Super Simple Pita Pizzas


Pizza might just be my favorite food. I don't discriminate, either - thick, doughy crusts or thin, crispy crust that's just a little bit brown; red sauce or no; fresh mozzarella slices or gobs of a miscellaneous blend all melted together; sicilian or triangular; plain or veggies or (and this makes me sad, as I have not been able to eat it since vowing off non-grassfed beef) thin slices of steak in an all-too Philadelphian cheesesteak flavor set - really, it's all fantastic to me. I may have a finicky mood where I prefer a certain topping or crust:cheese/sauce ratio, but it's rare that I find a pizza I can't enjoy.

You would think that this Ode to Pizza would correlate to my eating lots and lots of it but, sadly, this is not the case. Partially because the grease can sometimes turn me off and, more often than not, because I just don't eat out all that much, I probably only treat myself several times a year. I've often considered making my own pizza more often, giving me the added bonus of ingredient control: whole wheat flour, homemade sauce (did I hear someone say, sneaky pureed veggies?), and whatever cheese I prefer, in any amount I prefer. Interestingly enough, it's actually one, single, sole, lonely ingredient that keeps me from making my own pizza, at least in my current apartment: yeast.

I've made yeasted things before; I've even made yeasted pizza doughs. I'm not afraid of them or intimidated by them; I don't even use the excuse of being too busy for them. No, the reason I avoid yeast in this apartment like a non-grassfed burger rolled in shortening and topped with, I don't know...you get the picture! The reason I don't make pizza dough in this apartment is because it's so incredibly cold. The poor yeast organisms would never come out and play with the sugar I would so lovingly feed it, and all I can imagine when I picture homemade pizza in this apartment is, well, a crust only slightly more palatable than matzah (which, by the way, will be making its annual appearance on this blog in the all-too-near future).

But then I discovered this! The pita pizza! The cheater's pizza! The walk-in-at-6pm-and-have-pizza-on-your-plate-by-6:15 pizza - without having to worry about a delivery guy to tip! When I made this, I cheated so severely, I didn't even make my own sauce (though I intended to, really, I did). And you know what? It was amazing. Because, as I said before, the love I have for pizza has no boundaries. So until I move out of this icebox (or until Mother Nature decides to bestow Spring upon us, for real, and not this rainy, dreary, high-of-35-degrees-Fahrenheit weather), this pita pizza (or naan pizza, or pizza bagels, or...) will surely suffice.

So whip up a round of crisp, hearty, warm pita pizza, with whatever toppings suit your tastes. Or else...you will be seriously missing out!

(By the way, this is so not a recipe - get creative with your toppings and sauces! The possibilities are endless.)

Pita Pizzas
Yield: 1 personal pizza
(printable recipe)

The Ingredients - In General
1 whole grain (or, you know, not) pita
3 tablespoons (ish) sauce
1/4 cup cheese, of your choosing
3-4 tablespoons (ish) additional toppings

The Ingredients - What I Did
1 whole wheat pita
3 tablespoons spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup bleu & parmesan cheeses
4 tablespoons (ish) of: green peppers, onions, and spinach

The Ingredients - What L Did
1 whole wheat pita
3 tablespoons spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup cheddar & parmesan cheeses
3 tablespoons (ish) of: tomatoes and green pepper

The Method
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and (optionally) line a baking sheet with foil. Spread the sauce over the pita, add the toppings, and sprinkle the cheese over all of it. Place the pita(s) on the baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes, until the pita is crisp and the cheese is fully melted.

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