Making pizza sounds difficult and time consuming, but it doesn’t have to be! Follow these basic steps for an easy pizza that can be made in minutes during a busy workweek:
- Pick your base or crust. Easy choices include pre-baked crusts purchased at the grocery store, English muffin halves, or tortillas.
- Choose a sauce. It can be as simple as plain olive oil and some garlic, or a few spoonfuls of jarred pasta sauce.
- Add whatever cheese and toppings you desire. Go crazy! It’s your pizza.
- Bake — or even just turn on the broiler in your oven to melt the cheese and heat the pizza.
The quantity of each item depends entirely on your taste. There are many many MANY more possibilities than I have listed here — these are just some of my favorites!
Here are some quick tips when creating pizzas:
- Almost anything in the world can go on pizza — be creative! Look through your refrigerator and pantry and try to spot things that might taste good hot on a crust. You might be surprised at what you can come up with!
- Cheese-less pizza is often available in restaurants as a healthy alternative to the traditional. And as cheese is one of the caloric pitfalls of pizza, the cheese-free variety certainly qualifies as a healthier choice. But if you are like me, pizza just isn’t pizza without cheese. My solution is to use half the cheese, and add a bit of extra sauce. I still get good flavor without a lot of extra calories. And then when I do occasionally indulge in a slice of Extra Cheese, I don’t feel bad about it.
- The other calorie trap in pizza is meat. Pepperoni, sausage, and beef are surefire ways to add to your waistline. Try sticking with healthier meats, like Canadian bacon, shrimp, or chicken. If you use higher-fat meats, try using them sparingly as “seasoning” to complement the other toppings.
Start with a base or crust
- Grilled Flatbreads
- Traditional pre-baked crust
- Whole wheat crust
- Thick pita bread
- Tortillas
- Portobello mushroom caps (see Portobello Mushroom Pizzas)
- Bagel or English muffin halves
- Triscuit crackers
- Hoagie sandwich rolls or horizontally sliced French bread
- Gluten-free crust
Then add sauces & seasonings
- Marinara sauce
- Plain or Italian-seasoned tomato paste or sauce
- Alfredo sauce
- Garlic Mushroom Red Sauce
- Olive oil and garlic
- Basil pesto
- Barbecue sauce
- Hoisin sauce
- Oregano (dried or fresh)
- Basil (dried or fresh)
- Thyme (dried or fresh)
- Italian seasoning blend
- Salt
- Garlic salt
- Black pepper
- Crushed dried red pepper flakes
Go crazy with toppings!
All meats should be fully cooked before going on the pizza.
- Cheese (parmesan, cheddar, mozzarella, jack, fontina, smoked gouda, goat cheese, etc.)
- Vegan cheese
- Sliced mushrooms
- Sliced tomatoes
- Sliced or chopped bell peppers
- Steamed or fresh baby spinach
- Green or black olives
- Steamed broccoli
- Artichoke hearts
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Garlic (fresh or roasted)
- Sliced onions
- Pineapple
- Pepperoni
- Sliced extra-firm tofu
- Crumbled Italian sausage
- Canadian bacon
- Ground beef
- Shrimp
- Sliced chicken breast
- Vegan meat (pepperoni, chorizo, soy hamburger crumbles, etc.)
Quick mix & match pizza ideas
Fast Traditional Cheese Pizza
Pre-baked crust, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese.
Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato
Easy Flatbreads, marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, baby spinach leaves.
Vegetarian Gourmet
Pre-baked whole wheat crust, olive oil, minced garlic, oregano, basil, thyme, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, sliced red bell peppers, Kalamata olives, fontina cheese.
White Basil Pizza
Grilled Flatbreads, Alfredo sauce, fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced mushrooms, crumbled Italian sausage, jack cheese.
Quick Cracker Snacks
Saltine or Triscuit crackers topped with pepperoni slices, microwaved for a few seconds until the pepperoni begins to crisp up.