SBARRO: STUFFED PEPPERONI PIZZA

SAVE: 391 CALORIES, 27 G FAT

Ican’t eat this pizza without thinking of my early catering days. Because I come from an East Coast Italian family, stromboli to me was like a hot dog to a baseball fan. I had no idea that some people might not know what it was (in case you don’t know, it’s pizza dough shaped flat into a rectangle and spread with toppings—my family always favored pepperoni and provolone—then rolled up jelly roll–style, baked, and served in slices).

Anyway, I used to serve stromboli at all of my catering jobs because it was so easy, relatively inexpensive, and always so popular. I was shocked at how many people would come in the kitchen after parties to ask what I called “my creation” (if only I had created it). Like Sbarro Pizza, the combo of pepperoni and melted cheese goo-ing among sauceless dough made the flavors so strong and wonderful. Though I’ve chosen to keep more oil in this recipe than in any other in the book, you still save an immense amount of fat and calories. After all, this is a family favorite, so I can’t make it too low-fat.

It’s also worth pointing out that Sbarro makes their pizza in a much larger pan than the ones most people would have on hand, so I’ve scaled down the recipe to use a standard 14" pan. The serving sizes stay the same, but you won’t be able to serve as many people with my version, which is probably a shame, becauce this is a surefire crowd-pleaser.

1 recipe Sbarro Stuffed Crust Pizza Dough

3 slices center-cut bacon, cut into ½" pieces

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

Flour for work surface

2½ tablespoons (about ½ ounce) grated reduced-fat Parmesan cheese

1 recipe Sbarro Sausage

9 ounces (about 2¾ cups) finely shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese, divided

6 ounces (100 slices) packaged turkey pepperoni

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley

PREPARE the dough. Set aside to rise.

Place the bacon pieces in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook, flipping occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until partially cooked. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate to drain.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Coat a 14" nonstick round deep-dish pizza pan with 2 teaspoons oil. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the egg and water. Beat until smooth. Set aside.

Meanwhile, when the dough has doubled, gently punch it down. Cut into 2 portions. Return 1 portion to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Shape the other portion into a ball and place on a lightly floured surface. With a lightly floured rolling pin or hands, roll or stretch into a 14" circle (if you’re new to making pizza, see “How to Form a Perfect Crust” for more advice on how to do this). Repeat with remaining dough. (Work slowly to avoid tearing the dough; if the dough should tear, patch it with dough from another area and use that piece on the bottom since patched tears on the top crust may open up during baking.)

Transfer one piece of dough to the reserved pan. Press the dough about ¼" up the pan sides. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons oil, leaving a bare ½" border. With a pastry brush or fingertip, paint the border with some of the reserved egg mixture. Set the egg mixture aside.

Leaving the ½" border bare, evenly sprinkle on the Parmesan. Crumble the sausage in ½" pieces over the Parmesan. Top evenly with half of the mozzarella and all of the pepperoni slices, slightly overlapping. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over that. Set aside.

Place the remaining piece of dough on top of the pizza. Using your fingers, press the dough borders together to seal the bottom and top crusts. With a butter knife, mark 4 parallel lines in the dough top, being careful not to cut through the dough. Create a crisscross pattern by marking 4 parallel lines perpendicular to the first four.

With a pastry brush or fingers, paint the dough top with some of the reserved egg mixture. Drizzle the remaining 2 teaspoons oil over the top. With the pastry brush or fingers, paint the crust evenly with the oil. Sprinkle the reserved bacon and the parsley evenly over the top.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the pizza is hot. Check by inserting a sharp knife into the center. Let it rest 10 minutes, then cut into 6 slices.

MAKES 6 SERVINGS (1 SLICE PER SERVING)

Each serving: 569 calories, 37 g protein, 68 g carbohydrates, 15 g fat, 4 g sat. fat, 4 g fiber

Original Sbarro Stuffed Pepperoni Pizza (1 slice): 960 calories, 52 g protein, 89 g carbohydrates, 42 g fat, sat. fat (not available), 4g fiber