The Recipe Files: Pepperoni & Marinated Mozz on a Rustic Crust

Back on the good foot after the holiday weekend, I decided to bake a healthy pizza with a wheat crust I had purchased in Giant's organic section a few weeks ago.

Ingredients:
Rustic Crust Organic Great Grains
Rustic Crust Pizza Sauce
Uncured pepperoni
Fresh mozzarella balls marinated in olive oil, herbs and red pepper (got these at Trader Joe's)
Lowfat shredded mozzarella (also from Trader Joe's)


Preheat the oven to 450. Brush the entire top and sides of the crust with the olive oil from the mozz balls - be sure to dig deep in the container to get the good stuff (herbs and red pepper flecks). Spread most of the pizza sauce packet onto the crust (but reserve a bit for after the toppings).

Cut the mozz balls in half and place them evenly around the pizza. Follow with pepperoni pieces and then the shredded mozz. Finally, take the last of your sauce packet and drizzle it around the top.

Change the oven temp to 425 and put the pie directly on the rack. Bake for 10 minutes and wait a few minutes before slicing, as the fresh mozz will be very soft. Top with garlic powder, dried basil, crushed red pepper and grated parm.

So how did it turn out? Really delicious! Even with his few complaints about it being on a wheat crust, the hubby definitely enjoyed it. The crust definitely had a wheat flavor, but it wasn't overpowering and it was just the right thickness with a bit of a crunch. And a single packet of sauce was plenty for our sauce-lovin' family, which is saying a lot. I think the secret to the flavor was the oil from the mozz balls. After visiting the Rustic Crust website, I'll be interested to see if I can track down any of the other crust varieties - cheesy herb and crispy thin sound pretty darn good!