As I’ve talked about before, I’m big into meal planning via freezer cooking. But sometimes, these pregnancy cravings I’m experiencing mean that the plan goes out the window for the evening.
One such evening happened a few weeks ago. I wanted pizza. Like, I NEEDED pizza.
The problem is that we live in an area of the Northshore that is quickly growing — but not yet on many delivery routes. Only one pizza place currently delivers to us, and it’s not really my favorite. And ordering takeout from a more preferable pizza place meant waiting an hour or more before eating. And waiting an hour was not an option.
I typically keep homemade pizza dough in my freezer, but it takes about a day to thaw safely in the fridge and I obviously didn’t have that kind of time. I surveyed my kitchen for what I could use to whip up something to satisfy that pizza craving and what I came up with has been on our rotation weekly ever since.
Naan pizzas.
These pizzas are so delicious and are so easy to whip up. Seriously, it takes longer for the oven to heat up than it does to get these pizzas ready. (But I often preheat my oven by using the Broiler function for a few minutes before to help hurry the process along.)
Obviously, they’re totally customizable, so use whatever toppings your family enjoys. I let my almost-3-year-old put the toppings on all the pizzas. We usually use the smaller naan rounds for the kid-sized pizzas (or just make multiple round ones for adults), but really any size works.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
If you have a pizza stone, awesome! Our pizza stone lives in our oven and gets quite the workout. If you don’t have a pizza stone, no worries. Just keep your pizzas on the baking sheet you assemble them on. Line them with parchment for easier clean up.
Assemble your pizzas.
Simply spread each naan with your desired sauce. We like using Rao’s Marinara for traditional pizzas and Alouette Garlic & Herbs Spreadable Cheese as a base for “white” pizzas, but you do you.
Add your toppings.
Slide your pizzas onto the pizza stone using the parchment paper (or just insert your baking sheet).
Bake pizzas for 5-7 minutes until the cheese is golden brown. Usually 5 minutes is all it takes for the rounds and 7-9 minutes for the larger sizes. Just keep an eye on them.
Let pizzas cool slightly before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
My current favorite pizza is a twist on a classic Margherita Pizza:
Measure the ingredients with your heart:
Naan
Alouette Garlic & Herbs Spreadable Cheese
Fresh sliced tomato
Fresh sliced mozzarella
Fresh basil, thinly sliced
Salt & Pepper
Optional: Balsamic glaze (I like De Nigris)
Preheat oven to 425. Spread your naan with Alouette and top with your tomato and mozzarella. Sprinkle with fresh basil, salt & pepper. Bake for 5-7 minutes. Drizzle with balsamic glaze before serving.
