WE EAT | Chicken + Bacon Alfredo Pizza (with Greek Yogurt)

Whats your favorite go-to easy meal? I remember asking this question of my social media mamas and the amount of answers were overwhelming, and SO good!  Legit quality meals to serve my family.  I cooked off that list for months:) 

For us, it usually consists of something I can make ahead of time (say the night or a few days before) so that I can pop it in the oven when I get home from work or a busy day of errands with my girls, and dinner is made.  The crock pot is another favorite.  I don't have to worry with it hardly at all. 

Love those kinds of meals, right? 

Chicken + Wild Rice Casserole OR Mexican Chicken Casserole OR Caprese Mac + Cheese

Crock Pot BBQ Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes OR Crock Pot Quinoa Chili (love!)

I've shared our pizza making experience before- and honestly we spend a lot of time in the kitchen together as a family when we make pizza (of any kind!) because it is just so darn easy to do!  How versatile can you make your pizza?  The options are pretty much endless for toppings, sauces, and dough.  Today, I bring you our latest and most favorite version of family dinner:

Chicken + Bacon Alfredo Pizza

Did I mention that the Alfredo is made with Greek yogurt? Yea.  It is. 

Even though I am guilty of the simplicity of a jarred sauce, this one was fun to work on and spin to the healthier side.

Chicken + Bacon Alfredo Pizza

adapted from ifoodreal (sauce)

pizza

Cooking spray

Whole wheat pizza dough**

1-2 cups shredded, cooked turkey or chicken breast

3-4 center cut bacon slices, cooked and chopped

1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella

1/2 cup shredded Fontina cheese

greek yogurt sauce

2 large garlic cloves

1 tablespoon olive oil

3/4 cup fat-free, low sodium chicken stock

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3/4 cup 0% plain Greek yogurt (I use Chobani)

 --

Preheat a large skillet on medium heat and add olive oil. Add garlic and sauté for a minute or two or until fragrant, stirring frequently. Add chicken stock, cornstarch, salt, pepper and whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for a few minutes until sauce has thickened a bit. Remove from heat, add Parmesan cheese and stir until smooth and cheese has melted. Add Greek yogurt and stir again until smooth. Add chicken and stir to combine. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.  Spray a pizza round or a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.  Roll the whole wheat dough (homemade or store bought) onto your prepared baking surface.  Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes.  Remove from the oven.

Spread prepared alfredo sauce evenly over the crust.  Layer chicken, bacon, and finally the cheese.

Place pizza into the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted.

**For the dough, you can either go store bought or homemade. For this particular recipe, I used store bought, but I usually have Cooking Light's recipe for Whole Wheat Pizza Dough on hand for use - it is fantastic (and really easy)! The recipe is enough for two (12 inch) pizzas, so I always have a ball in my freezer waiting to be used.

To freeze, follow directions of the recipe for kneading the dough and then shape it into 2 balls. Coat with cooking spray and place in freezer in a zip-top plastic bag. To thaw: Place dough balls overnight in the refrigerator. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85º), free from drafts, 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.)
I had some time earlier in the day, so I made the Alfredo sauce during nap-time, and stored it covered in the fridge until we were ready to use it for our pizza making that evening.  Whatever it takes to make my evenings as easy as possible.. that doesn't involve a drive thru or a deliver dude.
For toppings, we kept it simple: chicken, bacon, & cheese.
You can easily grab a rotisserie chicken from your grocery and pull the breast meat (skin removed) and chop into bite-sized pieces. We actually had some grilled chicken left over from the day before when we enjoyed it up on top of a salad for dinner.   

 Time to prep, girls!  Jordan is always volunteered for his muscles and big ol' hands to do the dough spreading on the pan.

 Parker and Jolie absolutely love to help make pizza.  The moment I mention helping me make dinner, the are directed to beeline to the kitchen, pulling chairs to stand high enough to assist.

 They are actually really patient with me.. and take turns well.
They know the drill.  I'm a mama with just two hands so they have me outnumbered, and we go over the 'rules' of helping me cook more than once in the duration.
 I'm still trying to figure out how I can grow another arm or two.. hoping to have this done before bebe girl number three comes along.
Jolie's turn with the alfredo sauce..

 ..and then Parker's.

 And now time for the toppings!  The best part.. and delicious for pre-dinner snacking.
Us girls agree.

MOST of the time, we get through dinner making without a fuss - but in true toddler fashion, we had a meltdown during the pizza topping process.
Parker was determined with the cheese, and it wasn't time yet.
Funny a concept that I, as an adult, can easily grasp.  Toddlers- not so much.

 Finally.  The cheese.

 Dinner was a success!  We cleaned our plates, and I didn't get a single picture of any one eating it - too busy and too hungry, I suppose.  When we put it on their plate, they questioned it a bit (they aren't super familiar with bacon..) but, reminding them that they helped mama make this pizza got them very excited to eat it.  And also very proud that we loved it so much.
They ate the cheese first, toppings next, and then the alfredo soaked bread last.
Typical.

Whats your go-to family dinner? 

Want more pizza? Check out one of our favs: 

BBQ White Cheddar Chicken Pizza 

Wondering where to start in getting your kiddos in the kitchen?

Check out my blog post HERE about including your babes:)