Today ends pizza month here at OHC!  Hopefully you all had fun talking about pizza as much as I did!

One of the best tips I have for making pizza at home is prep ahead!  You all know by now that I’m huge on getting things done ahead of time when you can.  It makes life so much easier! And it will make you feel great when you can easily assemble a wonderful meal at home as opposed to reaching for something processed and icky.

Prepping ahead is key for me!  If I didn’t prep ahead then we wouldn’t be having pizza on Thursday night!

Dough:

We’ve talked about how you can make the dough ahead of time and freeze it.  You can also make it a day early and just keep it in the fridge.  I usually make the dough the day of, after lunch and let it hang out till I’m ready to use it.

Toppings:

Toppings I will sometimes prep the day before especially if we’re going to have a lot going on.  I precook sausage too!  My goal is to have everything ready to go so that when it is time to assemble the pizza, that is the only thing I have to do is assemble.  Nothing else!  No chopping, mixing, prepping, nothing.  Just layer and bake!

If you make sauce, definitely get that going early.  You can even make large batches and freeze in servings just the right size for pizza.  Pull it out the day before and stick in the fridge to thaw.

If you use pre-shredded cheese, stock up when it goes on sale!  That will store in the freezer easily.  Then when ready, pull out and stick in the fridge for a few hours before you need it to give it a chance to thaw out.

Know your veggies:

All veggies are great on pizza but some need a little more love and care before topping your pie.

Carrots and zucchini are faves around here.  They contain a lot of liquid and can make the pizza soggy if not dealt with before using.  I like them shredded because then I can fit more on the pizza!  I shred them and place them on paper towels.  I fold them up in the towels and place in a storage bag. I let them hang out like that in the fridge for several hours or even a day.  The paper towels (or dish towel if you prefer) will soak up and pull the moisture out of the veggies.  This way they will not cause the pizza to be soggy, but will turn out nice and crispy when baked!

Mushrooms can be full of water too.  I lightly sautee them before adding them as a topping.

Peppers and onions, if thinly sliced will brown up nicely.  Big thick slices of pepper might not cook enough and can leak some water out on the top.

Sundried tomatoes can burn quickly, even the marinated kind.  They do best mixed with cheese instead of right on top.

Broccoli should be chopped small so that no one is forced to bite into a huge broccoli floret!

Fresh spinach can be chopped and sprinkled right on top.  It will wilt nicely! Precooked spinach can sometimes lay heavy and taste the same.  Fresh keeps things light and airy!

Now get busy prepping for pizza this week!  You know you want to make some!