Chicken-Crust Basil Pesto Pizza

Ingredients and shopping list

Full batch: 4 listed servings.

• 800 g raw 99% lean ground chicken
• 40 g liquid egg whites
• 200 g nonfat cottage cheese, compare sodium
• 120 g reduced-fat mozzarella, compare sodium
• 200 g spinach; 2 tomatoes; 1 bunch basil
• 1 lemon; 2 garlic cloves
• Black pepper and dried oregano; all seasonings salt-free

Cooking instructions

Chill the mixed raw meat 15 minutes before shaping; keep it refrigerated while preparing the filling. Use thick cottage cheese without pooled whey. Pre-cook wet vegetables, evaporate their moisture, and cool before filling; squeeze spinach dry. Heat oven to 400 F. Mix cold ground poultry with only the listed 40 g egg whites and salt-free seasonings. Divide into four and press into thin rounds on parchment. Bake crusts until the thickest part reaches 165 F; verify with a food thermometer. Blend cottage cheese, basil, lemon and garlic into a creamy pesto; spread over cooked crust and add spinach and sliced tomato. Add cottage cheese and mozzarella unless used in the topping; return to oven until hot and cheese melts. Cool promptly and divide into four. These are meat shells, not elastic dough: press about 1/4 inch thick and use the parchment to fold gently. For pizza or taco bases, pour off released juices after baking and blot before topping. Do not add more cottage cheese if it has already been used in the filling or pesto. Cool cooked food promptly in shallow portions; refrigerate within 2 hours at 40 F or below and use within 3-4 days, unless the recipe specifically requires frozen storage. Reheat leftovers to 165 F where served hot. Development recipe: texture and yield still need kitchen testing.

Meal-prep storage

Refrigerate perishable prepared portions promptly in shallow containers within 2 hours (1 hour above 90 F), at 40 F or below. Use within 3-4 days or the shorter ingredient/card limit. Reheat hot leftovers to 165 F. Freeze suitable portions for later days; check texture after thawing.

Recipe notes

A protein-forward meal-prep recipe from the Built to Prep collection.

Desk review only; kitchen testing and brand-label nutrition verification pending.

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