Why this recipe is great

I was quite skeptical at first, when I heard about the concept of a naan bread pizza. I thought that the texture of the naan bread would be odd when disguised as a pizza base, but I was so so wrong. 

Not only is this pizza base a quicker alternative, it’s pillowy texture is perfect to act as a foundation for our pizza. Plus it’s cheaper than buying a pre-made pizza base!

You can whip it up in 10 minutes and customise the toppings to replicate your fave pizza at home! Ideal for a quick weeknight dinner or a lazy Sunday meal.      

Ingredients

Naan Bread

I used a plain naan for this recipe, but you could also use garlic naan bread for this recipe if you’re a garlic lover. 

Chopped Tomatoes 

Blended chopped tomatoes are the foundation of our rich tomatoey base. 

Garlic 

For flavour.

Shallots 

I love the sweetness that the shallots add to the tomato/marinara base but also how they caramalise and crisp up as a topping on a pizza. 

Sun-dried tomatoes

Add sweetness and so much flavour. When they’re roasted in the oven, I find that they shrink and crisp up in a way that almost replicates bacon. A perfect vegetarian topping to add to your naan bread pizza! 

Black olives

Adding a mediterranean twist to our pizza that compliments the other toppings. 

Reduced fat mozzarella 

To help to reduce the calories, whilst still being cheesy and flavourful. 

Fresh basil

The best herb to top any pizza with.  

How to make naan bread pizza

PREHEAT OVEN TO 175°C

Start by adding the chopped tomatoes, garlic, basil stems, 2 shallots (from the 100g), oregano and a pinch of salt and pepper to a food processor or blender. If you care less about the calories, you can add a splash of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes for extra flavour.

Combine until roughly blended.

Then add the thinly sliced mozzarella to a plate/bowl.

Pat the mozzarella with a paper-towel to remove all the excess moisture. Rotate and pat dry both sides. This will give us a low-moisture mozzarella equivalent.

Place your naan onto a baking tray or pizza tray if you have one. Add around 2 large spoonfuls of the tomato base onto the naan and spread to evenly coat, leaving a small crust.

Prepare mozzarella, thinly sliced shallots, olives and sun-dried tomatoes ready on tray.

Now add the sliced shallots, sliced olives and torn sundries tomatoes and add an extra sprinkle of oregano and pop in the oven for 10 minutes.

Serve with fresh basil and optional chilli flakes if you like a little heat.

FAQ

Is this healthier than a normal freezer pizza? 

Yes! Freezer pizzas have lots of additives and salt, whereas with our naan bread pizza, we’re using a small amount of whole ingredients. It also has far less calories, as many freezer pizzas have upward of +1200 cals per pizza. 

Can I make this recipe ahead of time?

You can definitely make the sauce and prep the toppings ahead of time. I think this pizza is best eaten straight out of the oven, so prepping the toppings would be a way of reducing time when you’re about to eat. 

Can I meal prep this recipe?

The texture of the naan bread is best served immediately out of the oven, buuuut if you really wanted to save time and whip up a couple of pizzas at the beginning of the week, microwaved pizza slices are still really delicious. Either reheat in the oven until hot, or microwave for around 30 seconds.   You can also freeze the naan bread pizza (see below).

Can I freeze this recipe?

Yes you can freeze the naan bread pizzas!  I would freeze the pizza once assembled, uncooked and place each pizza in a freezer bag.  The naan bread pizza can be kept  in freezer for upto 3 months.  When you are ready to eat, place in oven for around 15 minutes.

Other toppings you could add 

• Shredded chicken 
• Sliced roasted peppers 
• Mushrooms
• Ham
• Rocket 
• Capers
• Red onion

Tips

• Make your low fat moisture mozzarella feel like low moisture mozzarella. Most recipes opt for low moisture mozzarella to use as a pizza topping as it prevents a layer of moisture/sogginess that occurs when baking. This prevents the cheese from turning golden brown and also can make your base soggy.
  
  Low moisture cheese is more expensive though, so what I do is slice regular mozzarella into thin pieces and use a paper towel firmly pat on each side of the cheese and remove the excess liquid. 
• Place the naan on a pizza tray or the metal rack within your oven. This will help the base to get crispier as the moisture isn’t locked in as it would be with a regular tray.

Other quick dinner recipes… 

10 minute Spicy Crab Linguine

Halloumi Tacos

Healthy Tortellini Pasta Salad

Other pizza recipes…

Tortilla Wrap Pizza

Spinach Artichoke Pizza

Sheet Pan Puttanesca Pizza

Variations

Vegan
Serves 4
Substitute the mozzarella balls with 200g free from grated mozzarella alternative and add 50g to each naan bread pizza as in step 4 of method.   Substitute the plain naan breads with “free from gluten free, milk free and egg free”  naan bread.
Nutritional info per serving:  533kcal |Carbs:67g | Fats: 22g |Protein: 9g

Reduced calorie
Serves 4
Serve half a naan bread pizza per person with a green side salad.  Add a tsp of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon to the salad, and season with a little salt.  Use 1 mozzarella ball between the 4 servings.
Nutritional info per serving:  499kcal |Carbs:64g | Fats: 15g |Protein:20g