Everyone loves pizza. Creating it at home makes it taste even better. Shake things up a bit for your next tailgate or backyard barbecue gathering with a “make your own pizza” party! How about trying Steak Lover’s, Shrimp Scampi, or Greek Chicken pizzas Get ready to wow your guests with these fabulous pizza ideas! Whether you choose to bake it in your oven, or put it on your outdoor grill, here’s a few recipes to make you taste buds water!
Grilled Chicken Greek Pizza
"A Greek salad of cucumbers, red onions, tomatoes, Greek olives and feta cheese tops this grilled chicken pizza."
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast halves
4 teaspoons McCormick® Grill Mates® Roasted Garlic & Herb Seasoning
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Oregano Leaves
1 pound fresh pizza dough or frozen dough, thawed, or 1 prepared thin pizza crust (12-inch)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups assorted chopped fresh vegetables, such as cucumbers, red onion, tomatoes and parsley
1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons ranch dressing
Sprinkle both sides of chicken with 3 teaspoons of the Roasted Garlic & Herb Seasoning. Grill over medium heat five to seven minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through. Cut into bite-sized cubes. Mix mozzarella cheese, oregano and remaining 1 teaspoon seasoning in small bowl.
Stretch or roll dough on floured baking sheet to a 12- to 14-inch round, about 1/4-inch thick. Brush top of dough with oil. Place oiled-side down on the grill. Close lid. Grill over medium heat one to two minutes or until grill marks appear on the bottom of the crust. Carefully flip crust over using tongs or spatula.
Layer crust with cheese mixture, grilled chicken, chopped vegetables and olives. Close lid. Grill three to four minutes longer or until cheese is melted and crust is browned. (Check pizza often to avoid burning. Rotate pizza, if necessary.) Slide pizza onto baking sheet. Sprinkle with feta cheese. Drizzle with salad dressing. Slice, and serve immediately.
Easy Meatball Pizza
"Easy meatball pizza doesn’t get any easier than this. Use frozen Casa Di Bertacchi fully cooked meatballs. These tender, savory meatballs fashioned from whole, boneless beef combined with authentic Italian spices and imported Romano cheese taste homemade!"
13 frozen Casa Di Bertacchi fully cooked meatballs (1/2 pound)
1 12-inch pre-made pizza crust
1 jar (14-ounces) pizza sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Lay pizza crust on a pizza pan. Spread 1 cup of pizza sauce over the crust. Sprinkle half cheese over sauce.
Place meatballs and 2 teaspoons water in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave frozen meatballs on high for 3 minutes. Drain any excess liquid.
Cut each meatball in half. Toss meatballs with remaining sauce.
Spoon meatballs over cheese, ensuring that the cut side is down. Layer remaining cheese on top of meatballs. Sprinkle Italian seasoning evenly on top.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until cheese is melted, and sauce is bubbly.
Individual Shrimp Scampi Pizzas
"An Italian favorite gets updated with delicious SeaPak® shrimp scampi in these individual sized pizzas!"
1 12-ounce package SeaPak Shrimp Scampi
1 pound store-bought pizza dough, fresh or frozen (thawed)
1 cup diced grape or cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup arugula
Preheat oven to 450°F. Spray two large baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray, and set aside.
Divide the pizza dough into 4 equal pieces, and, using your hands, stretch each into a 6-inch pizza crust. Place the crusts on the baking sheets. Prepare scampi according to package directions, and keep warm.
Brush some of the warm scampi juice on each of the dough discs, and top with the diced tomatoes. Bake 15 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom to ensure even cooking. After 15 minutes, remove from the oven, and divide the shrimp scampi between the 4 pizzas. Top each with mozzarella cheese, and put back in the oven for another 3 to 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, toss the Parmesan cheese, lemon zest and arugula.
Remove the pizzas from the oven (the crust should be golden brown). Top each pizza with the arugula mixture, and serve.
Steak Lover’s Pizza
"Grilled pizza with a topping of grilled steak, peppers and onions will please the meat lovers at your next tailgate or backyard barbecue!"
1 pound boneless beef sirloin steak
4 teaspoons McCormick® Grill Mates® Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 medium onion, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 red bell pepper (or yellow bell pepper), cut into 2-inch-wide strips
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese, divided
1 pound fresh pizza dough or frozen dough, thawed, or 1 prepared thin pizza crust (12-inch)
Sprinkle both sides of steak with 3 teaspoons of the Montreal Steak Seasoning. Brush vegetables with 1 teaspoon of the oil. Grill steak over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes per side or until desired doneness. Grill vegetables 6 to 8 minutes or until tender-crisp. Cut steak and vegetables into bite-sized pieces. Mix cheese and remaining 1 teaspoon seasoning in small bowl.
