We kind of got away from our Friday night “Pizza Night” tradition over our busy summer, but now that school is back in session, we’ve penciled it into our weekly calendar once again. Sometimes we order takeout pizza and sometimes we make our own from scratch, but this past Friday we tried something a little different — grilled pizzas!
I’ve had several people tell me just how good the Mama Mary’s Thin & Crispy Pizza Crusts are, so we picked them up at Walmart to give them a try. They’re prebaked and come in a 2-pack, which makes them ultra convenient, especially since it takes only about 10 minutes to grill them up.
My kids are pretty traditional when it comes to pizza, so we topped them with Ragu Homestyle Pizza Sauce and Great Value Mozzarella Cheese and added some Mama Mary’s Pepperoni to one for the meat lovers.
I prefer more of a gourmet-style pizza, so I topped another crust with some of my homemade simple basil pesto, Roma tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella cheese — it was absolutely divine!
Making the pizzas couldn’t have been easier. I just oiled both sides of the crust with a little olive oil and placed it directly on the grilled top side down for about three minutes. Then I flipped it over and added our toppings and grilled it for about another seven minutes until all of the cheese was melted.
I would definitely keep these crusts on hand for a busy weeknight meal solution — much better than fast food — and I think it would be a ton of fun to host a grilled pizza family cookout event with a pizza topping bar. Maybe for Labor Day even?!?
Have you tried grilled pizza? What’s your favorite way to top them?
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Walmart Moms program. Walmart has provided me with compensation for the time and effort spent creating this post. However, my participation in this program is voluntary and my opinions are my own — always have been, always will be.
Marie
Where did you purchase the Mama Marys pizza crusts? Was it Walmart? Thanks!
Tara Kuczykowski
Oops, I guess I should have been more explicit about that. Yes, I purchased them at Walmart. They were $3.48 for a 2-pack here, which I felt was more than reasonable, especially since they are so tasty! We tried both the white and the wheat, and they were both delicious.
Marie
Thanks. Next time I’m there I will pick up a package.
Lana
Some walmarts also sell pizza dough balls- the white ones are .86 and the wheat ones are like .10 more. At our store they are in the deli area. I use them for grilled pizza, oven-baked stromboli, regular pizza, etc. They’re great because it’s like homeade, but a lot quicker.
Tara Kuczykowski
Great tip, Lana — thanks for sharing!
Jeanne
We love grilled pizza – tastes like brick oven pizza. I make whole wheat dough in my bread machine, but you could buy it at your local pizza parlour or grocery store, as stated elsewhere. It is a bit more time consuming and messy (rolling out, flour, etc.), but delicious. We don’t oil it, just place the dough on the grill, flip, add toppngs. Generally, we bring them inside to top while the next batch cooks on the 1st side, as topping over the hot grill was difficult. We make them smaller than a regular pizza, and vary the toppings by what we have and preferences. Now that my tomatoes are coming in, I will make a tomato/pesto/mozarella one again (made it last year) – thanks for the reminder. I also love Rachael Ray’s recipe for pizza with chicken, broccoli, sun dried tomatoes, and ricotta cheese (plus parm, mozarella, and I add sauce). Of course, this method would not be good for a quick meal, but it is fun and delicious.
Angie Simmonds
This is something I have always wanted to do but have yet to try it. The fresh mozza looks yummy!
Brandy
I love to make pizza with the kids but we have never tried the grilled pizza’s- we will next time.
Our favorite is chicken bacon ranch pizza because our kiddo’s are not a fan of the traditional pizza sauce- very simple ranch as the sauce, chicken breast (when I make any type of chicken I cook a few extras and throw them in the freezer to pull out on busy nights) and bacon pieces (again I always cook a little extra and keep on hand) top with mozarella and bake (or now grill). We just recently tried Mama Mary’s it’s definately just as good as the higher priced versions.
cindy
We’ve been making pizza on the grill for about a year now. It’s easy and taste really good. We make one with cherry tomatoes that I grill on skewers for a few minutes, grilled red onions and mozzarella cheese. It’s really good.
Michelle
We made tortilla pizzas on a camp fire this year and my kids loved it. Same concept with the pizza crust but with a tortilla. Very fun for the kids because they built their own and very tasty for everyone. My kids keep begging to do them at home on the grill now.
Lauren
Best pizza hands down is grilled! We get our crusts from a local store, I prefer my crust a little thicker because its easier for my 1 yr old to chew, we put one of The Pampered Chef round stones on before we heat the grill, then put the crust on and baste it with a garlic butter mixture, flip it and add your toppings and cook til everythings all nice n hot….man now I want pizza!
Wine Harlots
Great suggestions for pizza night.
For the grown-ups pair your pizza with a Chianti or a juicy zinfandel. Heaven!
Cheers!
Nannette Eaton