Easy Recipes for Pizza with Exciting New Toppings on "Scratch" or "Bought" Crust

No leftover cooked chicken? How about tearing apart a rotisserie chicken? Yeah, that’ll cost you $5 or $6 but this is a genuine “Gourmet” pizza so open your wallet and live it up.

1 lb cooked chicken, shredded
1 Tbsp garlic oil
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
16 oz pre-baked pizza crust
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed , liquid squeezed out
2 Tbsp chopped sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425F.

In a large skillet, heat garlic oil; add chicken and seasoning and cook for about 5 minutes or until fully heated and seasons blended.

Meanwhile, combine ricotta and mozzarella; spread on the crust, then spread on the spinach. Add chicken and tomatoes, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted and starting to brown.

Most of these pizza recipes assume you'd prefer the ease and speed of pre-baked crusts even if you can do one of these "scratch" crusts so quickly. If the toppings don't require more than a couple minutes, I think you should choose this crust. But, hey, you're the cooker.

2 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup almost hot water
1 pkg quick rise dry yeast
1 tsp each salt & sugar
2 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven 425F. Mix the yeast and water until the yeast is dissolved and let stand for 5 minutes. Use those minutes to get your toppings ready.

Add the salt and oil to the yeast water, mix, then add the flour, and knead for a couple minutes.

Roll out the dough on your pizza pan, stone, or cookie sheet and bake for 5 minutes.

Remove the dough, lay on a bit more oil and add the toppings; cook for 10-15 minutes and you’ve got your pizza!

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Sorry, but you can’t substitute mozzarella for cheddar or Mexican cheese unless you rename the recipe. Oh, okay, as long as you use salsa instead of tomato sauce.

1 (16-oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained, divided
3/4 cup of your favorite salsa, fresh or from a jar
1 (12-inch) unbaked, low-fat, thin crust pizza shell
1 & 1/2 (6-oz) reduced fat Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 bell pepper, any color, seeded and sliced into thin rings
2 thin slices red onion, separated into rings
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place 3/4 cup of beans in a small bowl and partially mash with potato masher or back of wooden spoon. Add salsa; mix well.

Spread mixture evenly over prepared pizza crust and top with cheese, rest of the beans, bell peppers and onions and place on a baking sheet or pizza stone.

Bake for 12 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and top with cilantro.Cut into eight wedges and serve hot.

What? No sauce? Not if you want to be authentic. Of course if you must have sauce go ahead and slather it on, but then don't call it "margherita".

1 (10-oz) can refrigerated pizza crust dough
Cooking spray
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 garlic clove, halved
5 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced (about 3/4 lb)
1 cup (4 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1/8 tsp each salt & black pepper

Preheat oven to 400F.

Unroll crust dough onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; pat into a 13 x 11-inch rectangle. Bake 8 minutes, remove crust from oven, and brush with 1/2 tsp oil. Rub crust with cut sides of garlic.

Lay the tomato slices on the crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border; sprinkle evenly with cheese and bake for 10-12 minutes or until cheese melts and crust is golden.

Lay on the sliced basil and evenly distribute the salt and pepper.

Whisk together 1/2 tsp of oil and the balsamic vinegar, sprinkle evenly over the pizza and serve.

You could call this Greek or Middle-Eastern pizza because of the pitas, but then you might lose that authentic-Italian-feeling when you're building them.

6 sandwich size pita pockets
8 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 tsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups tomatoes, diced, drained
1/2 cup Fresh basil leaves, cut in thin strips

Preheat oven to 450F.

Place pitas on a large baking sheet. top with equal portions of cheese, sprinkle with oregano, and bake until cheese is bubbly, about 8-10 minutes. If you like thin and crispy separate the pitas - top from bottom - and put the cheese on the rough side.

Meanwhile, add oil and pepper to the tomatoes and toss gently to mix and coat. Serve tomatoes and basil in separate bowls for you and your eaters to spoon on top of the hot pitas.

For sauce-less pizza sticks spread 2 Tbsp of butter on the crust instead of pizza sauce. But then you’ll have to call them“Italian Cheese Sticks”. Here’s a great idea: make one with butter and one with sauce. Brilliant!

1 tube refrigerated pizza dough
1 small can pizza sauce
1/2 cup Provolone cheese, shredded
1 Tbsp grated Romano cheese
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Heat oven to 425F .

Lightly grease a large cookie sheet.

Remove dough from can; unroll onto greased cookie sheet, to form a 12 x 9-inch rectangle and brush dough with pizza sauce.

