Bariatric Low Carb Crustless Pizza

One of my favorite quick meals has always been pizza. Get home late after work? Order a pizza. Early little league game that is right at dinner time? Grab a pizza on the way home. Don't feel like cooking? Call the pizza place!

Post surgery, you'll find that pizza crust can be really tough on your sleeve or pouch. Depending on how crispy it's made, it can be hard to digest and if you've been advised to stay clear of breads, pastas, etc. it's like not on your plan anyway.

Enter the crustless pizza! The best part of a pizza is all the toppings, amiright? I like to use a six inch mini pizza pan for this, like this one. Make sure it's non-stick and doesn't have any holes (some pans do to help air bake the crust) or else you'll have a heck of a mess on your hands! I have a set of four pans and when we make these, I get the premade mini crusts from Aldi or any other grocery store for the kids while the hubs and I do the crustless pizzas. It's nice when I don't have to cook separate meals!

I always start with about a 1/4 cup of pizza blend or cheddar blend cheese. This gives a good base that will allow you to cut the crustless pizza into slices without it falling apart. Spread it out on the pan, it doesn't need to cover the entire pan at this point. Now add a 1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella over the top. Use this to fill in any gaps and to try to make a nice even base layer over the pan. You *can* make this base layer with just mozz, but be prepared for your pizza to be more like a pizza roll up. It won't have the firmness of the cheddar to give it some strength.

Now add your toppings! I usually go for some turkey pepperoni (less greasy than regular!) and mushrooms. The hubs likes onions and green peppers, and the kids usually add on bacon to their pepperoni and veggies.

Pop them into the oven at 425 degrees F, and make sure to keep an eye on them for the cheese to get completely melted. In my oven, it takes about eight minutes for the cheese to melt. We take them out and let them cool so the cheese has some time to firm up (again, for the purpose of being able to cut it like a real pizza). Cut it into quarters and enjoy! Many times two pieces is enough for me, so I refrigerate the rest for lunch the next day. I reheat in the microwave on a low setting.