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Meal Pattern Minute: Tomato-Based Pizza Sauce

February 23, 2024

Pizza is a delightful and versatile dish that can be included in lunch, supper, snack or even breakfast. The beauty of pizza lies in its adaptability, allowing you to experiment with various sauces like pesto, alfredo, and the classic tomato-based pizza sauce to infuse exciting flavors into your recipe. When considering the meeting meal pattern requirements, it's important to note that not all pizza components may contribute equally. But what if you add tomato-based pizza sauce to a pizza? Could you credit it as a vegetable component? 

 Watch and listen to this Meal Pattern Minute as Isabel Ramos-Lebron, MS, RDN, LD, reveals the answer to this question. 

 Looking for more details about pizza sauce? Review the links below for additional information. 

  • Crediting Handbook for CACFP
    • Pizza sauce may be credited if a minimum of an 1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) is provided. An 1/8 cup of pizza sauce equals an 1/8 cup of vegetable. See the Vegetables section in the Food Buying Guide. Document meal pattern contribution with a standardized recipe or a Product Formulation Statement.
  •  Crediting Vegetables in the Child Nutrition Programs Tip Sheet
    • Most vegetables credit as volume served; the minimum creditable serving size is â…› cup (exceptions are tomato paste, tomato puree, and raw leafy greens).

 Try adding on of these recipes to your menu for a unique twist on pizza. 

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