Healthy Sheet Pan Pizza

If you are looking for an easy homemade pizza recipe that packs a nutritional punch, look no further than this sheet pan pizza recipe. Sheet pan pizza not only makes a fun dinner, but your family will love getting to choose their own toppings too!

By the end of the workweek, my entire family is kind of exhausted and looking forward to a relaxing evening at home vegging out. Of course, we have to make the perfect evening-in food…pizza! But not just any pizza recipe will do, of course.

This sheet pan pizza is our go-to Friday night dinner. The easy whole wheat dough recipe is made using a bread machine and the pizza sauce is super simple to throw together yet so rich and delicious.

I especially love that everyone in the family can choose their own toppings—this is the perfect food for a picky eater, or for those that have varied tastes. Throw all your favorite pizza toppings on and pizza night will be brought to the next level.

Sheet Pan Pizza

Sheet pan pizza and I go way back. My mom’s been making pizza this way since I can remember. We rarely ordered pizza out, and to be honest, the few times we did, we didn’t even want it because my mom’s homemade sheet pan pizza was so good.

It’s funny because back then, I never thought twice about why my mom made pizza using a sheet pan rather than the typical circle shape. I figured it was just the way it was. But now that I have a big blended family that consists of 4 teenage girls along with my husband, I know the truth. She made homemade pizza using a sheet pan more out of necessity than anything else!

An Economical Option

First, it makes a lot of pizza to feed a large family. Secondly, it’s cheap! You can easily make a large homemade pizza that feeds a family of 6 for less than $10-15. Ordering a pizza of that size with all the toppings can cost at least $30-$35. Having pizza night be homemade pizza night can save like $80 a month. That’s $960 a year. That’s quite a savings.

Healthy Pizza

It’s not just about saving money, even though who wouldn’t want to save almost $1000 a year! As a mom and wife, it’s also about feeding my family healthy clean food as much as possible. Yes, that includes pizza!

When I make sheet pan pizza, I control the ingredients. This means I can use high-quality, and/or healthy ingredients. So, we are able to still eat the comfort foods we love while also staying on track with our healthy eating goals.

Frequently Asked Questions About This Sheet Pizza Recipe

Today, I want to share the sheet pan pizza recipe I make more my family 2-3 times a month, if not more. In fact, I can’t believe I haven’t shared this recipe before. I’ve shared other ways we enjoy pizza, like with these pita pizzas, but I have never shared my classic go-to family pizza recipe. 

Like I said I’ve been making this sheet pan pizza for at least 15 years and have been eating it even longer. In that time, I’ve received loads of questions about my process. Let’s go over some cooking tips and answers to common questions.

Can I use store-bought dough?

Yes, I have used fresh store-bought dough many times. In this recipe, I’m going to share my famous whole-wheat pizza dough. I make this dough in my bread machine, but if you don’t have one or don’t have time to make the dough, then store-bought will work just fine.

The one caveat to this is it needs to be fresh, not the stuff in the can or frozen. You’ll want a 1lb ball to make the sheet pizza. Fresh dough will cost between $2 – $4 depending on where you get it. 

Whole Foods has delicious fresh dough and if you’re around a Wegmans then you can get tasty fresh dough from there. Trader Joe’s is another option. All of these places also have whole wheat dough, which is what I recommend. 

Fresh dough is typically found in the prepared food section of the grocery store so if you don’t see it head over to the prepared food section and ask.

Can I use pre-made pizza sauce?

Again, if you want to use jarred pizza sauce then go for it. My only suggestion is to read the label especially if you’re trying to eat clean. A lot of pizza sauces have sugar and other preservatives and additives that aren’t very clean. The best store-bought sauces I love, use, and recommend are Rao’s and Dellalo pizza sauce.

But homemade pizza sauce is so easy to make. Like beyond easy! Again, you control the ingredients so it’s worth the effort in my opinion.

My suggestion is to make a triple batch once a month or so and then portion it out and freeze to use on homemade pizza throughout the month.

What other sauces taste good on sheet pan pizza?

That being said, don’t think you just have to limit yourself to only the typical tomato-based pizza sauce. That’s part of what makes this sheet pizza so fun! Here are some other sauces to try:

• alfredo sauce
• olive oil and garlic
• taco sauce
• enchilada sauce
• salsa for taco pizza.

