Here's How To Use White Beans To Add More Protein To Your Pizza

The flavor burst of baked dough with sauce, cheese, and toppings cannot be overstated. Pizza is one of those culinary combinations of simplicity and creativity that has people constantly craving more. In fact, this wildly popular entrée is consumed in quantities of 350 slices every second in the United States, per Eat This, Not That! While the cheese and sauce are certainly important for some of the best-tasting homemade pizza, it's the plethora of toppings that makes pizza colorful, extra tasty, and fun to make. Some like it Margherita-style with a simple handful of basil on top. Others aim to weigh the pizza down with as many veggies and proteins as possible (we're not judging).

And speaking of proteins, pizza is a great way to consume an extra amount of it for a variety of dietary needs. Chicken and ham are obvious choices, but as Meal Prep states, you can also opt for homemade pesto, eggs, turkey, and even prawns on a pizza for a creative protein boost. But rather than solely focusing on meats, try adding some white beans to your pizza next time. Sure, you could add a few on top, but we've got an even better way to incorporate them within the pizza.

Why should marinara sauce have all the fun when a white bean sauce can deliver just as much flavor to a pizza? It's a sneaky way of getting more protein into your diet, as well as adding varying flavors, depending on which type of white beans you choose. For instance, cannellini beans are known for being kind of nutty, while navy and great northern varieties are milder and soak in other flavors like a sponge, per MasterClass.

Both Betty Crocker and Good Life Eats share their methods for making white bean pizza sauce, which differ slightly in richness. Both sources purée their white beans of choice with garlic, though Good Life Eats takes it a step further by adding cream cheese, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, a dash of milk, and seasonings. Either way, you'll end up with a purée of white beans that you can smooth over the pizza crust and then top with extra veggies, proteins, seasonings, and so forth.

The protein count will be determined by how many beans you use. Healthline states that there are 17 grams of protein in one cup of cooked white beans. Betty Crocker uses a 15 oz. can of white beans, while Good Life Eats opts for a half cup of white beans. In these cases, you'll get 31.87 grams of protein or 8.5 grams of protein, respectively.