- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 10 Minutes (ish)
- Total Time: 20 Minutes
- Fridge Friendly: 4 Days
- Freezer Friendly: 1 Month
- Servings – 4
Cost Per Person: $
- ¢: pennies
- $: less than $4
- $$: less than $7
- $$$: less than $10
- $$$: over $10
The Case for Home-Baked Pizza
It may surprise you to know that many people in the Western World have no idea how pizza should taste because all they’ve ever known is the stuff sold by the big pizza chains. Fresh ingredients have been replaced with preservative-laden, cheap, and fatty substances that are mass-produced, frozen and shipped across the country. Commercial pizza is a high-calorie, high-fat, high-sodium, low-nutrient food.
For-the-love-of-Pizza, we encourage you to give homemade pizza a try because once you do you will never feel the same about this simple and delicious food again.
But be forewarned, there’s no going back once you try home-baked pizza made with fresh ingredients because no delivery or frozen product will ever stimulate your taste buds the way a freshly baked, hot, out-of-the-oven pizza does. Buon appetite!
Why I Love This Recipe
Using a prebaked base like flatbread, pizza crust, or naan makes a quick lunch or dinner. I love this version when we are having a group of people over. I make a “pizza bar” with tons of different toppings to choose from. It doesn’t get any easier than that.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Make it your own with whatever toppings make you happy
- If you have kids, they will LOVE to help with the toppings!
This version is great for a busy weeknight dinner or a group of friends over to watch a good game.
Ingredients
- 1 Flatbread/Pre-cooked Pizza Crust/4 Naan
- ½ Cup Marinara or Pizza Sauce (Click here for No-Bake Pizza Sauce Recipe)
- 2 Cups Grated Mozzarella Cheese
Topping Ideas (Slicing Thinner is Better to Guarantee Even Baking)
Buffalo Mozzarella • Pepperoni • Salami • Ham • Red Onion • Caramelized Onion • Green Pepper • Mushrooms (sauté them first) • Pineapple • Hot peppers • Marinated artichokes • Anchovies • Olives • Fresh basil
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
- Spoon the pizza sauce all over the flatbread. Use the back of the spoon to distribute evenly.
- Next, sprinkle the grated cheese evenly all over the sauce.
- Now the topping. Try to stick to no more than 3 or 4 toppings. (Too many toppings will weigh down the dough, and it won’t cook properly)
- Place the pizza on the bottom rack of the oven and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is all melty and turning golden. The thinner the crust the faster it will bake.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and let it sit for about 5 minutes before cutting.
Baked Pizza - Cook's Notes/Tips
When you cut up the toppings, don’t cut anything too chunky or they won’t cook properly.
You don’t want to put too many toppings on the pizza … including the sauce. If you do, the dough won’t cook properly, and the end result will be a soggy drippy mess.
Any topping you have like hot peppers or pineapple that come in a jar or can, be sure to squeeze out the excess liquid or the top of the pizza will get too wet.
Cheese – Don’t buy pre-grated mozzarella cheese! Chemicals are used to keep it from clumping together and to give it a longer shelf life – not to mention the pre-grated stuff doesn’t melt properly because of those chemicals. So, buy mozzarella whole and grate it yourself.
Use scissors to cut the pizza. It doesn’t destroy your pan, and it’s a lot easier than cutting with a knife or pizza cutter
