28 Sizzling Pizza Recipes
Pizza Margherita [1]
Margherita pizza celebrates the perfect union of ripe tomatoes, fresh basil and soft mozzarella cheese. This type of crispy-crust pizza originated in Naples, Italy.
Pizza Margherita [2]
Meat and Potato Pizza [5]
Chalk this recipe up as an occasional indulgence. It's topped with a totally mouth-watering combo of thin-sliced potatoes, bacon, sausage and a delectable garlic-rosemary butter. The recipe, which comes from Hidemi Walsh of Plainfield, Indiana, received an honorable mention in our 2012 Best of the Midwest Recipe Contest.
Sweet Bacon and Pear Pizza [9]
Start with a premade pizza crust, then add cream cheese, sliced pear, chopped pecans, feta cheese, and bacon for a sweet-tart blend of flavors. Sprinkle with fresh basil and pass with honey for drizzling, if you like.
Sausage and Spinach Skillet Pizza [13]
A hot cast-iron skillet mimics a pizza stone to create a crisp, evenly browned crust. We loaded our pizza with oozy red sauce and stretchy cheese. Fork and knife highly recommended.
BBQ Chicken Grilled Pizza [17]
Barbecue-sauced pizza tops the favorites list at many pizzerias. Here's our quick and easy version, which uses boneless chicken breasts, purchased barbecue sauce, smoked cheese and bottled banana pepper rings.
Greek Pizza [21]
Fresh spinach, cooked chicken, cherry tomatoes and crumbled feta cheese top a whole wheat Italian bread shell in this Mediterranean-influenced pizza.
Greek Pizza [22]
Suncrest Gardens Farm Garden Delight [25]
Sun-ripened heirloom tomatoes, zucchini, carrots and summer squash top Garden Delight pizza from Suncrest Gardens Farm in Cochrane, Wisconsin. Try on Whole Wheat Pizza Dough or the crust of your choice.
Chicago-Style Deep-Dish Pizza [29]
True Chicago-style pizza is in some ways a closer cousin to a casserole than traditional regular-crust pizza. One slice is a whole meal!
Jambalaya Pizza [33]
Top a crispy rice "crust" with smoked sausage, ham, shrimp, celery, onion, and sweet pepper for a Creole-inspired pizza.
Jambalaya Pizza [34]
Gouda and Red Onion Pizza [37]
This easy pizza features shredded Gouda and caramelized onions. The recipe comes from Gouda maker Oakvale Farmstead Cheese in London, Ohio.
Shrimp Stir-Fry Grilled Pizza [41]
Chinese and Southeast Asian flavors infuse this seafood pizza. Cook shrimp and fresh pea pods with five-spice powder, peanut oil, orange juice and hoisin sauce for a delightfully different pizza topping.
Beef and Blue Pizza [45]
Red onion, blue cheese, thinly sliced roast beef and chopped sweet pepper top a premade pizza crust for a quick and easy pizza dinner.
Beef and Blue Pizza [46]
The Stone Barn's The Modena [49]
Marinated chicken, sweet onion, mushrooms, snap peas and feta top an oiled crust in this recipe from the Stone Barn in Nelson, Wisconsin. "The flavors, accented by feta and balsamic vinegar, blend for a creamy, tangy taste," says Stone Barn owner Pam Taylor. "The vegetables add a crisp, element."
Caramel Apple-Pie Grilled Pizza [54]
We used frozen puff pastry for this sweet pizza. The dessert has a flaky, buttery crust topped with apples and cinnamon. Try serving it warm with caramel sauce and ice cream.
Deep-Dish Salad Pizza [58]
This salad-in-a-pizza starts with purchased puff pastry for the crust, and finishes with meat, veggies, cheese and sorrel greens or spinach. Throw it all in the oven just long enough to melt the cheese and wilt the greens.