So, honestly, just use your favorite sauce. Have fun experimenting too!

Sheet Pan Pizza Cooking Tips

Spray the pan with cooking spray. You can also use olive oil or butter to grease the pan. I’m pretty sure my mom used Crisco, but we are trying to be healthy in my house so I simply spray the sheet pan with cooking spray.

Stretch the dough out using a rolling pin or hands. I like to stretch the dough to go past the edges. This is how you get that perfect, yummy crust! If the dough is on the sticky side then sprinkle a little flour on the dough to help it stretch better.

Cook meats ahead of time. Of course, you can put pepperoni directly on the pizza and cook it but other meats like sausage, chicken, or ground beef should be cooked first. 

Cook some vegetables ahead of time. Vegetables that release a lot of water when cooked should be cooked and drained ahead of time. It’s really important to drain ahead of time so you don’t end up with a watery soggy pizza. I use a mesh strainer for this. For example, mushrooms or peppers are veggies I cook in advance. You can even make these a few days ahead of time to have ready for when it’s pizza time. 

Cook at 375 degrees for 25 – 30 minutes. Sheet pan pizzas need more time to cook than a traditional thin crust cooked on a pizza stone. The result will be a thick chewy delicious pizza. 

Par-cook the dough if you’re going to add a lot of toppings. I find that when I load up on toppings sometimes the dough struggles to cook fully. So I’ll stretch out the dough on the sheet pan and cook it for 10 minutes then add the rest of the toppings and finish cooking.

Healthy Sheet Pan Pizza Ingredients

One of the top perks to making homemade pizza is I can use healthy ingredients to create a healthier version of our favorite pizzas.

Here’s my favorite ingredients to use:

• Chicken sausage – I cook the raw sausage ahead of time. Or, if I use pre-cooked sausage, like the Alfresco brand, I’ll slice up and throw on the pizza.
• Turkey pepperoni – turkey pepperoni is full of flavor and half the fat and calories of pork pepperoni. 
• Jarred banana peppers – these are one of my favorite pizza toppings. They add a ton of flavor without any extra calories.
• Vegetables – any of your favorite veggies will work! Our favorites are onions, mushrooms, and peppers. However, I know plenty of people who love broccoli or shaved Brussels, or even arugula on their pizza!
• Rotisserie chicken – this is so delicious on a white-sauce sheet pizza!
• Cheese – okay, maybe not exactly a healthy ingredient, but it’s hard to have pizza without it! To keep this sheet pan pizza on the healthier side, I recommend you measure out the cheese. This keeps the calories and fat under control.

How to Meal Prep Sheet Pan Pizza

One of my favorite ways to meal prep sheet pan pizza is to make the dough, sauce, and toppings ahead of time. Then, I turn it into a DIY pizza kit! If I’m going to use within 3 days then I stick everything in the refrigerator.

If I want to use it later in the week or month, I’ll freeze it instead. The night before, I thaw the dough in overnight in the refrigerator. If I forget, I’ll just put it on the counter in the morning to be thaw by dinner.

Of course, you can also just make the sheet pizza completely ahead of time and then warm up during the week. I warm it up in our toaster oven to give it that fresh taste.

How to Make Sheet Pan Pizza from Scratch

Now, I’m going to share the pizza dough and pizza sauce recipe I use. Both are adapted from the The Bread Lovers Bread Machine Cookbook that I’ve used for YEARS. If you have a bread machine or considering getting one I strongly recommend it!

How to Make the Pizza Dough

Let’s start with the dough. This is one of the best-tasting healthy pizza dough recipes you’ll ever make and eat. It is kid and husband approved. The secret to getting a healthy dough with a delicious taste?

It’s made with white flour and white whole wheat flour. 😉

The basic recipe is delicious but I also like to make other variations of it by adding some or all of the following:

• 1/4 cup of grated cheese
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of talian seasoning 

Sheet Pan Pizza Dough Supplies

First and foremost, if you are making this sheet pan pizza dough from scratch, you’ll want to have a bread machine.

Honestly, my bread machine is one of my favorite small appliances. I use it mostly to make pizza dough but have used it to make many bread recipes too.

