Pizza Party Checklist!

Throwing a build your own pizza party is own of our favorite ways to hang out with extended family, find out how we set it up!

We are coming really close to Christmas, it is freaking me out! This month just flew by! I was really excited to start all sorts of new traditions this holiday season, but unfortunately we are still in the “spend Christmas with the in-laws” phase of our marriage which often means succumbing to their traditions instead of our own…

…but I somehow managed to convince everyone to make our pizza for Christmas Eve and on Christmas morning I am bringing those sweet rolls I mentioned earlier. So the new traditions live on!

For today’s post I thought I would explain how to make a pizza/throw a DIY Pizza Party since it has been on my mind as I plan for Christmas Eve.

Pizza Party Must Haves:

• Pizza dough– I have made this in the past, but to keep things simple I just buy premade dough now. I either buy this from Winco, Sprouts, or sometimes just the Pillsbury brand from the regular grocery store.
  • check out this cool pizza calculator to figure out how many pizzas you need to make 
• Cornmeal- This is optional. This is great to roll your dough out on without making it get tough.
• Marinara sauce– We love using tomato paste and then seasoning it ourselves. We usually add olive oil til we get the desired consistency & season with basil, garlic, salt & oregano.
  • The reason we love tomato paste is because the tomato flavor is very strong and it is not watery at all which insures you don’t end up with soggy pizza. If you’re not in the mood to season some tomato paste, you can just buy the jars labeled “pizza sauce” in whichever brand you like and those work too.
• Toppings– This is where it gets fun. You can add whatever you like, but here are some classics.
  • Meats: pepperoni, ham, sausage, chicken, bacon
  • Veggies: mushrooms, olives, artichoke hearts, onions, bell peppers, spinach, tomatoes, banana peppers, jalapeños
  • Fruit: Pineapple
  • Cheese: Mozzarella or pizza blend
• Another pizza option: Bring BBQ sauce for a BBQ chicken pizza alternative using BBQ sauce, chicken, mozzarella cheese, and red onions.
• Drinks– Pick up your favorite, whether that’s soft drinks, lemonade, water, or Martinelli’s
• Dessert– For dessert, a pizookie definitely fits the theme! We usually just using chocolate chip cookie dough for ours, but a peanut butter one sounds amazing too.

Even if you’re not throwing a pizza party, here is a servings guide I made for large get togethers!