Papa John's is a popular pizza restaurant franchise, with locations around the world. Papa John's restaurants specialize in pizza for delivery and take out. The restaurant chain was founded in 1984 by John Schnatter, and Papa John's famous slogan "Better Ingredients, Better Pizza" is well known. Papa John's Pizza was recently named the Official Pizza Sponsor for the NFL in 2010.
Definition
Papa John's tomato pizza sauce is canned but made from vine-ripened tomatoes, not from concentrate. Papa John's tomato pizza sauce is also available as a dipping sauce for pizzas, wings and breadsticks. Although Papa John's offers barbeque sauce and Spinach Alfredo as sauces for some specialty pizzas, the classic tomato pizza sauce is still the most popular option.
Calories
Compared to the other dipping sauces on the menu, Papa John's tomato pizza sauce is a low-calorie option. Since the sauce is made mostly from tomatoes, the calorie count is only 20 calories for 28.4 grams, or one dipping cup. Both the honey mustard and garlic butter have 150 calories each, for the same serving size.
Saturated Fat
Papa John's tomato pizza sauce is also a good low-fat option, since it contains only 1g total fat and 0 g saturated fat. The tomato pizza sauce contains a mix of extra virgin olive oil with sunflower or canola oil. In contrast, the blue cheese dipping sauce contains 16 g total fat and 3.5 g saturated fat.
Sodium and Carbohydrates
Papa John's tomato pizza sauce is relatively low in sodium, at 230 mg. In comparison, the buffalo dipping sauce is quite salty, with 1030 mg sodium. Papa John's tomato pizza sauce is also fairly low in carbohydrates, with 3 g per serving. The barbeque dipping sauce has 11 g of carbohydrates.
Ordering Advice
Avoid ordering supersized specialty pizzas with three types of meats, multiple cheese blends or alfredo sauce. The pan crust and whole wheat crust have more calories and carbohydrates than the original crust. The larger the pizza, the more calories each slice has.
Healthier Pizza Options
If you're a dieter looking for a healthier pizza option, order a pizza online and customize it to your needs. Opt for a smaller original crust pizza with tomato pizza sauce, less cheese and more fresh vegetables. If you add meat, choose a lower-fat option like grilled chicken. Dieters can also order the Garden Fresh Pizza. A small slice has 180 calories and a medium slice has 200 calories.
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