Family Fun Friday: Easy, Quick, and Delicious Mini Grilled Pizzas

Grilled Pizzas- under $3 and under 30 minutes

Hey there folks! Welcome back to Family Fun Friday! We actually have two family fun activities to share tonight. The start to our evening was a favorite Friday evening tradition around here- Grilled Pizza. We also played a hilariously entertaining game, but I'll have to share that in the next post!

Wait a minute... you've never had grilled pizza??? You are seriously missing out on some major yumminess! And on a camping trip... OMG. The nature makes it taste even better!

Before I share the secret to grilled pizza with you, repeat after me: "Pizza doesn't have to be round. Pizza doesn't have to be round." These may not be the most attractive pizzas in the world. I probably won't make the cover of Food Magazine. But that's okay. These babies are awesome! What they lack in appearance, they make up for in taste- smoky, cheesy, herbed deliciousness.

To make pizza, of course you need dough. You can use whatever recipe you like, canned pizza dough, or even biscuits in a pinch. Here is my recipe for pizza dough. You can also use it for dinner rolls, breadsticks, etc.

Mix 1 T yeast in 1 C hot water. Pour into a large mixing bowl. Add 2 T vegetable oil, 2.5 C flour, 1 t sugar, 1 t salt, 1-3 T of Italian Seasoning or oregano, 1 t garlic powder and 1 t onion powder.  Of course, the spices are optional. You can vary according to your taste and your toppings. Our personal opinion is the spices MAKE the dough. Knead dough until it's smooth. The awesome thing about this dough is that it doesn't have to rise. Mix, knead, and go- 5 minutes!

Divide the dough into 6-8 portions and press/roll out dough onto an oiled pizza pan. Brush oil on top of the pizza dough. For grilled pizza, it's so much easier to make individual mini pizzas instead of trying to flip a large one on the grill. That also allows everyone to personalize their toppings.

Have everything ready to go before you put the dough on the grill. These pizzas cook pretty quickly.

Preheat your grill. Once grill is hot, place pizzas onto the grill, oil side down. Direct heat is fine, unless you notice your pizza is burning. Close the grill and let the dough cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the bottom is browned, crispy, and has grill marks. When the dough is cooked on the bottom, flip the pizzas over. Add your pizza sauce, toppings, and cheese. Close the grill again and allow the pizzas to cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and gooey. If your crust is burning before the cheese is melted, move the pizzas to an upper rack or an indirect heat area.

I will warn you- plan to eat outside, standing beside the grill. We have NEVER made it to the table with these grilled pizzas (at least the first batch. This dough recipe makes seven or eight 4-6" pizzas.)

 

So, how, you ask, is this Family Fun Friday? Well, making Grilled Pizzas is a family affair! The kiddos beg to make them. One kid measures, mixes, and kneads the dough while the other kid browns the sausage, gathers the toppings, etc. Everybody helps put the pizzas and toppings on the grill. And everybody stands by the grill and salivates as they cook.


Know what? Not only does grilled pizza rock, but it costs less and cooks in the same amount of time (or less) as a frozen pizza. Tastes a million times better, too! From start to finish, you can make this grilled pizza in under 30 minutes. By my calculations, it cost maybe 75 cents for the dough, 75 cents for the cheese (1/2 a bag of shredded cheese), 33 cents for the spaghetti sauce (1/3 jar), and 44 cents for the sausage (1/2 lb.). Grand total: $2.27. You can't even buy a generic frozen pizza for that!

Our Family Fun Friday Grilled Pizzas were a hit, quick, and frugal. Under $3, under 30 minutes, family fun, and yummy to boot! This should be your next camping meal. I promise you won't be disappointed!