I purchased an Oster Bread Maker. Here’s the latest model of the one I have. This one by Cuisinart is also a best seller on Amazon and has great reviews.

You’ll also need a good quality sheet pan. This set by Nordic Ware is perfect for sheet pan pizza—its what I have and use.

Don’t forget a pizza cutter – This Kitchen Aid pizza cutter is very sturdy and works great.

Basic Wheat Pizza Dough Recipe

You’ll need just a few ingredients for this yummy pizza dough – the majority of which you’ll already have at home in your pantry!

Basic Wheat Pizza Dough

Healthy basic wheat pizza dough to make sheet pan pizza with.

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Course: dinner

Cuisine: American

Author: Organize Yourself Skinny

Ingredients

• 1 ⅓ cup warm water
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 2 cups white flour
• 1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Instructions

• First, add the water, olive oil, sugar, and salt to the bread machine insert.
• On top of the water, add the flour.
• Next, make a small well in the center and add in the yeast.
• Set the bread machine to the dough setting and hit start. After the dough is done then take it out and use for your favorite pizza or freeze it for later use.

Notes

Cooking notes: After the dough has mixed if it seems too dry then add in extra water a teaspoon at a time until it forms a ball. If it seems too wet, add in flour about 1 teaspoon at a time until it forms a ball. It shouldn’t stick to the sides once all the ingredients are mixed together and it starts to form the dough. The result should be a smooth ball of dough.

Pizza Sauce Recipe

This is the easiest pizza sauce recipe ever. But don’t let that fool you because it’s so delicious. Every time I make this sauce, I get so many compliments. And people are shocked to hear it includes only 4 ingredients!

This recipe can be doubled or tripled to freeze for pizzas later in the month.

By the way, I recommend using Muir Glen Organic canned tomato sauce for this recipe. This is a high-quality clean tomato sauce.

The ingredients you’ll need are simple, and once again are probably in your kitchen already.

Basic Pizza Sauce Recipe

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Author: Organize Yourself Skinny

Ingredients

• 3 garlic cloves chopped
• 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 14.5 ounce cans tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon oregano

Instructions

• Heat the olive oil over medium heat until hot in a large pan.
• Add in the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Don’t walk away from the garlic because it cooks fast and you don’t want it to burn!
• Then, stir in the tomato sauce and oregano.
• Bring to a quick boil and then turn it to low and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Use on your favorite pizza recipe.

Notes

Cooking notes: This pizza sauce recipe makes enough for 2 sheet pan pizzas.

How to Build Your Sheet Pan Pizza

Okay, let’s put this sheet pan pizza recipe together. Once you have the pizza dough and sauce made, spray a sheet pan with cooking spray and start stretching out the dough. Also, at this time the chicken sausage (if using) should be done and ready to go on the pizza.

You want to stretch the dough all the way to the edges. If the dough is too sticky, sprinkle with some flour so it’s easier to handle.

Next, spread about 1 cup of pizza sauce on the dough all the way to the edges. I love doing it this way because the sauce gets a little charred on the dough and it’s delicious.

Doing it this way is the trick to make it taste like you ordered in from your local pizza place.

Sprinkle 3 cups of cheese over the sauce. I like to use a pizza blend of cheese which includes mozzarella and provolone. But mozzarella on its own works just fine too.

Time to add the toppings. We love turkey pepperoni and Italian chicken sausage to make somewhat of a meat lover’s pizza. Sometimes, if I have some on hand, I’ll add jarred banana peppers too.

Cook for 25-30 minutes in a 375-degree oven. The cheese should be melted with little areas that are browned, the pepperoni should be curled, and your house should smell incredible at this point.

Let the pizza sit for a few minutes and using a sharp pizza cutter to cut into squares and serve. Enjoy!!

More Easy Family Meals

I know from experience how hectic life is with kids! For that very reason, I’ve created so many recipes that are perfect for busy parents to put together that your kids will actually eat. Here are a few favorites:

• Broccoli, Chicken and Cheese Pasta Bake
• How to Meal Prep Chicken Quesadillas (3 Ways)
• Easy Beef Enchiladas
• Sheet Pan Nachos with Ground Turkey

Share a picture and tag me on Instagram or Facebook if you decide to try to make this sheet pan pizza!