a topping or side can easily create a balanced meal!
Our Simple Pizza recipe below is just that – a basic mix of a bready base + tomato sauce + cheese. If you are just starting out, this is the place to start! If you already have the basics and want to work on slowly improving your recipe using our Step by Step method, try our Next Steps Pizza.
Kids who engage with healthy foods are more likely to eat them, so to set yourself up for success, we’ve included tips to get kids involved in the second recipe to keep things simple.
Simple Pizza
Ingredients:
Frozen pizza base (for 2-3) or a tortilla wrap (for 1)
Tomato sauce/puree (about 1 tbsp per person)
Grated cheese (a handful per pizza)
Extra favourite toppings (optional)
Not made pizza before, or not ready to try the next steps? Start here!
Method:
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For a frozen pizza: Cook the frozen according to package instructions, adding any extra toppings you want before cooking.
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For pizza base: Top with tomato sauce/puree and cheese, plus any extra favourite toppings and bake in a hot oven (220C/gas 7) for 10 mins or until cheese is golden and base is cooked.
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For wraps: Top tortilla wraps with tomato sauce/puree and grated cheese, plus any extra favourite toppings and bake in a hot oven (200C/gas 6) for 2-5 mins or until cheese and wrap are golden (you can also do this for 1 minute under a grill for an even quicker pizza!).
There is no need to go any further with this recipe until you are confident with it and feel up for the next step.
Once you have the basics it’s time to slowly improve your recipe using our Step by Step method to a bit better.
There are two ways to step-by-step your way to better pizza – start where you feel most comfortable and if in doubt, start with a few veg.
Remember, the MOST important thing is that the family enjoys the meal! These changes and swaps can take as long as is needed. Small simple improvements over time may not even be noticed!
add veg
Aim for 2 handfuls of veg per person in the long-run, but it’s better to go slow and get there than to rush to the finish line and find no one is there with you. For the best chance of success, start with a veg you know the family likes, don’t try to hide it, and build up over time. Starting with frozen veg can also mean less waste, keeping costs down, and being able to add a small amount simply.
We’ve added our top suggestions and how and when to add them to the recipe below.
better sauce
Swapping a ready-made sauce for a homemade sauce can often help the budget as well as the salt and sugar content. If making your own sauce is 20 mins you can’t spare, adding a tin of chopped tomatoes or passata is an easy, cheaper, instant way to a healthier sauce. Add flavour with a pinch of salt and/or some dried oregano or basil to taste.
Next Steps Pizza
Ingredients:
Frozen pizza base (for 2-3) or a tortilla wrap (for 1) – or try making your own with flour, yeast, salt and water!
Tomato sauce/puree (about 1 tbsp per person)
Grated cheese (a handful per pizza)
Veg toppings (see ideas in the recipe below)
We suggest you do this in stages, slowly, and go as far as works for your family, here’s how your final recipe might come together…
Method:
- For pizza base: Top with tomato sauce/puree and cheese, plus some fun toppings including some veg(!) and bake in a hot oven (220C/gas 7) for 10 mins or until cheese is golden and base is cooked.
- For wraps: Top tortilla wraps with tomato sauce/puree and grated cheese, plus some fun toppings including some veg and bake in a hot oven (200C/gas 6) for 2-5 mins or until cheese and wrap are golden (you can also do this for 1 minute under a grill for an even quicker pizza!).
- To make your own dough (enough for 2 large pizzas): mix 300g flour, 2 tsp dried yeast, a pinch of salt and enough warm water to bring together into a dough (about 300ml, but start with 200ml and keep adding a little until it becomes soft but not sticky). Knead by simply punching and folding on a clean counter for 3-5 mins, then either use straightaway, or leave in an oiled bowl covered with a clean tea towel or some cling film to rise for 1-3 hours. When ready to make pizzas, divide into 2 balls and roll out to a circle or rectangle shape, pop it on a sheet of greaseproof paper on a baking tray, top and bake at 220C/gas 7 for 8-10 mins, until base is cooked and cheese is bubbling.
- Great veg to use: try frozen/fresh sliced peppers, frozen/fresh sliced mushrooms, frozen/tinned sweetcorn, sliced red onions, pitted olives, sliced tomatoes, thinly sliced courgettes or aubergines, frozen grilled Mediterranean veg…
- And/or try veg on the side: shredded Iceberg lettuce or a handful of rocket with a bit of dressing, roasted carrots or broccoli, shredded cabbage and carrots and apple mixed with mayonnaise and lemon juice for a quick slaw, or frozen/fresh green beans cooked and tossed in a little minced garlic and butter…
Engaging Kids
Kids who engage regularly with veg through veg-themed activities, such as arts and crafts, sensory experiences, growing and cooking are shown to be more likely to eat the veg they engage with. Encouraging kids to engage and play with veg is the handy first step to them developing a good relationship with veg and life-long healthy eating. Find out more here.
Kids in the kitchen
Kids can really own the recipe. Have them pick from several options (mostly veg) and top their own pizzas. If you’ve made dough, help younger kids roll it out and spread the sauce over it.
Older kids might be ready to learn how to chop some fresh veg to add to their pizza, grate some cheese, or even have a go at making the dough!
Master these skills:
Tasting, Mixing, Bridge chopping, Claw chopping
Activities
Use arts & crafts as a stepping stone to interacting with the veg themselves. While you make your fajitas, why not set a child up with:
Take It To the Board Pepper game
Pens At the Ready Pepper puzzle
Find more arts & crafts and puzzles & games on our website.
Sensory
Why not start with a couple of slices of mushroom and get them to describe what they see – does it remind them of anything? Maybe it looks like an animal nose, or a tiny crown or an ogre tooth. See if they want to chuck some onto the pizza after having engaged with them.
Head to our Sensory page for more games, videos, tips and ideas.
Serving
Why not let your child build their own pizzas by choosing toppings and try to make a picture with the veg they choose? Perhaps they can spell their name from sweetcorn or make a funny face with a pepper smile and tomato eyes. Make sure to praise them for their choices as you build and eat your own veg-topped pizza, it may encourage them to try some on theirs!
Get more ideas over on our Roles for Kids page.
Family Favourite Recipes
Use our step-by-step methods to slowly improve these favourites, too…
DO you have a question you’d like one of our experts to help you with?
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