Total Time Investment: 15 minutes
We seem to eat a lot of pizza. Particularly since I discovered the stored bread dough technique. It is so easy to whip up traditional pizzas for an easy weekend dinner, stock up the freezer with homemade frozen pizza, or to make myself a quick stovetop pizza during the week.
There is the rare occasion though, when I find myself without dough, and yet I still need to pull together something simple to eat. Which is where this easy flatbread pizza recipe comes in.
Flatbread pizza is exactly as it sounds; a pizza built on a flatbread rather than a traditional dough crust. Flatbread pizzas do, however, cook significantly quicker than a dough based pizza.
I always have flatbreads in my freezer. They are useful for quick wraps, or to whip up a batch of speedy flatbread crackers. And occasionally they are pressed into service as pizza bases.
Aside from quickly curbing my hunger, having an easy flatbread pizza recipe on hand is also a great way to introduce small children to making their own pizzas. With no dough to contend with, they can easily assemble their own pizzas if you have already taken care of the sauce and the toppings.
When The Princess was small, she would eat flatbread pizzas for lunch during the school holidays. I would prepare and freeze all the toppings, and then just point her in the right direction when she appeared looking for lunch. These days she is likely to eat two at one sitting, but as they are so easy to prepare, that's perfectly fine by me.
Tips and Tricks to getting ahead with flatbread pizzas.
I may be biased, but I think I make the best pizza sauce 😉 My homemade pizza sauce will keep for up to a week in the fridge, so you can make it ahead and use it through the week for speedy meals. I also freeze pizza sauce in 1 cup portions and in ice cube trays so I always have some on hand.
Grated cheese freezes brilliantly, so grate a large portion at once and keep it in the freezer.
Many of the more popular pizza toppings can also be frozen ahead of time, ready for quick assembly. The toppings you would use on a flatbread pizza are the same as used on a conventional pizza.
Chop or slice your preferred toppings into pizza-sized pieces, then freeze flat on a tray. Once frozen, put each ingredient into a separate container. Whilst this may seem like an extra step, freezing foods flat before storage prevents them sticking together in a clump; the enemy of a fast meal.
Ingredient Substitutions
Replace the flatbreads with any other thin, pre-cooked base you may have on hand. Try using lavash bread, tortillas, naan bread or even homemade flatbreads as your pizza base.
When it comes to toppings, you are only limited by your imagination, and what's in the pantry. Keep tinned artichokes and jarred olives on hand. Try bacon or ham in place of salami. Top the pizza with fresh rocket and a scatter of sliced almonds when it comes out of the oven. It's your dinner, so top it however you wish.
Commercial pizza sauces can be used in place of homemade, and if you have neither spread a thin layer of tomato sauce (passata) over the base. In a pinch you can even use a smear of concentrated tomato paste. Caramelised onions, pesto or a thin layer of béchamel can all be used on the base in place of the traditional tomato.
How To Cook Your Flatbread Pizza
A flatbread pizza is cooked in the same manner as a traditional pizza; the only difference is the cooking time. Flatbread pizzas will be ready in 8 - 10 minutes, so keep an eye on them to ensure you don't burn your dinner.
Flatbread pizzas can be cooked in the traditional oven, a benchtop pizza oven and even on the grill with great success.
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The theme for this month's Recipe Redux is Budget-Friendly Eats, with the challenge being to create a healthy meal for less than $3 per serve. This healthy flatbread pizza recipe fits the bill perfectly, particularly if you make your own sauce. And if you are looking for new ideas to eat well on a limited budget this year, don't forget to check out all the other budget friendly meals in the round-up.
