PIE PROJECT

diy pizza party

On Friday nights we invite over friends and family to celebrate the end of the week with some major TGIF spirit and lots and lots of pizza. We put out a wide assortment of toppings and sauces and let everyone do up their own pie, whether they want to keep it simple with just tomato sauce and cheese or go all out and throw together some fun new combinations. Sometimes we ask people to bring their favorite toppings, so we end up with an even wider selection—and some unexpected additions! Don’t be afraid of some mess—a little flour or sauce splatter never hurt anyone!—just embrace that everyone’s in the kitchen, spending time together. So serve up a big Everyday Butter Lettuce Salad (here), sit back while everyone makes their creations, and start enjoying the weekend.

CRUSTS

Josh’s Pizza Dough (here), Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough (here), or store-bought dough

French bread sandwich rolls, halved

Flatbreads

SAUCES

Classic Marinara Sauce (here)

Spinach-Basil Pesto (here) or store-bought pesto

Store-bought barbecue sauce

TOPPINGS

Sliced pepperoni

Crumbled Italian sausage

Shredded chicken

Sliced prosciutto

Cooked bacon pieces

Sliced mushrooms

Sliced red onion

Artichoke hearts

Sliced roasted red peppers

Greens (spinach, arugula, kale)

Fresh basil

Sliced tomatoes

Sun-dried tomatoes

Chopped or sliced olives

Sliced jalapeño

Diced pineapple

Crushed red pepper flakes

Balsamic glaze

Shredded mozzarella cheese or sliced fresh mozzarella

Ricotta cheese

Shredded cheddar cheese

Crumbled goat cheese

Grated Parmesan cheese

1 If making the dough from scratch, make it the day before and store in the fridge in large zip-top bags. Remove the dough from the fridge 30 minutes before you’ll want to start making pizzas.

2 Decide if you want everyone to create their own individual-sized pizzas or if you want to put people on teams to work together on larger pizzas. We try to make sure there’s a variety so everyone can sample and share.

3 Before your guests arrive, designate one area of the kitchen for pizza assembly, like an island or kitchen table. Have one station where people can be rolling out the dough (if applicable) and one station for adding the toppings. Set out all your ingredients in advance so the pizza-making can start as soon as people arrive. You could also do this outside if you plan to grill your pizzas, which is what we do in the summer so we’re not heating up the house!

4 Preheat the oven to 450 to 550°F—as high as it will go. Using a rolling pin, roll out the pizza dough to a ½-inch thickness; it should be roughly the same size as the baking sheets you’ve selected. Place the dough on lightly greased baking sheets, pushing the dough into the corners and rolling the edges around the lip of the pan to create a nice crust all the way around. Once the pizzas are assembled, bake them for 10 to 15 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted. If using French bread or flatbread, cook just long enough to melt the cheese and toast the bread to light golden brown.

5 Slice and share!

NOTE: You can make your own pizza dough from scratch (our favorite recipes will get you there every time!), but you certainly don’t have to. Store-bought dough, or even store-bought flatbreads or French bread, is perfectly acceptable and completely delicious.