Chicken and Corn Pizza [62]
A mixture of Parmesan and ricotta cheeses bakes on a store-bought crust, then gets topped with corn, chicken, sweet pepper, lemon peel, goat cheese and herbs in this creative recipe.
Hot-Off-the-Grill Pizza [66]
Kansas' Italian heritage inspired us to create Hot-Off-The-Grill Pizza. The state's impressive wheat production shows up in the tasty crust, a garlic-basil flatbread. Top it with roasted peppers, sliced meat, cheese and basil. To save time, substitute 3 cups of shredded pizza cheese for the mix of provolone, mozzarella and Asiago; you can also use purchased pizza dough if you like.
Buffalo Chicken Pizzas [70]
Top pita bread rounds with Southwest-flavored chicken strips, blue cheese dressing, celery and bottled hot pepper sauce for a dinner that's ready in just 20 minutes. The flavor will remind you of your favorite wings!
Fresh Veggie Pizza [74]
This pizza is packed full of vegetables: zucchini or yellow summer squash, sweet peppers, fresh mushrooms, green onions and more. If you have kids, have them help pile this with their favorite vegetables.
Fresh Veggie Pizza [75]
Indian-Curry Veggie and Chevre Grilled Pizza [78]
This Asian-inspired pizza is topped with goat cheese, chopped red potatoes, onion, zucchini, chile peppers and garlic. Even more flavor comes from a sprinkling of fresh cilantro, mint, ginger and an Asian spice mix.
Chicken Pizza with a Kick [82]
Picante or taco sauce adds the kick to this pizza, topped with chicken, sweet pepper, red onion, and cheddar cheese.
Zippy Zucchini Pizza [86]
This egg dish is served like pizza but has no crust. It's a great way to use a bountiful harvest of zucchini, since the recipe calls for more than 5 cups of the veggie shredded and sliced. Serve the colorful, cheesy entree with a salad, fruit and bread.
Zippy Zucchini Pizza [87]
Suncrest Gardens Farm's Pesto Pizza [90]
Heather Secrist uses kale in her pesto for this tomatoey creation. "Pesto can be frozen in ice cube trays for use throughout the year," says Heather, owner of Suncrest Gardens Farm in Cochrane, Wisconsin. "Once frozen, place the cubes in a freezer bag to pull out as you need them."
Smiling Pizza Quiches [94]
This is a fun recipe to make with young kids. There's pastry to press into muffin cups, ham and cheese to sprinkle and eggs to break.
Rustic Grilled Pizza with Fresh Corn, Tomatoes, and Basil [98]
This recipe comes from cookbook authors Judith Fertig and Karen Adler of Kansas City. Judith and Karen are self-proclaimed Barbecue Queens--they've won numerous barbecue contests and written 20 cookbooks. This recipe uses Chicago Deep-Dish Style Pizza Dough topped with an assortment of fresh ingredients.
Rustic Grilled Pizza with Fresh Corn, Tomatoes, and Basil [99]
Gourmet Off-the-Shelf Grilled Pizza [103]
No-cook toppers make this pizza go together quickly for a fast meal from the grill. Serve with a tossed salad.
The base of the pizza has to hold up when placed on a grill rack. Our yeast-dough crust recipe passed the test, but if you're pressed for time, you can use thawed frozen bread dough or Italian bread shell crusts.
Gourmet Off-the-Shelf Grilled Pizza [104]
Homemade Pizza Crust [105]
The Stone Barn's Alaskan pizza [108]
Lox-style smoked salmon, capers, sweet onion and dill top a cream-cheese base. Bagels and lox inspired Pam Taylor to create this pizza. "Leftovers are good served cold for breakfast," says Pam, owner of the Stone Barn in Nelson, Wisconsin.
Mexican Black Bean Pizza [112]
Start this veggie pizza with refrigerated dough, then spread on blended black beans, spices, salsa and garlic. Top with cheese, chopped red sweet pepper and sliced green onion.
Mexican Black Bean Pizza [113]