Stretch or roll pizza dough on floured baking sheet to a 12- to 14-inch round, about 1/4-inch thick. Brush top of dough with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Place, oiled side down, on the grill. Close lid. Grill over medium heat 1 to 2 minutes or until grill marks appear on the bottom of the crust. Carefully flip crust over using tongs or spatula.
Layer crust with 1/2 of the cheese, grilled steak, vegetables and remaining cheese. Close lid. Grill 3 to 4 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and crust is browned. Check pizza often to avoid burning. Rotate pizza, if necessary.
Slide pizza onto baking sheet. Slice and serve immediately.
Four Cheese Margherita Pizza
"Serve Four Cheese Margherita Pizza for your vegetarian friends and family at your next tailgate or backyard gathering."
1 7-inch ready-made Kontos Pizza Parlor Crust (optional: grill for 1 minute before topping grilled side up.)
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
Dash of sea salt
8–9 slices of small Roma tomatoes
3 ounces whole milk (artisan) mozzarella, shredded
2 ounces fontina cheese, shredded
1 ounce freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 ounces feta cheese (Greek origin preferred)
4 fresh basil leaves washed, dried, and julienne sliced (strips)
Preheat Oven – Convection oven: preheat oven to 375°F. Conventional oven: preheat oven to 400°F.
Stir the olive oil, garlic and salt. Add the tomatoes and let stand for 15 minutes. Brush the Kontos Pizza Parlor Crust with the tomato marinade (leave tomatoes in the bowl.
Arrange tomato slices on top of crust. Spread mozzarella and fontina cheese evenly over top of tomato slices. Top evenly with Parmesan cheese, feta cheese and sliced basil leaves.
Place topped pizza into the oven, directly on rack for crispy crust, on a pan for soft crust. Toaster Ovens are ideal for Kontos Foods Pizza Parlor Crusts!
Convection oven: Bake for 5–6 minutes. Conventional oven: bake for 6–8 minutes.
Remove from oven with a baking sheet or pizza spatula. Let cool for 1–2 minutes. Slice into 4–6 slices and enjoy.
Note: Oven baking times can vary. Flatbread pizza is ready when the cheese is melted completely and edges are medium to dark brown.
Lord of the Rings Personal Pie
"This Lord of the Rings personal pie is a tailgater favorite. Get ready to wow your friends and family at the gathering."
12 ounces hand-stretched pizza dough
1 1/2 ounces barbecue sauce
2 ounces pizza sauce
1/2 pound seasoned ground beef, cooked
5–6 large panko-crusted steak-cut onion rings (recipe below)
4 ounces fresh shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 ounces fine shredded Monterey Jack cheese
4 ounces cold fresh chopped kosher pickles
Barbecue sauce to drizzle
For Panko-Crusted Onion Rings:
2 large sweet onions, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 pint buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 egg whites
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Nonstick olive oil cooking spray
Panko-Crusted Onion Rings:
Mix the buttermilk and cayenne pepper. Place the sliced onions in the buttermilk mixture for at least one hour. Cover, and refrigerate while soaking. Once the onions have soaked, remove them from the refrigerator. Set it aside.
Preheat oven to 425°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites. Set it aside.
In a shallow dish, mix the flour, cornmeal, panko, and seasonings. Remove each ring from the buttermilk, allow excess to drip off, and then dip in egg whites, and dredge in the breadcrumb mixture, coating each onion slice well.
Place each breaded ring on the baking sheet in a single layer. When all the rings are breaded, spray each with nonstick spray to seal on the breading.
Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven, and flip each ring using tongs. Spray the other side with nonstick spray, and then bake for an additional 10 minutes. Set aside while making the pizza.
For the Pizza:
Preheat oven to 450°F. Stretch the pizza dough onto the pizza pan. Mix together the barbecue sauce and pizza sauce. Pre-cook the ground beef and drain well. Spread the sauce mixture over the dough. Top with the cheeses, cooked beef and cooked onion rings.
Bake at 450°F for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from oven, and top with cold fresh chopped kosher pickles.
Finish with a drizzle of barbecue sauce.