Growing up, I always appreciated the tradition of holiday foods like turkey and mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving and ham and potato salad on Easter. The idea behind them was great, the only problem was I didn’t actually enjoy the food all that much. Every year the meals seemed like too much work for it to actually be worth the effort. Every year I would tell myself that when I grew up, things would be different.
Granted, I said that about a lot of things growing up, but this one really stuck with me. Especially now that I’m beginning to make my own holiday traditions. So I thought of my favorite, crowd-pleasing foods and ran with it. This past Christmas Eve dinner was a grilled cheese bar. This year’s Easter feast was a vegetarian pizza party. And friends, I would 100% recommend it.
There’s really no need to kill yourself over unfamiliar dishes only half the family likes. Granted, if you and everyone else loves the traditional holiday food and you’ve got the cooking process down to a science, more power to ya. But for me, the thought of spending all day making dishes that may or may not go over well and I’ll be stuck eating for the next two weeks is not pleasant. I want a meal that’s reliable, familiar with a hint of excitement, a huge crowd-pleaser, and of course, delicious. Totally not too much to ask, right?
Right! I’m going to walk you through everything you need to know to throw together your own vegetarian pizza party. And this celebration of pizza in no way has to be reserved for holidays. Pizza can be celebrated any time and at all hours.
I made all these pizzas for four hungry young adults along with a simple side salad I’ll also cover. There was more than a little leftover. We’ll be eating plenty of pizza this week, but that has never been a bad thing.
So if you’re looking for something a little less time consuming and a lot delicious for your next party that will still awe and inspire, you’re gonna want to give this vegetarian pizza party a try.
Lineup
- Potato pesto pizza
- mushroom, caramelized onion, and gruyere pizza
- BBQ chickpea pizza
- Peach, goat cheese, and balsamic glaze pizza
- Mediterranean pizza
- Basic salad – Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, parmesan cheese, croutons, garlic lemon dressing
Tips
- Make all your toppings ahead of time. Meaning, get all the cooking, sauteeing, dicing, and chopping out of the way before assembling any of the pizzas.
- Prepare the lettuce for the salad the morning of and store it in the fridge with a damp paper towel covering it. Right before serving, add the tomatoes, cheese, croutons, and dressing.
- You can cook two pizzas at once (unless you’re a cool person with multiple ovens), so let your guests know the pizza line up ahead of time so they can save room for their favorite pizza that might still be in the oven.
- A pizza stone and paddle are useful, but if you don’t have those, cooking your pizzas on baking sheets will work fine.
- Make sure you have parchment paper. Pizzas are much easier to handle, transport, and serve when on parchment paper. Plus, it holds up to the oven’s high temps.
- Make sure to brush the crust with a garlic powder, salt, dried oregano, and olive oil mix before AND right after baking. This produces a crispy crust with a lot of flavor.
- Wait a few minutes after taking the pizza out of the oven to slice. If you slice the pizza right away, the cheese doesn’t hold up well.
- Sprinkle on fresh herbs after baking, not before.
Timeline
If you are planning on having your pizza party at 6:00 PM, this is what your line up for the day will look like
- That morning, wash, thoroughly dry, and break apart lettuce for the salad into bite-sized pieces. Throw in a bowl and store in the fridge covered with a damp paper towel to keep crisp.
- 3:00 PM – Make two batches of pizza dough. Cover and set aside in a warm place to rise.
- 3:30 PM – Make caramelized onions, mushrooms, balsamic glaze, and BBQ chickpeas
- 4:00 PM – Slice and dice everything that needs to be prepped – peaches, fresh mozzarella, red onion, garlic, potatoes, green onion, cilantro, and basil
- 4:45 PM – divide dough into five pieces on five separate sheets of parchment paper. Keep other pieces of dough covered while you prepare each pizza.
- 5:00 PM – Preheat oven to 500 degrees (put the pizza stone in the oven if using one)
- 5:30 PM – First two pizzas in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes (bottom pizza may need an additional few minutes on top rack)
- 5:40 PM – Next two pizzas in the oven. While they are baking, prepare the salad and slice first two pizzas (remember to brush the crust with oil mix!)
- 5:50 PM – Last pizza in the oven. Slice the other two pizzas and let guests help themselves to salad and pizzas while waiting for the last one.
- 6:00 PM – Pizzas galore. You have a party full of happy campers.
Recipes
The recipes for these pizzas are pretty loose. I mean come on, their pizzas. As far as toppings go, you kind of have to rely on your instincts. So I have included a few general measurements, but these recipes are more guidelines than anything set in stone.
