By Tina Bartels

My family loves pizza. It’s safe to say we eat pizza at least once a week, which, while that isn’t terrible for an active family, it’s not the ideal food for healthy living. Fortunately, my family also loves salmon and is not afraid to try something new.

Making individual pizzas is always a fun event for my kids. They both love to cook, and making pizza gives them a great opportunity to do a lot of the work on their own without a lot of supervision. They can pile the pizzas high with their favorite ingredients and I can pop them in the oven.

One evening, while we were making individual homemade pizzas, I was lucky enough to find a bit of grilled salmon left over in the refrigerator. While my family chose their usual favorite toppings of pepperoni, sausage, Canadian bacon, mushrooms and pickles (yes, I said pickles), I chose a more adventurous route opting for a combination of salmon, thinly sliced sweet onion and spinach. Of course, I had to swap out my usual red sauce for some alfredo. It was nothing short of delicious. To my delight, my family also thought it was fabulous. Since then it has become a family favorite and we make it often. A few easy steps and you have a meal your whole family can enjoy.

I always start with making homemade Alfredo sauce. If you don’t have the time, any good jar of Alfredo will work just fine. I start with the basic ingredients of butter, heavy cream, shredded parmesan cheese salt and pepper. I always add garlic and parsley to my sauce for a bit of extra flavor.

Sauté garlic in butter for about a minute.

Add heavy cream. If you prefer a lighter version, you can substitute the heavy cream for half-and-half.

Slowly add the parmesan cheese and stir constantly for two to three minutes.

When your sauce is complete, it’s time for the fun to begin. My favorite individual pizza crust is naan bread, but you can use any type of crust you choose. I like the naan bread because it’s already the perfect size without having to take the time to make your own dough, and it has the best chewy texture I have found. Another great option would be pita bread or the mini pizza crusts found in the pizza isle at your favorite grocery store.

Gather the rest of your toppings, such as sliced onion, spinach, cheese and of course, the salmon.

Pile your pizza high with the ingredients. I find it works well to put everything in small bowls so everyone can easily grab what they want on their pizza. Of course, half the fun of making homemade pizza is eating the ingredients while creating your masterpiece! My son loves salmon, so I was lucky there was enough to go around in the picture above.

Once all of the toppings are on the pizza, pop them in a 350 degree oven for about eight minutes. They are ready to enjoy when the cheese is melted and a bubbly light brown.

RECIPE – Salmon Alfredo Pizza

Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients:

¼ cup butter

1 cup heavy cream

2 cloves minced garlic

1 ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.
2. Add garlic and sauté for about a minute.
3. Add cream and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for five minutes.
4. Slowly add cheese and cook for two to three minutes. Stir constantly.

Pizza

Ingredients:

Naan bread

Alfredo sauce

Grilled salmon or Morey’s Wood Roasted Salmon, Seasoned Grill Salmon or Steakhouse Salmon, cut into small pieces

Thin sliced sweet onion

Baby spinach, sliced into ribbons

Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place Naan bread on pan, brush edges with olive oil and smother with Alfredo sauce.
3. Top with salmon, onion, spinach and mozzarella cheese.
4. Bake in preheated oven until cheese is melted, about eight minutes. If you prefer lightly browned cheese, place under broiler for a minute or two.