In a small bowl, combine cheeses, basil, garlic powder and ground red pepper; mix well. Sprinkle evenly over dough.

With a pizza cutter or a sharp knife, cut 12 one-inch wide strips from the wide side, then down the center of the narrower side to form 24 strips. Don’t separate the strips.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. To separate, re-cut or break along perforations.

If you're over 25 I’m sure you’ve received, as gifts, at least two pizza stone sets that you may or may not be using. Use them here, but if somehow you are without them, bake the pizzettes on parchment-lined (brush paper with oil) baking sheets and expect cooking time to be about 10 or 12 minutes instead of the much shorter time using the stones.

olive oil
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
Pinch of sugar
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 large flour tortillas (the biggest you can find)
1 cup shredded Asiago or Mozzarella cheese (about 2 oz)
3 or 4 sun-dried tomatoes, julienned
6 button or cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450°F with the stone/s in the oven.

Meanwhile, heat a Tbsp olive of oil in a small sauté pan on medium high heat. Add the onions stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften. Add a pinch of sugar and the balsamic vinegar, cook for a few more minutes until the onions are very soft and translucent, almost carmelized. Remove from heat and set aside.

Sprinkle some corn meal on your pizza peel/cookie sheet, place a tortilla on it and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with half a cup of shredded cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions and a little salt and pepper.

Slide the pizzettes onto the stone/s, and bake until the crust is crisp and very brown, say, 5-7 minutes. Remove, cut into quarters with a pizza cutter or knife and serve up.

Pitas are great for making personal-sized pizzas. If you’re a thin-crust person just separate the pita halves, if not, don’t. And cut back on the habanero pepper unless you really like it hot.

1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped
1 & 1/2 tsp habanero chile , finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 lb ground beef
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
4 pitas

Preheat the oven to 500F.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the bell pepper and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, the habanero chile and cumin; cook about 30 seconds.

Add the beef and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

On a baking sheet, top each pita with a quarter of the beef mixture and the cheese. Bake until cheese melts and browns, about 8 minutes.

Yes, I really do mean slice the fennel bulb and the onion up & down, not sideways.

1 & 1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Preheat oven to 500F.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pepper flakes to pan, cook just 10 seconds then add sausage, fennel, and onion. Sauté 4 minutes or until browned, stirring to keep sausage from becoming one big lump. Stir in salt and tomato, sauté a couple minutes or until tender.

Remove from heat and spread over a ready-made 12-inch crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Slide dough directly onto the middle oven rack and bake at 500° for about 8 minutes.

Pull out the oven rack with the pizza, sprinkle with cheese and return to oven for 2 or 3 minutes until cheese melts. That’s it. Yum, yum.

If you ever get really bored with red sauce pizza and are getting seriously into "simplified" living this simple pizza will work. Of course, since you're officially a "Cooker", you can change the amounts here as well as the ingredients and create your own; just keep it simple.

1 package refrigerated-in-a-tube pizza crust dough
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp grated Romano cheese

Press rolled out dough onto 15 x 10 inch oiled cookie sheet. Brush surface with olive oil. Sprinkle evenly with garlic powder, oregano and grated Romano cheese. Bake in 425F oven about 15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. That's all there is to it.

If you just can’t get a pre-baked pizza that’s thin enough, don’t give up – use those burrito sized, 10-inch flour tortillas instead. This is a good one to begin with. In fact, this recipe could also create an "Italian quesadilla"; just cover half the tortilla and fold the other half over before baking.

1 lb pepperoni, coin-sized slices
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
1 tsp salt
4 large (10 inch) flour tortillas
3 or 4 sun-dried tomatoes, julienned
1 Tbsp fresh basil, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp oregano, dried
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 400 F.

Lightly brush tortillas with oil and bake on 2 large baking sheets for 3 minutes.

Deal the pepperoni over each tortilla and coverwith tomatoes; top with basil, oregano and cheeses.

Return to oven and bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Of course, you can use plain button mushrooms, but then you can’t call it fancy. Would you really want to tell your eaters that the name of the recipe is, “Plain-Old Mushroom Pizza”?

3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing
8 oz each fresh shiitake & chanterelle mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 & 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, coarsely shredded
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
8 oz goat cheese, chilled, coarsely crumbled
Garnish(Optional): 2 Tbsp sliced fresh chives

Preheat oven to 450F.

Heat 3 Tbsp oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; sprinkle with salt and sauté about 5 minutes.

