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Pizza comes in all forms, and quite frankly all of them are equally delicious. Thin crust, stuffed crust, deep dish…heck, even pizza bites do the trick! But what if you took a different spin on it? What if your next pizza night was a mash up of to Italian dinner classics? Garlic bread pizza is the perfect combination of buttery garlic bread and the cheesy, saucy deliciousness of pizza.
Garlic Bread
Now I know one spaghetti night it is easy to pull that premade garlic bread/texas toast out of the freezer and bake, but making it from scratch is so much better! And so simple.
Grab a large loaf of french bread from your grocer’s bakery. The large soft kind not a long hard baguette. Slice it in half like a giant sandwich! In a bowl, mix together:
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) of softened salted butter
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
Spread the butter mixture on both sides (insides) of the bread loaf and place on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes, just enough time for the butter to melt. If you are making just garlic bread, not pizza, leave the bread in the oven an additional 3-5 minutes, so the bread has time to brown and crisp.
Pizza Time
Pull the bread out of the oven and dress it up! Spread 1/2 cup of your favorite jarred marinara or tomato sauce on both sides of bread. Dot the bread with fresh mozzarella pearls or torn mozzarella balls, about 2 cups. If making just a cheese pizza, pile on all of the cheese. If you plan on loading up other toppings, I recommend laying on 3/4 of the cheese, reserving the rest for after the toppings.
Layer on any desired toppings and top with remaining cheese. Place the pizza back in the oven for another 7-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browning.
Other Topping Options
Like any pizza, the toppings for garlic bread pizza are endless. Go where your imagination takes you! Here are a few classics, and a few crazy ideas, but don’t stop here!
- Pepperoni
- Italian Sausage
- Ham
- Bell Pepper
- Red Onion
- Mushrooms
- Olives
- Bacon
- Chicken
- Sun Dried Tomatoes
- Chorizo
- Spinach
Want More Italian Meal Ideas?
- Zuppo Toscano
- Sausage Hoagies
- Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
- Sun Dried Tomato Salmon
- Tuscan Shrimp Pasta
- Pesto Chicken Pizza
Garlic Bread Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 loaf french bread
- ½ cup salted butter softened (1 stick)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tbsp parsley finely minced
- ½ cup jarred marinara
- 16 oz fresh mozzarella pearls or balls (torn)
Optional Pizza Toppings
- 4 oz pepperoni
- ⅓ cup cooked italian sausage sliced or crumbled
- ¼ cup green bell pepper sliced thin or diced
- ¼ cup red onion thinly sliced
- ¼ cup sliced mushrooms
- 2 tbsp sliced olives
- ¼ cup sliced chicken
- 2 tbsp cooked bacon crumbled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°
- In a small bowl, mix together softened butter, garlic, and parsley. Split the french bread in half lengthwise and spread both sides with softened butter mixture. Place on a baking sheet and cook for 5 minutes or until the butter is melted and the edges of the bread crispy slightly
- Remove from oven and spread evenly with marinara and ¾ of the cheese (if using other toppings, if making just cheese pizza, player on all cheese). Layer on any other toppings of your choosing and top with remaining cheese.
- Place back in the oven for another 7-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and slightly browning.
- Slice and serve immediately.
