Simply Shari's Gluten Free Pepperoni Pizza

Simply Shari's Gluten Free Pepperoni Pizza
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

Pizza is a nearly universally loved type of meal and gluten-free food manufacturers are certainly aware of this since there are probably several dozen types of pizza options out there for people who can't eat wheat flour. And it's appropriate to say that in the last few years, food makers have learned from their initial mistakes regarding pizza and no longer expect gluten-free eaters to consume cardboard-like platters that taste like imitation pizza with a saltine cracker crust.

Simply Shari's Gluten Free Pepperoni Pizza
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

With Simply Shari's Gluten Free Pepperoni Pizza, the evolution of  gluten-free pizza has approached a decent point where the crust is a little more forgiving than a saltine cracker even if it's not going to remind anyone of a deep-dish Chicago style pie. A generous number of pepperoni slices cover the average pizza although this frozen entree does seem to skimp a bit on the cheese and sauce. Perhaps the manufacturer was concerned that their crust couldn't take the extra weight of more toppings (it would likely be just fine).

While there are a few servings within a single box, anyone who is eating this pizza as a meal probably should try to share it as then it would exist as nothing more than a snack before the real meal. Eating the whole thing will pack a fairly significant caloric punch (at about 600 calories for the whole pizza), but over the course of the day this shouldn't be a huge issue unless someone is particularly interested in dieting and wants to restrict calories at every meal.

Simply Shari's Gluten Free Pepperoni Pizza
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

Like many gluten-free products, this pizza is labeled with various assertions that it's "all natural" and healthy, but the one thing to look out for is the sodium. Eating the whole pizza will just about take care of your sodium allotment for the entire day at 2000 mg and if you're on a low-salt diet, this pizza should probably be off your menu considerations. The pizza isn't really all that large so it's probably the pepperoni that's causing the sodium level to fly upward toward the stratosphere.

The taste of the pizza would likely be enhanced by the addition of more cheese as the sauce and pepperoni are somewhat spicy and have more than an expected kick to them. But if spicy pizza with some zest is something that pleases you, this pizza will probably do the trick. The experience overall as a gluten-free entree is likely enough to warrant a purchase of a few of these pizzas on sale, but it's definitely something that tastes gluten-free and is just a little different than the "real thing." 

Simply Shari's Gluten Free Pepperoni Pizza
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

And that's the true test of any gluten-free item: whether the finished product is noticeably gluten-free or whether it's indistinguishable from the wheat-flour filled type.

Simply Shari's Gluten Free Pepperoni Pizza Report Card

The Good Stuff:

This pizza tastes like a pizza should and the recipe for the crust is more than adequate. The size is a little small, but is probably appropriate for a single meal so if you're eating this pizza with someone else it's best to pick up a pair of them. 

As pepperoni pizzas go, it's a little spicier than most, so that's something of which to be aware when biting into the cooked and ready pie.

What Could Change:

This pizza has an utterly magnificent display of sodium within its ingredients and since the entire pie is (likely) just going to be eaten by a single person, cutting down on salt the rest of the day is highly recommended. Eating this pizza should be a treat and not a daily occurrence. The pizza could also be a little more generous with the cheese although that might push the sodium levels even higher, so maybe that's just a pipe dream.