5 Pro Tips: Pureeing Pizza for Soft Food Diets

For those with dysphagia, enjoying pizza can seem challenging. However, with the right techniques, it's possible to create a safe, delicious meal that captures the essence of pizza. Here are 5 methods to prepare pizza for individuals with swallowing difficulties, each focusing on something slightly different in order to capture what you're truly missing about pizza!

The Layered Deconstruction Technique

How to do it:

• Separate pizza into its components: crust, sauce, cheese, and toppings
• Process each component separately to appropriate consistency and/or thickness
• Layer the pureed elements in a dish, mimicking the structure of a pizza

Why it's effective:

• Separating each components helps to preserves distinct flavors of each pizza element as well as color. This is not only the case in puree pizza, but for any meal you are trying to puree.
• Layering the ingredients creates a visually appealing dish reminiscent of pizza
• Allows for texture customization of each layer

This method helps maintain the essence of pizza by keeping flavors distinct yet combined in each bite, similar to the experience of eating a regular slice.

 

The Flavor-Infused Base Approach

How to do it:

• Soak pizza pieces in a small amount of flavorful liquid (like tomato juice or broth)
• After soaking, blend thoroughly
• Strain through a fine-mesh sieve for extra smoothness

Why it's effective:

• Enhances overall pizza flavor, however, as stated above blending all the ingredients together will most likely result in a brownish or gray color
• Reduces need for excess liquid, maintaining a thicker consistency
• Soaking and blending all together will ensure a smooth texture 

This technique concentrates the pizza flavors, creating a more authentic taste experience in pureed form.

 

The Jellification Method

How to do it:

• Puree pizza components separately (this keeps the flavors and colors of pizza ingredients more accurate) 
• Mix each component with a small amount of gelatin. We'd recommend instant gelatin powder, so there isn't a need to hydrate the crystals first. It might take a bit of experimentation for the amount of blended ingredient you have to the amount of gelatin you would use. A general rule is 1 teaspoon of gelatin per cup of liquid for a soft set end product. If a rubbery skin develops, there possibly there was too high a proportion of gelatin to liquid. 
• Set in triangular molds to create pizza-shaped or circular bite-sized pieces

Why it's effective:

• Creates a cohesive texture that holds its shape and resembles the shape of pizza
• Allows for easier handling and a more pizza-like eating experience
• Can be molded into various shapes for visual appeal

This approach provides a unique texture that's easier to control in the mouth, potentially making swallowing safer and more comfortable. However, it definitely will take more preparation and trial and error.

 

The Emulsion Technique

How to do it:

• Blend pizza with a small amount of olive oil
• Gradually add warm liquid (broth or milk) while blending
• Continue blending until a smooth, emulsified consistency is achieved

Why it's effective:

• This technique is all about creating a very smooth, more cohesive texture
• It will blend ingredients more uniformly
• The olive oil and broth will help maintain and bring out a richness of flavor

This method results in a creamy, uniform texture that still carries the full flavor profile of the original pizza. However, the color and visual appeal will be impacted with this technique.

 

The Aromatic Enhancement Approach

How to do it:

• Puree the pizza using one of the methods above; either each ingredient separate or all together
• Infuse the puree with pizza-related aromatics (like fresh basil or oregano). We'd recommend to blend these with olive oil and maybe some fresh garlic to create a smooth drizzle. You could also use a pestle and mortar to grind dried 'pizza' herbs  into a dust to make sure there aren't any pieces that would be compromising while consuming.
• After combining, serve with an additional sprinkle of the herbs you made into a dust on top

Why it's effective:

• Enhances the sensory experience of smelling the fresh herbs beyond 
• Adds depth to the flavor profile
• Can improves the visual appeal of the dish

This technique engages multiple senses, making the pureed pizza more satisfying and reminiscent of the original dish.

When pureeing most meals, it depends on a lot of different things, such as you're thickness needs, what aspects your missing from the dish and which you want to enhance when pureeing. These techniques offer innovative ways to prepare pizza for dysphagia, and several of these techniques can be combined to really create the most optimal pizza experience. These methods offer an outlet for individuals that are missing pizza to be able to enjoy it again - experiment to find what works best for you or your loved one!

Remember, while these techniques aim to create enjoyable, pizza-like experiences, safety is paramount. Always follow professional medical advice and guidelines specific to the individual's dysphagia management plan.