For the past few years, one of the dishes I have missed is pizza – the kind of pizza with hot, gooey cheese melted onto the crunchy crust and zesty meats all over and veggies to top it off.

There is gluten-free pizza out there, but it is nothing to write home about. Most gluten-free pizzas are dry, flavorless or do not live up to the expectations of what a pizza should taste like.

Gluten-free pizza can be an expensive meal as well. Some restaurants charge up to $25 for a whole pizza and no one wants to pay for an overpriced, crappy pizza.

Sufferers of celiac disease often have problems when dining out. Restaurants like Domino’s Pizza offer gluten-free menu items but do not guarantee them to be free of cross-contamination.

With all the risks and limited funds, it can make any gluten-free college student not want to go out to eat pizza. Sometimes making a meal at home can be the best option.

This recipe was adapted from tasteofthehome.com

Gluten-Free Chicken Pesto Pizza

½ pound chicken breast, cut into small pieces

1 cup pesto sauce

1 onion, sliced and halved

1 green pepper, sliced and halved

1 red pepper, sliced and halved

1 gluten-free pizza crust

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

For the recipe, I cooked the chicken with a George Foreman grill. Set the grill to 400 F and wait until the grill beeps to place chicken inside. Brush a tablespoon of oil on chicken and sprinkle salt and pepper for taste. Cook for five minutes until chicken looks cooked and you see grill marks.

If you do not have a George Foreman grill, cook the chicken on the stove. In a large skillet, heat stove over medium heat and drizzle 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Cook chicken for five to six minutes until chicken is no longer pink and when you touch it, the chicken bounces back up and feels firm.

Once chicken is grilled and ready, start cooking the peppers and onions. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the peppers and onions until the vegetables are tender.

Take out your pizza crust and place on the counter. For this recipe, I used Udi’s Gluten-Free pizza crust, which has two personal pizza crusts. It costs $5.99 and can be found at Raley’s, Safeway or Whole Foods Market.

Spread the pesto sauce evenly over the pizza crust. Top it with chicken and, if you desire, your choice of cheese. Then sprinkle on the peppers and onion.

Bake pizza for eight to 10 minutes until crust is light brown. Once cooked, take pizza out of the oven and let it cool for five to 10 minutes. Cut into six to eight individual slices and serve.

If you like beer with your pizza like I do, enjoy this pizza with a bottle of Redbridge gluten-free beer, which costs $7.99 for an 8-pack or $1.29 for a single bottle and can be found at Save Mart and Total Wine.

Brittany Lambert can be reached at [email protected]