Brush pizza shells with oil; sprinkle each with half the mozzarella and half the Parmesan. Top with mushrooms, then dot with goat cheese.

With 1 rack in bottom third and 1 rack in top third of oven bake for 8 10 minutes until crusts are brownrf at edges and on bottom, Remove from the oven, sprinkle on some chives or parsley and serve.

This is a “statement pizza". You’re stating that you’re not afraid to take a break from the comfortable, the familiar: tomato sauce, mozzarella, the rest. So go ahead; make a statement.

1 (15-oz) can cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, halved
1/4 tsp pepper
1 (12-inch) ready-made pizza crust
1/2 red onion, sliced into thin rings
1 to 2 (2-oz) cans anchovies, drained
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
Freshly ground pepper

Combine first 5 ingredients in your processor and pulse until smooth.

Spread bean mixture evenly over crust. Top with red onion and next 4 ingredients.

Bake at 450° for 12 to 15 minutes.

This might sound a bit too sweet for you; if so, don’t make it. It might also be too goofy with that molasses.and gouda cheese. Then again, it could prove to be delicious and become a favorite. Just don’t ever tell your friends what’s in it or they’ll think you’re goofy, too.

1 & ½ cups chicken, cooked and cubed
1 cup your-favorite-barbecue-sauce
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp molasses 1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 (12 inch) pre-baked pizza crust
1 cup smoked Gouda cheese, shredded
1 cup thinly sliced red onion

Preheat oven to 425F.

In a saucepan over medium high heat, combine evrything but the cheese and bring to a boil.

Spread this mixture evenly over pizza crust, and top with cheese and onions. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until cheese starts to brown.

I like to throw in a aimple, descriptive title occasionally like this one. But have you checked out "PP Pizza"?

1 (12 inch) pre-baked pizza crust
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1 cup fresh spinach, rinsed and dried
8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

Preheat oven to 350F.

Place pizza crust on oiled baking sheet.

In a small bowl, mix together olive oil and sesame oil. Brush onto pre-baked pizza crust, covering entire surface. Make a stack of the spinach leaves, then cut into 1/2 inch strips; scatter evenly over crust.

Cover pizza with shredded mozzarella, and top with sliced mushrooms (or do the shrooms first, then the cheese like I do).

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Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and edges are crisp.

Call it “PPP” (count the “p” in prebaked crust) if your little kids start laughing about “PP” Pizza.

1 (12 inch) pre-baked pizza crust
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
2 portobella mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 (6.5 oz) jar artichoke hearts, drained & chopped
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a baking sheet, or round pizza pan.

Drizzle crust with olive oil. Sprinkle the garlic over the crust. Arrange red and yellow bell peppers, mushrooms and artichoke hearts on top, then dot with pieces of goat cheese. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over the top.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges are golden brown. Pretty and quick and nutritious.

A reminder about ‘”BSCB”: first “b” is “boneless”, last ”b” is “breast”; you can figure out the rest, right?

1 10-12 inch pizza crust, store-bought
Chicken
2 BSCB, cut into 2-inch strips
Italian salad dressing
Sauce 1/3 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup chili sauce
2 Tbsp chicken broth
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp minced onion
Topping
: 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 medium onion, halved top to bottom and cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese (with jalapeno peppers, if you choose)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400F.

Spread chicken strips n a baking dish and pour Italian dressing over it. Set aside.

Combine all Sauce ingredients in a saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Set aside.

Remove chicken from the seasonig and dry with a paper towel.Set aside.

In your wok or a large sauté pan, cook and stir chicken for about 3 minutes. Add vegetables and cook and stir just until they’re crisp tender, 3 to 5 minutes – not too long; you’re going to bake them.

Now, spread sauce on crust, then add the chicken-veggie mixture evenly over the sauce. Top with cheese and bake in a pizza pan or on a pre-heated stone in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes until cheese is melted and just beginning to brown.

Not just the usual tomato sauce, mozzarella, and tender basil. Anchovies aren’t part of the “classic” Margherita but be bold and try ‘em – or not. But, If you don’t use the fishies change the name to something catchy like “Pizza”.

1 10 or 12 inch pre-baked, packaged thin pizza crust
1&2/3cups grated mozzarella cheese
2/3 cup Marinara Sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 anchovy fillets
2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan, preferably Reggiano
1 Tbsp EV olive oil

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the dough in an oiled pizza pan or place on an oiled heavy baking sheet. Sprinkle the dough with the mozzarella and spoon the marinara sauce over it, leaving a I-inch border. Top with the garlic and anchovies, if you so choose, then sprinkle on the Parmesan and drizzle with the olive oil. Bake the pizza in the lower third of the oven for about15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and the crust is gold brown.

