Dinner does not always need to be difficult nor gourmet to make everyone happy. Pizza night can be easy, fun, and delicious. I surprised my husband with a tabletop pizza oven last Christmas and he has been experimenting ever since. Getting the kids involved was a natural next, dare I say brave step. Here are the easy, fun and messy steps to great pizza at home. Whether you have a pizza oven or a regular oven - just do it!
EASY
Trader Joes helps make it easy. They have 3 kinds of pizza doughs at our local stores; regular, whole wheat and herb. They also have pizza sauce in the refrigerator section. You do not have to make everything from scratch in real life. Every mom understands this mom code, that I like to call “half scratch”.
Then grab your favorite toppings like cheese, olives, roasted garlic, prosciutto and anything else. For this night’s pizza makings I have sauteed onions, bacon, pepperoni, garlic, and cheese. I like to sauté the onions in the bacon fat after cooking diced bacon. I then like to also crisp up small pieces of pepperoni. This helps to render the fat beforehand versus having it on the pizza directly, plus we like our pepperoni extra crispy.
FUN ( & MESSY!)
We like to get the kids involved when we can in the kitchen.
The things they like the help out with:
- Rolling the dough
- Spreading the sauce
- Sprinkling on the toppings
- Using the pizza roller to cut slices
- Taste testing along the way
The things they do not like to help out with:
- Grocery shopping for the ingredients
- Cleaning up the flour that seems to get everywhere
- Washing dishes
- Sharing!
I am a realistic mom and try to celebrate the small victories that they want to help at all. I know it is a huge mess but in our house hubby is in charge of clean up, so it is win-win for me!
DELICIOUS (do not forget dessert!)
We used two trader joe dough balls to make 3 pizzas and a dessert calzone. We enjoyed an all cheese pizza plus one with all the toppings I prepped. We made a third pizza for our neighbors that just welcomed their new baby girl home. Nothing like pizza delivery you can walk next door. We finished with a favorite dessert of my husbands - Nutella and banana calzone.
Some of our favorite savory and sweet pizza inventions include:
- Peanut butter, bacon, tomato & green onion
- Pesto, cheese & sundried tomatoes
- olive oil, cheese, prosciutto, fresh arugula & balsamic
- Anything with anchovies and green olives - Ok, I admit only I love this one!
- chocolate, marshmallows and crushed graham crackers - Smores pizza!
- Nutella, banana & peanut butter chips
Pizza night at home is a fun way to get creative and spend family time together. I encourage you to try it this weekend. Invite some friends over also and make it a potluck pizza night with everyone bringing a few toppings to share. It adds another level of creativity. Plus you or your kids may end up trying something new. Do not forget the beer and wine for the adults.
I would love to hear how your family pizza night turned out? The messiest kids win!
Erika says
I love making pizza with my kids. This is great, thanks for sharing.
Beth says
I love the looks of concentration on your kids' faces - can't wait until my grandson is old enough. The suggestions for unusual pizzas were fun!
Angela Greven | Mean Green Chef says
I grew up making pizzas with my dad and they're memories I treasure. I love getting kids in the kitchen!!
Angela says
Thank you for sharing that - food and family memories are the best!