Naan Pizza for Mother’s Day

Whole Foods Markets offers this interesting and tasty take on the traditional Italian pizza. In this recipe, they use Indian, tandoori Naan bread instead of the usual pizza crust:

Fresh Mozzarella, Italian Sausage and Roasted Red Pepper Naan Bread Pizzas

Serves 4

Ingredients
For the Basic Pizza Sauce (Makes 2 cups)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch red chili pepper flakes (optional)
1 (28-ounce) can crushed or pureed tomatoes
1 to 2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons sugar, to taste
Salt to taste

For the Pizza
1 cup basic pizza sauce
4 pieces original, whole wheat or garlic Tandoori Naan Bread
2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
1/2 pound cooked and crumbled Italian Sausage, hot or mild
2 roasted red peppers, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon oregano

Method
For the pizza sauce, in a medium nonreactive saucepan, heat oil, garlic and hot pepper flakes over very low heat, allowing the flavors to infuse the oil, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste and oregano. Cover and simmer 30 to 45 minutes, until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Taste and add sugar, salt and seasonings to taste. Refrigerate sauce and use within five days or freeze for up to three months.

For the pizza, preheat oven to 450F or 500F or grill to medium-high heat. If using a pizza stone, place on oven rack or grill while preheating.

Spread 1/4 cup of pizza sauce over each piece of naan. Sprinkle with garlic and red pepper flakes. Break apart cheese slices and arrange over each pizza. Sprinkle with sausage and arrange red pepper slices over each pizza.

Bake or grill pizzas 5 to 10 minutes directly on the pizza stone, until crust is crisp and cheese is bubbly. Remove pizzas and sprinkle with oregano and/or hot chili peppers.

Nutrition
Per serving (about 11oz/314g-wt.): 590 calories (270 from fat), 30g total fat, 12g saturated fat, 55mg cholesterol, 1510mg sodium, 51g total carbohydrate (7g dietary fiber, 4g sugar), 33g protein

(photo and recipe courtesy of Whole Foods Market)