Potato pesto pizza
- Pizza dough (homemade or store-bought)
- 1/3 cup pesto (homemade or store-bought)
- 3 red potatoes, thinly sliced
- Fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
- Olive oil
- Garlic powder, oregano, and oil mix for the crust
- Fresh basil, chopped
On a sheet of parchment paper, stretch out pizza dough using your hands (see technique here). In a bowl, drizzle olive oil over potato slices and toss well. Spread the pesto on the dough and cover with sliced potatoes. top with mozzarella and brush the crust with oil mixture. Bake for 10 minutes in a 500-degree oven or until crust is golden. Brush crust again with oil mixture and sprinkle with basil before slicing and serving.
Mushroom gruyere pizza
- Pizza dough (homemade or store-bought)
- Olive oil
- Garlic clove, minced
- 1.5 cups mushrooms, sliced
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- Mozzarella cheese
- Shredded gruyere cheese (I used the gruyere/swiss blend from Trader Joe’s)
- Garlic powder, oregano, and oil mix for the crust
Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook about 10 minutes until caramelized stirring frequently. Remove onions from pan and add a bit more oil to cook the mushrooms until golden. On a sheet of parchment paper, stretch out pizza dough using your hands (see technique here). Drizzle olive oil on the dough and use your hand to spread the minced garlic on top. Sprinkle with a thin layer of mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, onions, and gruyere cheese. Brush crust with oil mixture and bake for 10 minutes in a 500-degree oven. Brush crust again with oil mixture, slice, and serve.
BBQ chickpea pizza
- Pizza dough (homemade or store-bought)
- 1/2 cup barbeque sauce
- 1 can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and dried
- 1/8 red onion, thinly sliced
- Mozzarella cheese
- Cilantro, chopped
- Green onion, chopped
- Garlic powder, oregano, and oil mix for the crust
Combine the chickpeas and a few tablespoons of barbeque sauce in a nonstick skillet over low-medium heat. Cook until sauce adheres to the chickpeas (about 4 minutes) and remove from heat. On a sheet of parchment paper, stretch out pizza dough using your hands (see technique here). Spread remaining barbeque sauce on the dough and top with a thin layer of mozzarella cheese, chickpeas, red onion, and another layer of cheese. Brush crust with oil mixture and bake for 10 minutes in a 500-degree oven. Brush crust again with oil mixture, and sprinkle with cilantro and green onion before slicing and serving.
Peach and balsamic pizza
- Pizza dough (homemade or store-bought)
- olive oil
- 1/8 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 peach, thinly sliced
- Goat cheese
- Garlic powder, oregano, and oil mix for the crust
- Fresh basil, chopped
Combine balsamic vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan on medium-high heat. Let the mixture come to a simmer. Stir regularly so the mixture doesn’t burn. Once the mixture has shrunk to about half its size and it sticks to the spoon when you stir, take the glaze off the stove and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, heat about a tablespoon of oil over medium heat and cook the onion, stirring regularly, until caramelized (about 10 minutes). On a sheet of parchment paper, stretch out pizza dough using your hands (see technique here). Brush dough with olive oil and top with peaches, onions, and goat cheese. Brush crust with oil mixture and bake for 10 minutes in a 500-degree oven. Brush crust again with oil mixture. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and sprinkle with basil before slicing and serving.
Mediterranean pizza
- Pizza dough (homemade or store-bought)
- 1/4 cup hummus
- 3 tbsp pesto
- Mozzarella cheese
- Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- Artichoke hearts, chopped
- Spinach, fresh or frozen
- Feta cheese
- Garlic powder, oregano, and oil mix for the crust
Combine hummus and pesto in a small bowl. On a sheet of parchment paper, stretch out pizza dough using your hands (see technique here). Spread pesto hummus on dough and top with a thin layer of mozzarella cheese. Top with sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, spinach, and feta. Brush crust with oil mixture and bake for 10 minutes in a 500-degree oven. Brush crust again with oil mixture before slicing and serving.
Basic Salad
- 2-3 romaine lettuce hearts
- 2 tomatoes, cut into eighths
- 1/2 cup shaved parmesan cheese
- 1.5 cups croutons
- Juice of one lemon
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Early in the day, wash, thoroughly dry, and break apart romaine leaves. Store in the fridge covered by a damp paper towel until close to serving. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon and garlic. While whisking, slowly add olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Combine all ingredients and serve,
