Get Ready for the Big Game with Delicious Homemade Pizzas

Whether you’re a Patriots fan or a Seahawks fan, everyone knows that Game Day parties are all about the food. This year, why not serve some easy-to-assemble homemade pizzas? Your guests will love the variety of flavor combinations you can create, for more sophisticated or simple tastes.

Kontos Foods, provider of flatbreads and other Mediterranean foods, suggests using ready-made Pizza Parlor Crusts. The secret to these crusts is the olive oil that’s baked into the crust, which creates a crispy base for your pizza creations. For a simple and delicious pizza, just add your sauce and cheese for an individual pizza within 5 minutes. For slightly more sophisticated tastes, try these ideas:

Four-Cheese Margherita Pizza

INGREDIENTS

• One 7-inch ready-made Kontos Pizza Parlor crust (more crispy option - grill for 1 min. before topping grilled side up)
• 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tablespoon fresh minced garlic
• Dash of sea salt
• 8-9 slices of small Roma tomatoes
• 3 oz. shredded whole milk (artisan) mozzarella
• 2 oz. Fontina cheese
• 1 oz. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 oz. Kontos Feta cheese
• 4 fresh basil leaves washed, dried, and julienne sliced (strips)

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 400⁰ F (375⁰ for a convection oven)
2. Stir together the olive oil, garlic, salt and tomatoes and let stand for 15 minutes.
3. Brush the Kontos Pizza Parlor crust with the tomato marinade (leave tomatoes in the bowl).
4. Arrange tomato slices over the top of the crust.
5. Spread Mozzarella and Fontina shredded cheese evenly over top of tomato slices; top evenly with shredded Parmesan cheese, Feta cheese and sliced basil leaves.
6. Place topped pizza into the oven, directly on rack for crispy crust, on a pan for soft crust.
7. Bake for approx. 5 minutes (a few minutes less for convection oven); remove from oven with a baking sheet or pizza spatula.
8. Let cool for 1-2 minutes. Slice into 4-6 slices and enjoy!

Veggie Lovers Pizza

INGREDIENTS:

• One Kontos 7-inch ready-made pizza crust (more crispy option - grill for 1 min. before topping grilled side up)
• 3 oz. tomato pizza sauce
• 4 oz. whole milk Mozzarella (artisan) cheese
• 1 ½ oz. sliced red onions
• 1 ½ oz. sliced black olives
• 1 ½ oz. total (½ oz of each) diced red, green, and yellow bell peppers

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 400⁰ F (375⁰ for a convection oven).
2. Evenly spread the tomato pizza sauce over the Kontos’pizza crust.
3. Evenly spread the Mozzarella cheese over the top of the pizza sauce.
4. Top with the bell pepper mixture, black olives and sliced red onions.
5. Place topped pizza into the oven, directly on rack for crispy crust, on a pan for soft crust.
6. Bake for approx. 5 minutes, or a minute or two less in a convection oven; remove from oven with a baking sheet or pizza spatula.
7. Let cool for 1-2 minutes, slice into 4-6 slices and enjoy!

Cooking tip: Oven baking times can vary. Flatbread pizza is ready when the cheese is melted completely and edges are medium to dark brown.