by: Debbs Hammett

Would you like to have people over for dinner but your cooking skills are less than stellar? Try make your own pizza night. Recently we were having guests for dinner and I had had a busy day. This menu made it possible for me to enjoy our company and not stress over how much time and effort dinner would take. It was fun too!


Here’s how it works:

Any kind of pizza dough will work -fresh or frozen if you can find it. Frozen bread dough also works. Your favorite pizza place may even sell you some dough, but I have any even easier way: Use flatbread! You can find it in Wal-Mart in the bakery/bread section. It makes a perfect pizza crust!

Once you have the crust, all you need are toppings. Use any combination your family likes.

Here are the basics:

  • Pizza sauce (look for it where you find your favorite pasta sauce)
  • Mozzarella cheese (I prefer to grate mine,although the pre-grated kind is fine)
  • Parmesan Cheese (buy the best you can afford; it really makes a difference)

Then have fun with extra toppings:

  • Pepperoni
  • Sauteed Hamburger
  • Grilled Chicken with BBQ sauce (instead of pizza sauce)
  • Mushrooms
  • Green pepper
  • Ham and pineapple (this one is a little strange to me!)

Anything your family likes will work. My husband and I like to use sauteed spinach. So simple: just saute a clove or two of minced garlic in olive oil for about one minute. Then add spinach (I like to use defrosted frozen spinach that is well drained). Saute for about 3 minutes until the spinach is heated through, then add salt and pepper to taste. This is a great tasting and healthy topping!

To assemble, simply put your flatbread on a cookie sheet (I line mine with aluminum foil for easy cleanup). Add some sauce and the toppings of your choice. Finish with the mozzarella and the parmesan cheeses. Bake in a 425-degree oven. They’ll take between 5 and 8 minutes to cook depending on the amount of toppings you use. Add a salad and you have a fun meal that takes no cooking skills! So don’t let your lack of cooking ability keep you from enjoying having friends over for dinner.

Oh, and by the way, my daughter tells me that flatbread pizzas are all the rage. So apparently I’m quite hip. Who knew!

Click on the fifth button above to get a printer friendly version of this post.