Pizza! Pizza! Pizza! If your family loves pizza as much as mine, then you have had to get creative with the types of pizza you are making. While I am all in for a classic pepperoni pizza most of the time but when it comes to dinner on a weeknight, I need something extra. I have collected my top seven pizza night ideas to share with you in this post so that you can be a little extra too!
First, let’s talk about the dough. Right off, I want to say there is no shame in the refrigerated pizza dough game! If you opt to use a pre-made pizza dough, no worries at all. If you opt to use one of those pre-cooked pizza crusts, just make sure to skip the part where you pre-cook the dough before loading up the ingredients – nobody wants a burnt bottom. If you have time and patience, here is a really easy pizza dough recipe that you can use for all of these pizza ideas.
Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 4 cups Flour
- 1 tbsp Yeast instant
- ⅓ cup Avocado Oil
- 1½ cup Warm Water
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 2 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Avocado Oil for bowl
Instructions
- Prepare all of the ingredients
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Pour in water while stirring. Then add olive oil and continue to mix by hand. Mix until a sticky dough forms.
- Brush the insides of a second bowl with avocado oil and transfer ball of dough. Cover with towel or plastic wrap and let rise at least 1 hour. Dough should approximately double in size.
- Once risen, place dough on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Stretch and press it out until you cover the baking sheet with ¼ inch thick crust. Let sit another 15 minutes.
- Place in 400 deg oven for 15 minutes.
- Continue to pizza recipe directions.
- If making for focaccia – brush with oil and add desired seasoning. Then bake for 15 minutes in 425 deg oven.
Pesto Chicken Pizza
The fresh and simple pesto sauce is what really makes this one of my very favorite pizza creations. It mixes so well with the ricotta cheese and garlicky chicken. If you like for your pizza to have a little bit of a kick, sprinkle some red pepper flakes over you slice before you eat it up.
Pesto Chicken Pizza
Ingredients
- 1½ lb Chicken Breast
- 2 Garlic Cloves minced
- ½ lb Bacon cut into ½-inch pieces
- 32 oz Ricotta Cheese
- 2 Pizza Dough
- 2 tbsp Avocado Oil
- 2 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese shredded
- 1 cup Parmesan Cheese shredded
For the Pesto
- 2 cups Fresh Basil
- 3 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 tbsp Avocado Oil
- 1 cup Cashews
Instructions
- Prepare all of the ingredients. Preheat oven to 425deg
- THESE INSTRUCTIONS ARE TO MAKE 1 PIZZA. You should have enough of everything to make 2 pizzas.
- In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, add chicken and garlic. Add enough water to cover chicken. Let cook for 15 minutes.
- On a parchment paper covered baking sheet, spread out pizza dough. Drizzle with half of the oil and sprinkle with half of the Italian seasoning. Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes.
- In a frying pan over medium-high heat, add bacon. Cook until crispy and remove to paper towel covered plate.
- In a bowl, combine ingredients for pesto sauce and blitz with an immersion blender until creamy. You can also use a food processer to do this.
- Build the pizza – spread half of ricotta cheese over pizza crust. Then spread half of pesto sauce over ricotta cheese, combining slightly. Sprinkle with half of chicken, half of mozzarella, half of bacon and then half of parmesan cheese. Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Grilled Pizza
If you have never had pizza made on a grill or smoker, you have been missing out. This recipe will work with a grill, grill pan or a smoker. The sauce is so simple but really so so good, as it takes on the smoky flavors so well.
Grilled Pizza
Equipment
- Pizza Stone
Ingredients
- 2 Pizza Dough Recipe uncooked, rolled out and quartered
- 1 cup Ham Steak diced
- 1 cup Parmesan Cheese shredded
- 1 cup Pepperoni diced
- 1 cup Mushrooms chopped
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
- Flour for surface dusting
For the Sauce
- 1 28oz can Whole Tomatoes
- 1 tsp Basil
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
Instructions
- Prepare all of the ingredients. Place pizza stone on grill and preheat to medium-high
- In a bowl, add all sauce ingredients. Use your hands to break up the whole tomatoes and mix the sauce, leaving some chunks.
- On a lightly floured cutting board (big enough for 4 pizzas), place the four pieces of dough. Gently fold over the edges of each piece to make a small crust.
- Add roughly 2 tbsp of sauce to each pizza, spreading to edges. Sprinkle with about a tablespoon of parmesan. Top with ham, pepperoni, and mushrooms. Sprinkle with another tablespoon of cheese and some Italian seasoning.