Here’s one that won’t give you concern over using ready-made crusts – there isn’t any (except on the Italian bread).

6 (½-inch-thick) slices pane Pugliese or country bread (from a large loaf)
4 large ripe tomatoes, sliced
2 medium balls fresh mozzarella, sliced
12 black olives, pitted and minced
6 anchovy fillets, minced
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt & Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, torn

Prepare charcoal grill or heat a gas grill to medium-high.

Toast the bread slices on one side. Transfer bread to a work surface, toasted-side up. Turnthe grill to medium-low.

The jalapenos here make a case for adding ”Mexican” to the title but that would be even more ridiculous than what I named it: Alfredo sauce (Italian), black beans (Cuban).

1 (12 inch) pre-baked pizza crust
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup prepared Alfredo sauce
1/2 clove garlic, minced 1 (6 ounce) package frozen ready to eat chicken breast strips, thawed
1/2 cup canned black beans, drained
1 (6 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese
1 (4 ounce) can sliced jalapeno peppers
1 Tbsp fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 450F.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic, and cook just until fragrant. Add chicken strips, and cook until heated through.

Spread Alfredo sauce – not too much - over the pizza crust, and sprinkle on some of the shredded cheese. Arrange chicken strips and garlic over the cheese, the add the black beans. Place jalapeno slices on top, then cover with the rest of the cheese. Garnish with a sprinkle of parsley.

Place pizza directly on the oven rack. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until crust is crispy and cheese is melted.

Goat cheese is becoming so popular among Americans those cows better watch out; I hear Al Gore is advocating replacing them with goats because goat droppings are so much smaller than cow poo and, thus, create less atmospheric pollution. “Really?” No.

4 pita bread rounds, separated top to bottom
Olive oil
1 (11 oz) log goat cheese, crumbled
1 (7 oz) jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes marinated in olive oil, drained
1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, or to taste

Preheat the oven to 400F. Separate the pita breads by poking a sharp knife into the outer edge and slicing carefully all the way around.

Place the separated pita rounds onto cookie sheets and brush with olive oil. Generously sprinkle goat cheese, peppers and tomatoes onto each.

Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the crust is crisp. As soon as the pizzas come out of the oven, sprinkle with torn basil, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Cut into quarters, and serve hot or warm.

Pizza on the grill is one of the best uses for pre-formed crusts from the market since they are sturdier than “real hand-rolled pizza”

Vegetable cooking spray
½ lb unpeeled, large raw shrimp
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 tsp each salt & pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
White flour
Yellow cornmeal
1 10 or 12 inch thin pizza shell
1/3 cup bottled pesto
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat grill to 350F (medium heat). Peel shrimp, and slice in half lengthwise; devein, if you care (I don’t). Set aside.

Saute onion, bell pepper, salt, and pepper in a Tbsp of hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until tender. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.

Saute shrimp in remaining oil 3 minutes or just until they turn pink, then add to onion mixture, and toss.

Place pizza shell onto cooking grate; spread 1/3 cup refrigerated pesto evenly over crust, top with shrimp mixture and sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.

Grill, covered with lid, at medium heat about 4 minutes. Rotate pizza one-quarter turn, and grill, covered with lid, 5 to 6 more minutes or until pizza crust is cooked. Serve immediately.

That’s “Artichoke” and if you’re willing to add a veggie topping other than onion, tomato or peppers I think you’ll love the result. And don’t be frightened by those $3 ‘chokes you see in the produce section. These are just the best part, the hearts, and they are not that precious.

1 10 or 12-inch thin pre-baked pizza crust
3/4 cup marinara sauce
1 (6 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained, liquid reserved
1 medium tomato, cut in half and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb shredded Colby-Jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F . Prepare pizza according to recipe or package instructions. Place crust on a pizza pan or baking stone.

Pour the liquid from the artichokes into a small skillet, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook for 1 minute, or until the liquid is almost gone. Add garlic, and cook, stirring, for less than a minute. Add artichoke hearts, stir to coat with garlic flavor, then remove from heat, pour off any remaining liquid and set aside.

Spread marinara sauce over the crust, place the artichoke hearts and garlic over the sauce then lay on the tomato slices. Finally, sprinkle with cheese and bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until crust is golden, and cheese is melted and beginning to brown.