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I have Mireya of My Healthy Eating Habits, to thank for this yummy easy whole wheat pizza with artichokes.
I’m taking part in her new group that’s blogging a recipe from the cookbook, Power Foods: 150 Delicious Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients (affiliate link), from Martha Stewart and the editors of Whole Living Magazine, each week.
As a Weight Watchers lifetime member who is in love with the PointsPlus 2012 program, how could I not participate in a group focusing on “power foods” since this is the term Weight Watchers uses to indicate the foods you should eat to get the most “bang for your PointsPlus value buck.”
This week’s Power Foods ingredient is Artichokes. And as you can see, I chose to make one of the recipes featured in the book: Easy Whole Wheat Pizza with Artichokes.
I’m enjoying the book, very much. (I bought the Kindle Version.) The introduction includes “10 Golden Rules” for eating healthy along with a brief glossary of common terms. The 38 Power Foods are broken down into 1 of 5 categories: 1) Vegetables; 2) Fruits; 3) Grains and Legumes; 4) Nuts and Seeds; and 5) Eggs, Yogurt and Fish.
There are 15 ingredients included in the Vegetables chapter, the first of which is artichokes. Information regarding the health benefits, along with buying, storing and preparation tips, and several recipes are included for each ingredient.
I knew that artichokes were low in calories (60) and high in fiber (6 g), but didn’t know they were a source of protein (4 g) or that they contained powerful antioxidants to boost liver health. They’re also a good source of magnesium, potassium, and folate.
And probably most interesting of all, artichokes stimulate our sweet receptors, helping to satiate our “sweet tooth.” Back in the 1930s, a scientist discovered that for many people, even a glass of water tastes sweet after eating artichokes! How cool is that?
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil (affiliate link)
- Whole wheat pizza dough
- Artichoke hearts
- Fat-free ricotta cheese
- Plum tomatoes
- Kalamata olives
- Parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil leaves
How to Make Whole Wheat Pizza with Artichokes, Tomatoes, Olives and Basil
Step 1: Gather and prepare all ingredients. Preheat oven to 450F degrees and lightly oil a baking sheet (affiliate link) or use a pizza stone (affiliate link).
Step 2: Stretch the dough to a 12 x 16-inch oval and place on the baking sheet (affiliate link). (My stone was round, so I stretched it to fill the round stone instead.)
Step 3: Brush the dough with 1 tablespoon olive oil, making sure to coat the edges well.
Step 4: Scatter spoonfuls of the ricotta cheese over the dough and then top evenly with the artichokes, tomatoes, olives, and 3/4 of the parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Step 5: Bake pizza until the crust is browned and the toppings are heated through, 20 to 25 minutes.
Step 6: Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the basil and remaining parmesan.
Step 7: Cut into 6 slices and serve immediately.
How Many Calories and WW Points in Whole Wheat Pizza with Artichokes?
According to my calculations, each slice of pizza has about 310 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
Recipe Notes
I made a few minor adaptations to this recipe for Easy Whole Wheat Pizza with Artichokes to make it a little easier and more Weight Watchers friendly.
First, I used rinsed and drained artichoke hearts, instead of frozen. I substituted fat-free ricotta for the full fat kind, saving 1 Point, and I used parmesan instead of pecorino, since that’s what I had in my pantry.
Homemade pizza really is quick and easy when you start with store-bought dough. More and more stores are carrying it in the refrigerator section. I used whole wheat pizza dough from Fresh & Easy. Enjoy!
If you’ve made this Whole Wheat Pizza with Artichokes, Tomatoes and Olives, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Easy Whole Wheat Pizza with Artichokes Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 canned artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained, and thinly sliced crosswise
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the baking sheet
- 1 pound whole-wheat pizza dough, at room temperature
- 1 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
- 2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced crosswise
- 1/4 cup Kalamata olives, halved
- 3 ounces parmesan or romano cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler (affiliate link)
- Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450F degrees. Lightly oil a baking sheet or pizza stone (affiliate link).
- Stretch the dough to a 12 x 16-inch oval and place on the baking sheet. (My stone was round, so I stretched it to fill the round stone instead.)
- Brush the dough with 1 tablespoon olive oil, making sure to coat the edges well.
- Scatter spoonfuls of the ricotta cheese over the dough and then top evenly with the artichokes, tomatoes, olives, and 3/4 of the parmesan.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Bake pizza until the crust is browned and the toppings are heated through, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the basil and remaining parmesan.
- Cut into 6 slices and serve immediately.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 7 PointsPlus (Old WW plan)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Source: Power Foods: 150 Delicious Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients (affiliate link), from Martha Stewart and the editors of Whole Living Magazine.
If you like this recipe for Easy Whole Wheat Artichoke Pizza, check out these more great Weight Watchers friendly artichoke recipes and cooking tips:
- Artichoke Soup Recipe
- Slow Cooker Artichoke Chicken Recipe
- Artichoke Spinach Baked Pasta
- All About Artichokes, including nutrition information, recipes and more (Weight Watchers)
- How to Cook Artichokes in the Microwave (A Veggie Venture)
And here’s another vegetarian whole wheat pizza recipe, a 3-cheese garden vegetable pizza with whole wheat crust, you might like.
Hi Martah, What an excellent post. I love Greek pizza and yours is gorgeous!
What an excellent post. I love Greek pizza and yours is gorgeous!
How funny Martha: not only did you make the same recipe as I did, but you used the same pizza stone!!! Your pizza looks wonderful and I think I too would have enjoyed the ricotta, I was just too lazy to go to the store. Not having purchased the book, I was delighted to read in your post about artichokes stimulating your sweet receptors!! I may have to make them a daily part of my diet!
This sounds like an amazing pizza – I love the changes you made! Thanks for including my dip in your links :). I can’t wait to follow along – great group and great book!
Love the nutrition info on your recipes. It always gives me a pause when I know just how many of which calories are in the food. And Love the golden crust on the pizza.. delicious- just the way I like it.