Pizza is such a great family food. Everyone seems to love it, and it is great to have on hand for parties. But, buying pizza out can get pretty expensive, so I usually make it myself. For about $2, sometimes less, I can make two large pizzas.
There are sometimes, though, that it is really helpful to have stockpiled pizza on hand. Birthday parties, are a good example of when having lots of pizza that can be made quickly is convenient. And there are those weekends, when we are rushing out to one activity or another, leaving little time to prepare dinner. Popping a ready made or almost made pizza in the oven and pairing it with a garden salad is the perfect solution to a hectic dinner time.
Here are some strategies that you can use to stockpile pizza.
Make large batches of dough ahead of time. Shape your pizza crust and par-bake them. This is baking them only about halfway through. Try a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes. Let the crusts cool, place them in large freezer bags and freeze. When it comes time to make your pizza, pull out a crust, add your sauce and topping and bake as usual.
Stockpile cans of pizza sauce, so it will always be on hand. I can get the store brand on sale for 65 cents a can. One can can produce four pizzas. Of course, you can always make your own sauce and freeze it, but the cans eliminate the step of thawing the sauce.
Buy mozzarella or provolone cheese (or a combination) in blocks and shred it yourself with a grater or food processor. Lay the shreds on a cookie sheet and freeze them for about 30 minutes. Then place them in freezer bags or containers and place them back in the freezer. There is no need to thaw the cheese before placing it on your pizza.
Finally, if you want to create a whole ready-made pizza, just par-bake the crust, add the sauce and cheese and freeze uncovered for 30 minutes. Then wrap it in freezer wrap or a large freezer bag and return it to the freezer. Bake just as you would with any commercially bought pizza.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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