Pizza for the New Year

Pumpkin Chili Chicken Pizza

The theme for Recipe Redux for January is pizza. Everyone loves pizza. There are an infinite number of ways to make pizza. Almost anything goes. For me, I love a hearty, thick crust pizza in winter. I also like thin and crispy, but when it is cold outside and you are looking for something warm and filing, deep dish works for me. This is a pumpkin chicken chili pizza and is very hearty.

Pumpkin Chili Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:

1 pound ground chicken

1/2 large onion, peeled and diced
1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup shredded raw pumpkin
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, reduced sodium if possible, rinsed and drained
1 Tbsp chili powder, or to taste
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 thin 12-inch ready-to-cook whole wheat pizza crusts (such as Boboli or other brand)
2 tsp olive oil
1 (15 oz) can pizza sauce, (look for brand with the lowest sodium)
2 cups shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large nonstick skillet, cook chicken over medium heat until browned. Drain if needed. Stir in onion, bell pepper, pumpkin, and garlic. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in beans and seasonings. Set aside. Place pizza crusts on pizza pans or baking sheets. Brush pizza crust with olive oil. Divide pizza sauce evenly between 2 pizza crusts and spread into an even layer. Divide chicken chili mixture evenly between the 2 pizzas and spread into an even layer. Top each pizza with 1 cup shredded cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Remove and cut each pizza into 8 wedges.

Makes 8 servings (2 wedges each).

Preparation Note: You can use your favorite pizza dough from scratch, if preferred.

Nutrition Information per Serving:
444 calories, 16 g total fat, 6.5 g saturated fat, 69 mg cholesterol, 7 g dietary fiber, 26 g protein, and 448 mg sodium. One serving of this recipe provides an excellent source of vitamins A and C, calcium and fiber and a good source of vitamins B-6 and niacin. Note: sodium could be reduced further if homemade pizza crust was used and kidney beans were cooked from scratch instead of using canned.

Cost per Serving: $1.73
Pricing Note: all ingredients were at “regular” prices except ground chicken was $2.99 a pound and cheese was on sale for $1.50 for 8-ounce package of shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese.

Click here to download and print a copy of this recipe.

Be sure to check out these other pizza creations.