Struggle with getting dinner on the table? Grab our 5 easy family meal recipes!

This Roast Beef and Arugula Naan Bread Pizza with Tzatziki Sauce is an easy weeknight meal that the whole family will love, ready in under 30 minutes. The Tzatziki Dipping Sauce provides extra flavor and a creamy topping that sets this apart from any other naan bread pizza you’ll have!

this Post!

This post is written in partnership with The North American Meat Institute (NAMI), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff. 

I’m so excited to share this delicious roast beef naan bread pizza recipe with you today. Naan bread pizza is my new favorite thing, it’s the best and it’s so easy. Plus, you really can’t beat the taste.

This Naan Bread Pizza recipe uses deli roast beef. Thanks to diet culture and the orthorexic tendencies of our environment, deli meats and the term, “processed meats” have gotten some negative spotlight.

But, this deli roast beef recipe will bring new meaning to the term, deli meat, and offers a fun new way to use roast beef. You don’t need to be intimidated any longer. 

We know I’m of the mentality that all foods can fit and we shouldn’t bring fear to any foods. So, I thought this naan bread pizza would be the perfect time to talk a little bit more about processed foods and what that even means. 

What Does “Processed Food” Mean?

To put it simply, processed means “prepared.” It’s just prepared for you ahead of time. So, like all meats prepared at home, processed meats are prepared at a plant – just simply on a larger scale.

This could entail:

• cutting
• chopping
• grinding
• seasoning
• cooking

And when you consider that all meat must be prepared (or processed) before it is eaten, “processed” doesn’t seem like such a negative term anymore, does it?

I find when working with clients that it helps to break it down in this way. Also, to be practical about it, meat processing began out of necessity before refrigeration was available by salting and drying as a means of preserving products and preventing spoilage. 

Is It Healthy To Eat Prepared Foods?

Prepared meats and foods can certainly fit into an overall healthy diet and lifestyle, and are an important part of food cultures around the world. 

All ingredients used in prepared meat products must be approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and then accepted by the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture). The USDA regulates and inspects meat and poultry products before they are sold, so these forms of meat are highly regulated. 

Furthermore, any meat that is processed in a plant must contain an ingredient statement and nutrition label, so there is full transparency about what is in the product and what isn’t. Prepared meats have an excellent, continually improving safety record (1). 

I hear from many people that they are scared to cook meat and don’t know how to tell if they are cooking meat to the correct temperatures. While I would encourage everyone to have a quality meat thermometer so you can test meat made in your household, you can also depend on prepared meats for these situations where you don’t feel like cooking or are unsure about the cooking process and temperatures.

Food safety is so important! 

What Are The Nutrition Qualities of Prepared Beef?

Within the prepared meats category, there are several different choices to meet one’s nutrition needs, tastes, budgets and personal preferences. For example, you can find low-sodium (140mg of sodium or less) and reduced- sodium products, low- and reduced-fat products, American Heart Association certified, organic and grass-fed options, Kosher and more.

Prepared beef can also provide easy and convenient sources of protein, vitamins and several minerals. Specifically, red meat offers bioavailable nutrients like iron and zinc that are better absorbed by the body than when derived from vegetarian sources (2). Personally, I put a major focus on my iron and red meat intake, especially when I’m in marathon training mode. 

So, let’s talk about how easy it is to make this naan bread pizza recipe using prepared meat. 

How To Make Naan Bread Pizza

Naan bread pizza is my new favorite form of pizza because it’s super easy and incredibly tasteful. I love buying garlic naan bread, but any flavor will do.

First, gather and mix your ingredients.

Then, transfer the toppings to the naan bread and throw it in the oven for 8-10 minutes.

And you can marvel at what a beauty this naan bread pizza is, too!

My favorite part is how the tzatziki sauce brings all the flavors together. I had never realized how easy it is to make tzatziki sauce until now. I double the batch and keep it in the fridge all week. Camryn enjoys it too!

Continue to Content

Yield: 2 small pizzas

Roast Beef & Arugula Naan Bread Pizza with Tzatziki Sauce

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

This Roast Beef and Arugula Naan Bread Pizza with Tzatziki Sauce is an easy weeknight meal that the whole family will love, ready in under 30 minutes.

Print

Ingredients

• Naan Pizza:
• 2 pieces of naan bread (or flatbread)
• 1 T olive oil, divided
• 1 cup arugula
• ⅓ cup diced red pepper
• ⅓ cup diced tomatoes
• 4 oz Mozzarella cheese
• 3-4 oz roast beef, chopped
• ½ tsp italian seasoning
• ¼ tsp salt
• Tzatziki Dipping Sauce:
• 1/3 large cucumber, grated (you can remove skin if you like)
• 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1-2 T chopped dill (depending on taste preference)
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. To make tzatziki sauce, mix all ingredients in a large bowl and transfer to fridge to cool while you heat the naan pizza. It will be most flavorful if you let it set overnight, but it can also be used right away. 
3. Lightly brush naan with olive oil and bake for 1-2 minutes until slightly hardened. 
4. Combine arugula, red pepper, tomatoes, cheese, roast beef, italian seasoning and salt in a large bowl and mix. Spread over naan.
5. Transfer naan to oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until crust gets crispy and cheese melts.
6. Drizzle tzatziki on top or use it as a dip and enjoy.

Notes

* You can use more or less cucumber and dill, depending on taste preference. I prefer to discard juice from the cucumber.

* If using dried dill, use about half of what you would use for fresh dill.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1/2 pizza
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 403Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 1440mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 30g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

Tips For Naan Bread Pizza

Feel free to use more or less cucumber and dill, depending on taste preference. I’ve only tested with fresh dill (I think it tastes better), but if you have dried dill you could use half of the amount you would use for fresh. 

When you’re grating the cucumber, you’ll find that the juices tend to come out too. I prefer to discard the liquid but there’s really no reason you couldn’t use it in the tzatziki dip as well. 

You can also switch up the cheese and veggies too! I love mozzarella cheese, but I’m sure parmesan or feta would be delicious on top, too.

Pin it for Later!

I hope this helps to show you that prepared meat can certainly fit into a healthy lifestyle and is not something that needs to be feared or shunned. 

Do you have a favorite deli roast beef recipe?

Resources:

1. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/data-collection-and-reports/microbiology/testing-program-for-rte-meat-and-poultry-products/ testing-program-rte
2. Hunt JR. Bioavailability of iron, zinc, and other trace minerals from vegetarian diets. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003; 78, Issue 3: 633S–639S. https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/78/3/633S/4690005 Accessed March 29, 2018.