Servings: 6 Prep: 20 mins Cook: 20 mins Total: 50 mins
I love pizza. I LoooOoOOOOOove PIZZA! A good pie, a slice, some ZA! Whatever you want to call it, I want me some!
I’ve been eating in this manner for about 3 1/2 years and have found peace with it. There are things I simply no longer eat, or I’ve found “updated” replacements for the foods I love, but did so much damage. There is ONE glaring hole in my world, unfortunately. That hole’s name is: Pizza.
Pizza is amongst one of the most eaten foods on the planet, with some 5 billion pizzas being sold every year, 3 billion of those within the United States, where there are over 70,000 pizzerias! This is somewhat mind boggling to me, in that just over 100 years ago, there wasn’t a single pizza restaurant in the US. Americans quickly loved it and adopted it, myself included!
I’ve been on an endless search for a top-quality pizza since I’ve begun this way of life. There’s been some which were fun, or interesting, and often even delicious, but … just not a GREAT pizza! To-date, I have not had a GREAT low-carb pizza, and I’ve tried endless varieties, from cauliflower crusts, to cream cheese crusts, to tortillas, Carbquik and even a specialty flour made specifically for pizza (my favorite so far, but still not “great … wrote home to Mom … GREAT“!), but they’re all far too SWYPO for me. In many ways, I’ve given up hope and simple eat the real deal about once every 6 months, suffer through the cravings and then count the 180 or so days until my next slice! Wash, rinse, repeat!
What I’ve begun to do instead, is harness the spirit of the pizza, and apply it to other things. This way, I’m not really comparing it to an earth shattering deep dish Chicago pizza, or a thin crusted white pie from Brooklyn. Rather, I’m making something new; something which has no comparison!
Enter … PIZZACHILLADAS!
These things were fantastic, actually! Every little bit as cheesy and greasy as a good pie should be, but without the overwhelming need to judge the crust. It has no crust! The pepperoni gives it the pizza flavor, while the melted cheese on top drives the whole thing home! A perfect texture, it slices well, it’s flavorful and filling. A home run!
Fillings/Toppings Note: I’ve always been a “Meat Lovers’ Pizza” kind of guy, unless I’m going for something truly different. Feel free to throw your favorite filling into these. I do recommend cooking them, first, though. As an example, raw mushrooms on a pizza will probably evaporate a lot of water in a super hot pizza oven. However, a raw mushroom inside one of these will likely just release a lot of water and make the whole thing soggy. Items like onions, mushrooms, peppers, broccoli, eggplant, mushrooms, zucchini, etc. will all benefit from being cooked, first.
Pizzachiladas
Print RateIngredients
- 1/2 lb raw italian sausage (sweet or spicy)
- 1/2 lb pepperoni slices divided
- 2 cups low carb pasta sauce divided
- 1/2 lb ham cubed
- 1/2 cup real bacon bits
- 1/2 tsp crushed red chili flakes
- 3/4 lb. whole milk low moisture mozzarella, grated and divided
- 2 cups parmesan cheese grated and divided
- 12 each all-purpose crepes
- salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 F.
- If your Italian sausage is in casings, remove it. In a sauté pan over medium-high heat, sauté it, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, as if it were ground beef. When it is cooked, set aside to cool.
- Chop half of your pepperoni.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the chopped pepperoni, cooked sausage, ham, bacon bits, 1/2 cup of tomato sauce and half of each of the two cheeses. Mix well.
- Spread about 1/2 cup of tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9'x13' baking pan.
- On a counter top, lay out your crepes. Evenly divide your filling mixture between each of the 12 crepes, making a straight line in the center of each crepe. Roll each crepe into a tube and then place it in the baking pan, tightly packed next to the preceding one. Repeat this process until each pizzachillada is in the baking pan. You may need to move things around to make them all fit, but they will fit.
- Top the pan with the remaining tomato sauce and spread it evenly.
- Place a layer of pepperoni slices over the top of the crepes.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheeses over the top of the pan.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and crispy! Allow it to settle for about 10 minutes before slicing.
- Slice and serve!
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* Learn More: More about this recipe and nutrition …
Crepes/tortillas were not mentioned in the nutrition area! I am like you-a lover of pizza yet, needing low carbs-at all costs.
I have seen a quinoa pizza bite recipe lately;I am trying that one over the weekend.
Hi Sandi! Actually, they are! They’re almost the last ingredient. The second-from-the-last. Sorry you missed it!
