Chris over at ManMade DIY is alone for the week; his special someone is out of town, and he doesn't feel like cooking a big meal every night. And yet he is determined to preserve some level of self-respect in his solo eating. What does this mean? Why, finding ways to improve upon the frozen pizza, of course. Here are 10 ways, many of them quite brilliant, to turn that frozen disc of dough into something more appetizing (and respectable!).
Chris's suggestions go beyond additional toppings; he's not just talking about adding extra sausage or cheese. (Although he suggests that too.) No, he explains how to improve the quality of the crust (flip it over and prick it with a fork to keep it from going soggy) and amp up the flavor of the sauce with a few well-chosen ingredients.
Check out all his suggestions here — if you ever find yourself alone in the kitchen with a frozen pizza, you'll appreciate them.
• Read more: 10 Ways to Dress Up and Improve a Frozen Pizza at ManMade DIY
Do you ever resort to frozen pizza for dinner? Got any other tricks improving it?
Related: What Are Essential Pantry Items for the Freezer?
(Images: Chris of ManMade DIY)
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Comments (9)
Fresh tomatoes and either fresh scallions or fresh herbs make a HUGE difference. I cut up a few of these just for canned soup or chili.
I like this idea in a pinch, but frozen pizzas still have a ton of fat/sat fat so it's hard to justify eating them...on that note, can you reccomend an ok frozen pizza that isn't horrifyingly fatty?
All these tips are just "add more ____ to the frozen pizza." More/better cheese, toppings, add herbs, etc. Seems pretty obvious, even to less discerning palates.
Once again, this falls, for me and most I know, less in a "oh no, nothing to eat, what to do!" type situation and more because we want cheapo non-artisan pizza in a few minutes. I'm not looking for a gourmet meal if I pop a frozen pizza in the oven.
If you are going to go through all this work....how is this any different than buying a pre-made crust and building your pizza from there? You have more choice, there are a similar number of steps and there are far fewer mystery ingredients.
Sorry, I just don't get it.
I don't know the nutrition info, but Trader Joe's frozen Pizza Margherita is very good. The three-cheese is not quite as good (more cheese), but the Margherita's cheese has animal rennet so I go with the three-cheese version. TJ's also has a "Reduced Guilt" frozen Pizza Primavera which is excellent -- 250 cal for the pie, which serves one. Lots of veggies, thin-thin crust, and very little cheese. Better than it sounds. I recommend adding back some of the guilt -- I usually add sauteed mushrooms and some feta or goat cheese.
Another trick with frozen pizza is to cook at higher heat than recommended -- I usually cook them at 500. And adding greens is a great idea -- chopped baby spinach is good.
add chopped tomatoes, chopped onions, spinach, some oregano, and a little bit of garlic, and a frozen pizza = delish!
Putting goat cheese on pizza always makes it better. Putting goat cheese on everything makes it better.
Forget the spinach - after the pizza is cooked and the cheese is browned, add a handful of arugula to top the pizza, the way the do in Sao Paulo. It's great for summer.
Personally, I love the Totino's Party Pizzas, in all their greasy crispy glory...but I do buy the Combo type and add black olives and sometimes green olives to it. Or, I get the cheese one, and just add parmesan or sharp cheddar cheese to it...Brings me back to my hangover heydays...