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Healthy Recipe: Pizza Quinoa Polenta

These Quinoa Pizza Bites Are Just 50 Calories

January 19, 2016 by Jenny Sugar

If a slice of pizza is one of your weaknesses, it's not something you'll want to indulge in on a regular basis, especially if you usually down two slices or more. Here's a healthier option that'll satisfy your need for a slice.

The warm and juicy baked tomato melts in your mouth along with the cheese. And the hint of fresh basil adds the perfect taste of Summer.

This pizza alternative is a cinch to whip up since the dough is made from slices of packaged quinoa polenta, making this dish gluten-free.

To see this simple 250-calorie recipe keep reading.

Quinoa Polenta Pizza

From Jenny Sugar, POPSUGAR Fitness

Ingredients

1 tube of quinoa polenta
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 Roma tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

Directions

Pour the oil in a pan and heat on low.
Cut the polenta into 15 quarter-inch-thick slices.
Place the polenta in the pan and cook each side until slightly golden brown, about 10 minutes each side.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Place the polenta on foil on a cookie sheet. Top each piece with a slice of tomato. Sprinkle with cheese and fresh basil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Information

Category: Main Dishes
Yield: Three servings (five pieces)

Nutrition

Calories per serving: 253

Source: Calorie Count

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Jenny Sugar

northcarolinag2 6 years

This sounds great. I will be trying this soon.

superfoxml 7 years

I'm currently in the midst of a polenta love affair so this is just the thing for me right now, looks fab-u-lous.

greentea14 7 years

I wanna try this. I just hope I can find this at one of my local supermarkets...and I am definitely going to try Asche's variation with feta cheese :)

TiVo 7 years

Thanks for the soggy warning regarding the fresh tomatoes. I may try polenta topped with sun dried tomatoes from a jar and 2% mozzarella. Thanks!

Asche 7 years

All in all I rate this 3.5 stars :-)

*not too salty b/c of the limited feta (mozz balanced out the saltiness.)

I just tried this finally. You have to make sure to cut the polenta really thinnly, otherwise it's very soft. Also, I would cook for less than 10 minutes. I used cherry tomatoes and I found that the longer you cooked the tomatoes, the more juice they released, thus making a soggy pizza. You could solve this by pre-roasting the tomatoes for a few minutes. Then, add them to the "crust" and bake long enough for the cheese to melt. My last gripe has to do with the cheese. I've never been such a fan of mozzarella...it has no taste! When I made my batch, I made three variations. I tried one with only mozzarella, one with only feta, and one with a mix of the two. I found that the mixed batch was the tastiest--not too salty b/c of the feta and the mozz. lended the gooey-cheese affect you don't get with feta.

Caity111 8 years

I'm having trouble finding a store that carries quinoa polenta (real foods and whole foods said they did not when I called). Can you let us know where you purchased this? Thanks!

Zulkey 8 years

hey Fitsugar, what's your estimated calorie count on this dish?

ella1978 8 years

Just bought some polenta for dinner this week. I now Have to go get some tomatoes... This looks awesome.

hottpink 8 years

This looks so yummy!

Advah 8 years

That looks delicious!!!

margokhal 8 years

Yeah I was wondering where the 272 came from...even with the cheese slices, I've heard most people quote 300-400 cal/slice, not to mention the fat and grease! But this looks good...I've been hearing about quinoa and how good it is, so it's worth a try!

AngieNewton 8 years

Oh my goodness, this recipe sounds wonderful and healthy to boot. Thanks for sharing.

kurniakasih 8 years

Where can I find this pizza for 272 cal per slice? LOL. Btw, thanks for the menu, I'd definitely try it out! :D It looks so yummy, and it'll be great appetizer (since hub is a meat eater).

robynhannah 8 years

Sounds amazing! As a vegan, I'm always looking for ways to add a little extra protein to my favorite foods. Quinoa is a super star grain, packed with complete protein (all nine essential amino acids), iron, manganese, and magnesium. Thanks for this great idea! I'm gonna swap out the mozzarella for the vegan variety and toss in a little ground flax to kick up the Omega-3's. YUMMY!

GlowingMoon 8 years

Actually, a pizza slice at 272 calories is not bad. Most of my health foods clock-in with more calories than that, which I eaten EVERY day for years, and I'm petite size 4. Granted, I do exercise regularly every week.

wolfjinx25 8 years

Looks delicious! I do the same thing but I used melba toast. I'm definitely going to try this! :)