Meatza

Well, honestly, there may be no tasty way to get these counts as low as I might like. Nevertheless, when the family has called for pizza delivery, and you REALLY want some pizza, it is worth it!

Instead of a dough crust with meat topping, this uses a meat crust. Hey - it works!

Meatza
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

1&1/4 lb. ground meat - lean beef, or white turkey, or lean pork, or combo
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (or to taste)
1 tsp. fennel seed (opt. - gives a sausage taste)
few shakes of red pepper flakes (opt. - likewise)

1 cup sugar-free spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce (like Hunt's canned sauce - check label)
8 - 12 oz. cheese (I like a combo of low-fat part-skim shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan/Romano)
1 - 2 cups low-carb, low-fat pizza toppings such as mushrooms, green pepper, onions. (If you use canned mushrooms, be sure to drain very well.)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2) Mix the meat, salt and spices together. Spread the meat out on a baking sheet with sides to catch the grease. Pat the meat thinly and evenly, without any holes, in an oblong with rounded corners. (It does not need to cover the whole pan.)

3) Bake in a 375° F. oven for about 10 minutes. Pour off/blot off the grease.

4) Cover the meat with sugar-free pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce.

5) Cover with cheese and your choice of pizza toppings. (You may want to saute the veggies first in non-stick spray, or microwave-steam them briefly, if you like them very tender and well-cooked on your 'meatza'.)

6) Return to oven briefly to melt the cheese to desired doneness and color.

7) Let sit for a few minutes before slicing.