Homemade Beef Pizza ‘Dough’
In order to make these “pizzas” gluten-free and paleo-friendly, you’ll be making a dough using lean ground beef, egg, onion, garlic, almond flour, parsley, oregano, and red chili peppers. All of these ingredients combine to not only make a texture similar to dough when combined and flattened, but the herbs and spices add a distinctly Italian flavoring to it as well. For a long time, many individuals thought that dietary saturated fat was a leading cause of heart disease, but recent advancements in research have demonstrated that it’s perhaps refined carbohydrates and not saturated fats that contribute to many modern diseases. (1)
High Protein Paleo Pizza Option
This is one of the main reasons for switching over to a paleo diet and dropping all of the refined carbs. Lean ground beef is an excellent source of protein and saturated animal fats, which are the building blocks of the healthy type of cholesterol (HDL) in your body. Many people make gourmet hamburgers by mixing in different herbs and spices into their beef, and that’s generally the same idea with these “pizzas”. After you have your dough all set and ready to go, you add the tasty homemade sauce with tomato basil sauce, olive oil and garlic. It makes for the perfect pizza sauce and the beef ‘pizzas’ are finished with fresh zucchini slices as a topping before you bake them. As a finishing touch, serve them with fresh basil leaves as a topping for one incredibly enjoyable meal.
While not technically a paleo pizza, these delicious beef “pizzas” taste close enough and they are definitely just as good! They also have the benefit of being completely gluten-free and packed full of protein, fat, and low carb thanks to the fresh veggies added in as well. Next time you want to have a family pizza night, keep this recipe in mind so you can still enjoy the great taste of pizza in a much healthier format.
P.S. – If you’re looking for something that’s more along the lines of a traditional pizza crust, here’s a few great recipes that make paleo-friendly crust (and one that even makes a great dessert “pizza”) that you should definitely check out:
Ingredients
- For beef pizzas
- 1 pound lean beef mince
- 1 red onion, coarsely grated
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1⁄4 cup almond flour
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- For the sauce
- ½ cup Paleo approved tomato basil sauce
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- For topping
- 1 small zucchini, sliced thinly crossways
- fresh basil leaves
Directions
- Preheat oven to 450ºF.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl combine the beef, onion, garlic, egg, almond flour, parsley, oregano and red chili flakes. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste.
- Roll 2 tablespoons of mixture into balls.
- Flatten each ball into 4 inch round and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- To make the sauce, in a small sauce pan heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomato basil sauce and cook for 1 minute.
- Remove from the heat and season to taste.
- Spread the tomato sauce on beef “pizzas”.
- Top with zucchini slices.
- Brush with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Bake for 20- 25 minutes or until bases are cooked through.
- Serve topped with fresh basil leaves.