Don't Order In: 7 Awesome Pizza Recipes to Try at Home

Everyone loves pizza. Instead of ordering in, try one of these creative and refreshing recipes at home.

Chicken Thai Pizza Recipe

If pizza is your pick, try this spunky and robust phenomenal Thai pizza with chicken, onion, and carrots with peanut sauce. Keep these pantry friendly ingredients on hand for a last-minute meal.

Click here to see the Chicken Thai Pizza Recipe

Asparagus Pizza Recipe

My go-to cooking method for asparagus is to toss it in some olive oil and stick it on the grill. And while that is certainly delicious, this time I wanted to think out of the box a bit and try something different with one of my favorite spring vegetables. The result? Asparagus pizza!

Click here to see the Asparagus Pizza Recipe

Naan Pizza Recipe

Pizza is always delicious, but sometimes you want to switch it up a little. This pizza uses premade naan, fragrant spices, and sweet and spicy mango chutney to bring together the flavors of India in a new and unexpected way - and it's super easy to make!

Click here to see the Naan Pizza Recipe

Portobello Mushroom 'Pizzas' Recipe

This hearty and satisfying dish proves that low-carb meals don't have to consist of rabbit food. All the familiar flavors of your favorite pizza are assembled atop a meaty portobello mushroom cap - it's so good you won't miss the crust at all! I love the combination of the tangy roasted peppers, gooey cheese, and sweet basil with the smoky mushrooms, but of course, you can use any toppings you're craving.

Click here to see the Portobello Mushroom 'Pizzas' Recipe

Butternut Squash Pizza Recipe

Butternut squash is on everything these days, so why not pizza? Matching up butternut squash with pear and blue cheese is one of the best decisions of my life. OK, not really. But, it works and it's pretty good. Try it.

Click here to see the Butternut Squash Pizza Recipe

Green Tomato Pizza Recipe

Little nuggets of blue cheese yield bursts of flavor that go nicely with the green tomatoes. Choose a fairly crumbly, assertive blue cheese with a slight bitterness and a good tang to balance it out. I used a lovely blue from Vermont.

Click here to see the Green Tomato Pizza Recipe

Homemade Spicy Sausage and Ricotta Pizza Recipe (pictured above)

I'm pretty much convinced that if folks realized just how easy (and cheap!) it is to make great pizza at home, they would delete the delivery guy's number from their speed dial. Especially with the convenience of pre-made pizza dough, this recipe for sausage pizza is a no-brainer when it comes to looking for a low-cost dinner option.

INGREDIENTS

3 links spicy Italian sausage ($3.00)
2 tablespoons red pepper flakes (optional)
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1 package ready-to-bake pizza dough ($.99)
One 15-ounce can tomato purée ($1.49)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Olive oil
6 tablespoons ricotta ($3.49)
Fresh basil, chiffonade (optional)

Total cost: $8.97

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees, placing a pizza stone inside, if using.

Meanwhile, remove the sausage meat from the casings and cook in a small pan over medium heat, breaking it up into little pieces, about 15 minutes. Mix in red pepper flakes.

Rolling out the dough is definitely the toughest part. Lightly flour a clean surface and roll out the dough until it reaches the size and thickness you desire (and don't worry about making it a perfect circle). When the dough is ready, place it on a lightly floured wooden cutting board (if using a pizza stone) or a lightly greased baking sheet. Season the tomato purée with a little salt and pepper, and spread it across the surface, making sure the sauce layer isn't too thick (you don't want your crust to get soggy). Evenly sprinkle the crumbled sausage over the sauce and top it with some evenly dispersed dollops of ricotta.

Place the pizza on the pizza stone if using, otherwise place in the oven on the baking sheet and cook for about 12-15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven to let cool, then top with a chiffonade of fresh basil, if desired.

Recipe Details

Total time: 45 minutes
Servings: 2

-The Daily Meal