- Once grill is hot, transfer pizzas from cutting board to pizza stone (carefully!) and close lid. Cook for 15-20 minutes. Remove and let cool for 2-3 minutes before cutting into quarters
- Repeat with second round of pizza. (NOTE – my stone can only handle 4 pizzas at a time. If you can get more in there, go for it!)
- ***NOTE*** You can use different toppings for these pizzas – just like any homemade pizza.
Cubano Pizza
This might seem like a crazy idea for a pizza but its more like one of those “it’s so crazy it works” ways. The ricotta mixed with mustard and pickle juice has so much flavor. The slow cooked pork makes excellent tacos as well.
Cubano Pizza
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Pizza Dough see recipe below
- 4 cups Swiss Cheese shredded
- 8 oz Ham diced
- 1 cup Bread & Butter Pickle Chips chopped
- 16 oz Ricotta Cheese
- ¼ cup Yellow Mustard
- ¼ cup Bread & Butter Pickle Juice
- ½ cup Cilantro torn
For the Marinated Onion
- ½ Red Onion thin sliced
- 1 cup Red Wine Vinegar
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Sugar
For the Mojo Pork
- 2 lb Pork Roast
- 1 stick Butter cut into tbsp tabs
- ½ cup Fresh Basil torn
- 3 Oranges juiced
- ½ cup Avocado Oil
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tbsp Dried Minced onion
- 1 tsp Parsley
Instructions
- Combine orange juice, oil, oregano, garlic powder, onion, parsley. In bottom of slow cooker, spread out butter pieces and torn basil. Set pork on top and pour juice mixture over top. Secure lid and cook on low for 6 hrs.
- Place all ingredients for onions into a mason jar and secure lid. Shake vigorously to combine. Let marinate for at least 1 hour (up to 3 days).
- Prepare remaining ingredients. Preheat oven to 425deg.
- In a bowl combine ricotta cheese, mustard and pickle juice.
- Remove pork from slow cooker and chop up, then return to slow cooker.
- Prepare the pizza dough up to the first cook level.
- Build 1 pizza: spread with half of ricotta mixture, 1 cup swiss cheese, half of pork, half of ham and second cup of swiss cheese. Repeat on second pizza. Place both in oven to cook for 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle each pizza with red onions, chopped pickles and cilantro.
Chicken Bacon White Pie
Bacon and chicken are always so good together. Putting them on a pizza with three cheese really brings them even closer. The peppery arugula added on top has the exact amount of freshness this pizza pie needs.
Chicken Bacon White Pie
Ingredients
- 2 Pizza Crusts store-bought or homemade (see recipe below)
- 4 tbsp Avocado Oil
- 4 Garlic Cloves minced
- 2 tsp Basil
- 1 lb Bacon cut in ½inch pieces
- 32 oz Ricotta Cheese
- 3 cups Mozzarella Cheese shredded
- 1 cup Parmesan Cheese shredded
- 2 cups Arugula
For the Chicken
- 2 lb Chicken Thighs boneless, skinless
- 2 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 tsp Basil
- 1 tsp Oregano
Instructions
- Prepare all of the ingredients. Preheat oven to 425deg.
- In a pot over medium high heat, add chicken and garlic. Cover with water and let boil for 15 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and chop. Toss with basil and oregano to coat.
- Roll out pizza crust on baking sheet. Brush with 2 tbsp oil. Spread half of garlic and half of basil over top. Repeat with second crust. Put in oven for 8 minutes.
- In a frying pan over medium high heat, add bacon. Cook until crispy and remove to a paper towel covered plate.
- To Build a Pizza – spread half of the ricotta cheese over crust. Top with one cup of mozzarella, half of chicken and half of bacon. Sprinkle with half cup of mozzarella and half a cup of Parmesan cheese. Repeat with second pizza. Put into oven for 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and top each pizza with fresh arugula. And slice into 8 pieces.
Garlic Shrimp Pizza
Shrimp on pizza is not super common, though it should be. A quick shrimp scampi style preparation combined with the fresh basil, make this a bright and light pizza creation. Your family is gonna feel a little bit fancy when you serve this one up.
Garlic Shrimp Pizza
Ingredients
- 2 Pizza Dough see recipe below
- 2 tbsp Avocado Oil
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Parsley
- 1½ lb Large Shrimp peeled, tail-off, deveined
- 3 Garlic Cloves Minced
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 tsp Italian Seasonings
- 1 cup Fresh Basil torn in pieces
- 16 oz Ricotta Cheese
- 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese shredded
Instructions
- Prepare all the ingredients. Preheat oven to 400deg.
- If you using pizza dough recipe from below – prep until step 6. If using store bought dough, prep as directed on package (should at least partially cook before adding pizza toppings.)
