3 Quick and Easy Recipes for National Pizza Day
-
National Pizza Day 2023 falls on February 9, and we're ready to celebrate. However, sometimes schedules don't allow for going out on a Thursday evening, meaning you need a delicious pizza recipe you can make in under 20 minutes. This National Pizza Day, explore these three recipes to find something your friends and family will love.
From Italy to the World
When preparing to participate in National Pizza Day, you can better appreciate your meal by learning its history.
The Birth of Pizza in Naples
Pizza dates back to the Campania region of Italy during the 1800s. Naples — a city in Campagnia — had a growing working class comprised of many lower-income citizens who needed cheap food. When they served produce and oils on flatbreads, they created the first pizzas.
In 1889, King Umberto visited Naples with Queen Margherita after the Italian unification. They asked for local food and received pizza. The queen loved the pizza with tomatoes, basil and fresh mozzarella. To honor their new queen, the city began to call it Margherita pizza after her. Her approval of the dish also helped other Italian cities accept the food.
American Pizza
While pizza spread quickly throughout Italy after the queen's approval, people outside Italy were not exposed to it much until Italians started migrating to the United States and New York City. The first recorded pizza shop opened in Manhattan in 1905. It was called G. Lombardi's and was opened by an Italian immigrant.
During the 1940s, more Italian immigrants began moving to the East Coast, bringing their traditions and food. As more Italian people moved to the U.S., pizza became more popular and prevalent outside New York City. Other cities created their own unique takes on the dish, resulting in Chicago deep dish pizza and Californian gourmet style pizza.
3 Pizza Recipes Perfect for National Pizza Day
When you want something easy and tasty to celebrate this year's National Pizza Day, we have the perfect recipes for you. Each recipe has minimal preparation time and uses fully cooked ingredients, so you can focus on spending time with friends and family.
1. Cheesy Chicken Parm French Bread Pizza
This easy recipe is perfect if you love French bread or already have some. It serves about four people and only takes 17 minutes in total, with around five minutes dedicated to preparation and 12 minutes for cooking. If this option sounds like a fit for your family, start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Find two baking sheets, and line them with aluminum foil.
Get your French bread and cut it in half so the inside of the bread faces outwards. Slicing the bread will create pieces that are too small. Place the bread onto the baking sheet so that you can easily transfer it to the oven later.
Spread as much or as little tomato sauce as you please on the bread. Set refrigerated chicken tenders on top, and sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan cheese over everything. You will want enough cheese to at least cover the surface. Otherwise, use as much cheese as your heart does — or does not — desire.
Bake the pizza for 10 to 12 minutes. You will want the cheese to melt and the bread to toast. The chicken is already fully cooked, and the oven helps heat it for optimal taste. Finish off your pizza by topping it with basil. If you haven't already, slice it into fourths.
This pizza is great for impressing young kids or providing a quality meal to college kids with busy schedules.
2. Dino Chicken Nugget and Ranch Tortilla Pizza
Ranch dressing is a popular condiment for pizza. You can introduce your friends and family to the tangy combo with this easy and quick pizza recipe for this year's National Pizza Day. Like the previous recipe, this recipe will serve around four people. You should allocate around five minutes for preparations and 14 for cooking time.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place four flour tortillas on the trays.
Using tomato sauce, create a border around the rim of your tortillas to act as a pizza crust. This step will ensure you can hold your pizza slices easily. The amount of tomato sauce you choose to add can reflect your preferences. Because you have four separate tortillas, this recipe is an excellent opportunity to get kids or friends involved in their pizza creation.
Next, you can start adding your other toppings. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the tortillas' surfaces and place dino chicken nuggets, pepperoni and bacon to your preferences. The chicken is frozen but fully cooked, so kids can handle it if they want to make personal pizzas.
Place your pizzas in the oven and cook for 12 to 14 minutes. You'll want your dino nuggets to heat thoroughly and the tortillas to turn a beautiful golden brown. When they finish cooking, top your pizzas with some ranch dressing and basil.
The dino chicken nuggets are kid-friendly and can get them excited about their pizzas.
3. Buffalo Chicken Flatbread Pizza
For another unique pizza recipe, you can work with fan-favorite Buffalo chicken. This recipe serves four people, making it perfect if you invite friends for National Pizza Day. It will take around 20 minutes to complete fully.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking trays with parchment paper. Grab four pieces of naan and set them on your trays.
Spread Buffalo sauce over the naans' surfaces while leaving a border to act as the crust. Top the naan with shredded pepper jack cheese, and add your fully cooked Buffalo style chicken tenders on top. Like other recipes, you can customize the toppings to match your tastes.
Let the pizzas bake for 10 to 15 minutes so the naans turn golden brown. Because the tenders are fully cooked, you'll only need to check that they are warm enough.
Add ranch dressing, red onion and green onion to your pizzas for more flavor. Before serving, you can prepare sides of more ranch dressing, celery sticks and crumbled blue cheese. People can add these to their pizzas or snack on them as they eat.
This twist on pizza shows that you can customize the traditional Italian dish to create unique dishes that impress your family or friends.
Celebrate National Pizza Day With John Soules Foods
Pizzas are a great meal because you can adjust and customize them with various toppings and sauces to create unique dinners your friends and family will love.
John Soules Foods can help streamline meal preparation and cooking time with our wide selection of pre-cooked and prepared protein sources. When you cook with John Soules Food, everything is seasoned and breaded, so you can heat it and serve it.
Find a location that sells John Soules Foods near you and start preparing for National Pizza Day 2023 with us.