DJ….I’m with you on crusts….commercial pizza has gotten so good, it’s impossible to make it at home decently and low carb to boot. I’ll have to try this but is it hard to make the crepes? Looks complicated. At least theres the new very thin crust artisan pizza gaining in popularity….hoping its a bit better on carbs but I’m prolly whistling by the graveyard…
Frank, that’s a tough question to answer. I’ve made thousands of crepes in my life, starting at about 13 years old. I can make lots of them … quickly! If I’m really on my game, I’ll have several pans going at once! For most, it’s "trying". Most people tend to find it challenging to learn, but … they also always get better. I think most would agree it’s worth pursuing, as once you "get it" and see how to make them, how the thin batter works, etc. it’s a quick and rewarding skill to have. Just know that … even a pro will mess up the first one. The first one is a disaster, 90% of the time. The rest are better. The 3rd is always the best! 😉 With practice, they become quite fast and fun to make, but … there is a bit of a learning curve. I hope this helps! 🙂
Can you freeze crepes?
Hi Cindi, I store them rolled up in paper towels, because it’s what I cool them on. They do create a lot of steam when they’re hot and fresh. The paper towels help absorb some of that moisture. Then, because they’re there, I roll them up in it and place in a large ziploc or plastic wrap tube and throw in the fridge or freezer. It’s not a well-thought-out plan, it’s just what I do from habit and making use of the things in my kitchen. In restaurants, it’s QUITE common to stack them between parchment paper squares, wrap them like a cube and freeze the block. These crepes aren’t as fragile as you might think. They definitely don’t stick to the paper towels. Just make sure there’s something between them before freezing, and try and eliminate air if you’re planning to freeze for a long time. So, stack them, with parchment between them, then tightly wrap in plastic wrap, vacuum pack or in a large bag, but suck the air out. I hope this helps!
I love your recipes , but the ads that pop up on page kinda make me lose my appetite 🙁
Hi Carla, I?m really not sure what to do about that. I?ve been reading about how to control this and while I can go in and block certain ads, new ones are being created all the time. The advertisers are actively trying to create imagery to catch your attention. So, while I may ban one, a new one is right around the corner. I can spend all my time pruning these and keeping watch, or just adding more recipes, blogging and helping people try and lose weight. It bugs me to no end, and I frankly wish I could just remove all the ads, but ? there?s simply no way I could do that. I will keep reading and trying to find ways to eliminate some of the more appetite suppressing ads, but ? my reading indicates that it becomes a game of literally chasing ads around ? and ? that?s just silly. The same thing happens on TV, as well. Cupcake Wars gets a commercial for Preparation H. I think it?s just the way of the world ? Just know that I am aware of it and it?s heavy on my mind.
Carla,
You need to install an ad blocker on your browser. I don’t see a single ad on this web site. Browsing the internet is a whole new world when you do so. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, do a Google search for "how to install an ad blocker.)
Lisa, I’ve never tried one of those. Are they really THAT successful? I might have to snatch one, myself! Thanks for the tip!
—Reply posted by DJ on 2/25/2015
Hi Jenn, thanks! Welcome! I’m really torn on the ad blocker things. I operate a free recipe based blog and am able to pay some of my bills BECAUSE of those ads. If too many people block them, I lose my job. That said … I don’t like ads and completely understand the desire to remove them. *sigh*
—Reply posted by Jenn on 2/25/2015
I installed Adblock on Chrome (also for Firefox) a few weeks ago and haven’t seen an ad since! So far it says it has blocked over 4000 ads. Wow!
Btw, I’m SO hooked on your great food ideas and can hardly wait to get out of induction to try out your mouthwatering recipes. Your beautiful pictures help too!
These look fantastic! And FWIW (a little late in the game, here) I get NO ads on your website…the most common offender is CNN, honestly.
What a great site, I look forward to these posts everyday only sorry I didn’t know about this years ago, thank you
—Reply posted by DJ on 2/28/2015
Hi Chris, thanks! Just be warned, I’m in deep slacker mode, right now. I’m at the tail end of writing my first cookbook, which … has slowed my new recipe creation to a crawl. It may be a week or two before you see more, but… soon I’ll be back on top of things. Welcome! Let me know if you have any questions or comments. Here to help!
I made these and they were horrible. Don’t recommend making them.
—Reply posted by DJ on 6/18/2015
Hi Joanne, can you be a little more descriptive? I’m sorry you had such a bad experience with this recipe, but frankly … if you were to take those ingredients, swirl them up in a pan and bake them … it’s just going to taste awesome, unless you changed the ingredients or used ingredients that didn’t taste good to begin with (old meat, tasteless watery sauces, strange cheeses, etc.). All I’m really doing is adding some composure to a list of ingredients that taste amazing together. How that can be “horrible” is beyond me, but … clearly you didn’t like something about it. Please let us know so we can from your mistake. Thanks and … again … sorry! :/