- Brush pizza dough with oil and sprinkle with garlic powder and parsley. Set aside.
- In a saute pan over medium-high heat, add butter and garlic. Once melted add shrimp, red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning. Cook for 5 minutes (doesn't need to be cooked all the way).
- Spread half of ricotta on each pizza crust. Add half of shrimp (with melted butter) on each pizza crust. Sprinkle each crust with one cup of cheese and ½ cup of basil. Place in oven and cook for 10 minutes.
Sausage & Pepper Pizza
Sometimes I just get these cravings for a classic combo but you don’t want it exactly there. That’s when I start thinking outside the box and see how I can turn the flavor combo into a pizza, pasta, burger or taco. That’s how I ended up with this Sausage & Pepper Pizza.
Sausage & Pepper Pizza
Ingredients
- 2 Pizza Dough Recipes see below
- 2 tbsp Avocado Oil
- 6 Roasted Garlic Sausage sliced on the bias
- 2 Red Bell Peppers sliced
- 1 Green Bell Pepper sliced
- 1 White Onion sliced
- 8 slices Provolone chopped
- 1 cup Parmesan Cheese shredded
For the Sauce
- 1 28 oz Crushed Tomatoes
- 1 15 oz Tomato Puree
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Dried Onion
- 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
Instructions
- Prepare all of the ingredients. Preheat oven to 425deg.
- Cover 2 large baking sheets with parchement paper. Spread a recipe of dough out on each and brush with oil. Place in oven for 10 minutes.
- In a sauce pan over medium heat, add ingredients for the sauce. Stir to combine and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce to low and let simmer while dough cooks.
- Remove pizza crusts from oven. For one pizza, spread half of sauce over top of crust. Sprinkle with ⅓ of provolone cheese, ½ of bell pepper, ½ of onion, and ½ of sausage. Repeat on second pizza. Sprinkle each with half of remaining provolone and parmesan cheese. Place in oven and cook for 15 minutes. Remove and let cook for 5 minutes before cutting.
Fiesta Chicken Taco Pizza
If you love queso – you are going to adore this pizza. It’s so easy to make, you will want to make it all the time. Sometimes I just make up a pan of it to dip chips in. The chicken and beans really make this a pretty hearty pizza slice that works for Taco Tuesday or Pizza Night.
Fiesta Chicken Taco Pizza
Ingredients
- 2 Pizza Dough Recipes see below
- 1 Romaine Heart shredded
- 2 15oz can Refried Beans
- 3 Roma Tomatoes diced
- 1 cup Sour Cream
- 2 cups Cheddar Cheese shredded
- ½ cup Cilantro chopped
- ½ cup Taco Sauce
For the Chicken
- 1½ lb Chicken Breast
- 1 qt Chicken Broth
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Cumin
For the Queso
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 4 tbsp Flour
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 cup Chicken Broth
- ½ cup Heavy Cream
- 1 4oz can Green Chilies
- 1 cup Cheddar Cheese shredded
Instructions
- Prepare all of the ingredient. Preheat oven to 425deg.
- In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, add all ingredients for chicken and let boil for 15 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and chop into small pieces.
- In another sauce pan over medium heat, add butter, garlic powder and onion powder. Once melted whisk in flour to make roux. Cook 2 minutes then whisk in chicken broth. Cook 2 minutes then add heavy cream and green chilies. Cook 2 minutes then add cheese by handfuls until fully incorporated. Reduce heat to low.
- Lay one pizza dough out on a parchment paper covered pans (baked for 15 minutes). Spread one can of refried beans over top. Top with half of chicken then half of queso sauce. Sprinkle with 1 cup cheddar cheese and half of cilantro. Repeat with second pizza dough. Place in oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with lettuce, and tomatoes. Serve each piece with a dollop of sour cream and drizzle of taco sauce.
Estelle Forrest’s self-published first cookbook – Homemade on a Weeknight: A Family Cookbook – was created after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:
AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS
Estelle self-published a second cookbook – Burgers on a Weeknight – recently. It has over 60 delicious burger creations! You can purchase your own copy here:
AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS
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You must be spying on my family and know that we have pizza at least once a week! I can’t wait to try you pizza crust recipe, I’ve never made crust with avocado oil before. Great list!!
I love pizza night.
We used to do it every Friday. Need to get back into that.
I appreciate some new varieties here. Maybe we need to branch out.
Thanks for sharing!
Laurie
Ridge Haven Homestead
These all sound so tasty! Honestly there doesn’t seem to be much you can’t put on a pizza and have it taste good. Pinned.
Man you’ve got some great pizzas here!! Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party. Hope the rest of your week is amazing!