Homemade Broccoli Cheddar Pizza

Nothing’s better than homemade pizza… well maybe Brooklyn pizza, but that’s because my mom is from there, and what momma likes, everyone likes… or she’ll “slit ya throat.” – now that’s family. Anyway, making pizza with my family is always so much fun and creates lasting memories. I love it when my mom comes home and is like, “Let’s make some pizza, huh?! It’ll be fun! Horrayyy!” And it always is.

My beautiful family plus Bella!

By the way, I never really introduced my mom/my family yet. My mom is a beautiful, strong woman that taught me everything I know. After my dad’s passing, my mom took the lead, and strong. Nothing would get in her way – don’t forget she’s an aggressive New Yorker. She kept our family strong with love through the darkest times and I will forever be in debt to her. My older brother, Chris, is an ambitious, hardworking, and loving brother. He set the bar as to what a brother should be, always caring and never selfish. And of course, my little brother Nicky, who was always my go-to when I needed to have fun. Nicky and I share a love for everything childish (Disney, Spongebob, Looney Tunes, and more) so if you ever hang out with the two of us, you probably won’t understand us because we only speak in quotes with each other #NotAshamed. Anyway, so that’s my beautiful family. Now, back to the FOOD blog.

Pizza is a fun way to get everyone involved in the kitchen and it’s pretty simple to make. My mom made this broccoli-cheddar pizza with me and my two brothers a few weeks ago and I’ve been dying to make it since I left for school. It’s healthier than store-bought or delivery pizza. Even though it may take a little more time than getting it delivered, it’s worth the wait and you can build friendship and memories. What’s better than that? Actually, I really don’t think there is anything better than that. 

Dan O' Sullivan

Speaking of ever-lasting friendships and good memories, my good friend Dan O’ Sullivan (picture on left, showing his HUMerican pride) helped me make this pizza last weekend. We made this delicious pizza along with a Caprese Pizza, which was also delicious in every way. He actually shared a useful tip when making homemade pizza – to sprinkle breadcrumbs on the pan before you put the dough on it, so it can bake into the bottom and create a crunchy crust. ANYWAY, BACK TO THE FOOD BLOG! I’m just gonna stop stalling this and just give you the recipe. Thanks for checking out our new blog, I hope you guys like it! Tell us what you think and comment at the bottom or follow us on twitter or enter your e-mail above.

Click Here for the PRINTABLE RECIPE!

Now, Shut Up and Eat.

Mangia Mangia,

Dom

Ingredients:

1 bag of prepared white (or wheat) dough – found at any supermarket.

1 cup of shredded mozzarella

1 cup of shredded sharp (or mild) cheddar

1 ½ cups of broccoli, sliced thin

1 can of fully prepared pizza sauce – I couldn’t even look at this when I bought it at the supermarket, but I didn’t have any sauce prepared and I was hungry. Please don’t tell my mom.

½ cup of flour

2-3 Tblsp. of extra-virgin olive oil

Salt, Pepper and Italian Herb Seasoning, to taste

Pam Spray for the pan

EQUIPMENT: Round Pizza Pan (or any sort of large baking sheet), can opener, pizza cutter (or a knife) and spoon

Ignore the Oreos...

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400˚F – 425˚F and spray Pam onto the pan. Start to roll out the dough to desired shape. Now, rolling the dough can be tricky. You want to first put flour on the counter so that it does not stick.

Next you want to start patting it down and turning it as you pat. Use your fingers and palms to press and stretch the dough into desired shape. Make sure you don’t make the middle too thin and the crust too thick or else it won’t bake correctly. If the crust gets too thick, start pulling the ends so they thin out. Remember to liberally sprinkle breadcrumbs on the pan before you place the dough on top. Once the dough is spread out place on pan and add the olive oil. Make sure to spread olive oil throughout the entire dough, including the crust so it doesn’t burn as easily. Place in oven for 5 minutes, then take out. 

Once the dough has baked for 5 minutes, add the sauce, cheddar, mozzarella, broccoli and spices and place back in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden. Once again, I’m color blind; I can’t really help you out there.

 And VOILA! Enjoy everyone!