Whenever my friends and I get together, we always do homemade pizzas. I love that it’s a fun activity that everyone can participate in and at the end, each have their own personally customized meal for themselves to enjoy. It’s so perfect for even the pickiest of friends because everyone makes their own. If you have someone that’s not too keen for tomato sauce, they can swap it out for white sauce or no sauce at all. If they fancy something sweet, they can drizzle a bit of honey over their pepperoni. Or if you have that one friend – as we all do – that just goes a bit wacky with the toppings, try a bit of sweet corn & tuna or pineapple & ham. Whatever the case, this meal is absolutely fool proof, as long as you have a good variety of toppings!
Before I start prepping the pizza, I set the oven to 450°F. So first, let’s start with the base. If I’m doing this by myself and fancy something quick and easy, I forego pizza dough for pre-baked, ready-to-eat flatbread (similar to pita bread or naan). I find that a flatbread base bakes quicker and tends to a bit on the crunchy side, which I actually prefer. However, if you want the feel of an authentic pizza, opt for raw pizza dough instead. This takes a bit longer to bake in the oven, however, I always find it entertaining to see what shapes everyone’s pizza base turns out.
Now, moving onto the sauce. I don’t always go for sauce, especially when I use flatbread, however when I do, I use the brand Paesana (this can be found at Costco). I like this one because I find their sauces are actually flavorful and don’t just taste like cold tomato soup. Next, I pop on the cheese. Again, if I’m going for something quick and easy as with the flatbread, I use grated mozzarella and cheddar cheese. But when I have a bit more time, I love using fresh mozzarella! It’s sooo delish!
Now the fun part, toppings! My flatbread musts are chertos (cherry tomatoes LOL!) and basil. I’ve also taken the liberty of listing some other good combos for both flatbread and pizza dough down below…
- marinara sauce, fresh mozzarella, and basil
- vodka sauce, mascarpone, fresh mozzarella and basil
- marinara, pepperoni, shredded mozzarella, and a drizzle of honey
- garlic parmesan sauce, shredded mozzarella, mushrooms, and olives (it tastes extra good when the pizza dough is crunchy)
- alfredo sauce, shredded mozzarella, and spinach
Finally sprinkle a pinch of salt and black pepper to add some extra flavor and pop the tray in the oven for ~ 25 minutes. Then take the tray out and let it cool for a few minutes before eating!
Quick sidenote: On the left, of the picture above, are slices of cheesy garlic bread. This is super easy to make; just slice a fresh baguette and apply garlic paste and shredded mozzarella cheese. Then pop in the oven alongside the pizza (in a different tray obvs) and voila, you have a super simple yet delicious snack to pair with your pizzas!
