Hawaiian Pizza – Super Healthy Kids

Hawaiian Pizza tops the list as one of our favorite pizzas! Our chewy, homemade pizza crust is topped with a simple sauce, salty slices of ham, and sweet chunks of fresh pineapple. The delicious sweet and savory combination leaves no doubt that pineapple definitely belongs on pizza!

Why We Love This Hawaiian Pizza

Let’s just go ahead and address the elephant in the room. We know that the concept of pineapple on pizza is a very divisive one. People feel very strongly about it, and I have yet to meet someone who doesn’t have an opinion on it. We happen to be in the camp of people who applaud the genius who threw caution to the wind and boldly added pineapple to his pizza. Definitely not classic Italian, but decidedly delicious.

However, we know that there are those of you out there who remain appalled. To you, we say in the words of Sam-I-Am.. You do not like them. So you say. Try them! Try them! And you may! The salty Canadian bacon balances the sweetness of the fresh pineapple (skip the canned stuff, here). And with the addition of sliced onions and olives, it really is a fabulous sweet, savory, and salty pizza that deserves some cred.

If you must, you can simply (gasp!) leave it off. Serve the pineapple on the side, maybe. You’ll still end up with a delicious pizza that is bound to make your eaters very, very happy.

What is on a Hawaiian Pizza?

A traditional Hawaiian Pizza is topped with Canadian bacon and pineapple. For our version you’ll need:

• Pizza Dough– Homemade pizza dough is delicious and so easy! Get our favorite recipe here.
• Pizza Sauce– You can use store-bought sauce, but our homemade pizza sauce is much better super simple!
• Mozzarella Cheese– We used freshly grated part-skim mozzarella cheese.
• Canadian Bacon– We used traditional Canadian bacon. Diced ham would also work.
• Fresh Pineapple– Fresh pineapple tastes so much better than canned pineapple!
• Red Onion– Thinly sliced red onion adds a yummy savory element to the pizza.
• Black Olives– Olives add a subtle salty, briny flavor that really balance the other ingredients.

How to Make Hawaiian Pizza:

1. Preheat the oven. The secret to a really good homemade pizza is a screaming hot oven! We like to cook our pizzas at 475 degrees F.
2. Make the pizza dough. While the dough is rising, make your pizza sauce.
3. Prep the ingredients. Cut your pineapple into bite-sized pieces, grate the cheese, thinly slice the red onion, and quarter the Canadian bacon.
4. Add the toppings to your pizza. Stretch the pizza dough until it fits your pizza pan, about 14 inches or so. Spread the dough with pizza sauce, then top with the cheese, followed by the Canadian bacon, pineapple, olives, and sliced onion.
5. Bake. Place the pizza pan into the preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly.
6. Dig in!

Tips & Suggestions:

Bake in a super hot oven on a lower rack.

This will help you achieve a nice crust. Nobody likes a soggy pizza! If you are using a pizza stone, you can also place it in the oven while it is preheating. CAREFULLY add your pizza dough to the hot pizza stone and bake as directed.

Avoid adding too many toppings.

Adding too many toppings to your pizza will overwhelm the pizza and create a soggy crust.

Substitutions and Variations:

• Try cooked bacon, crumbled sausage, diced ham, rotisserie chicken, or pepperoni in place of the Canadian bacon.
• Use barbecue sauce instead of pizza sauce for your base.
• For a bit of heat, add sliced fresh jalapeños or crushed red pepper flakes.
• Add sliced bell pepper.
• Top with fresh basil or Italian seasoning after baking.

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