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DIY Pizza Party Night! *Giveaway*

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This giveaway is now closed. Thanks for stopping by. The winner is Robin Q. Congrats!

It’s Friday night and nobody wants to cook.  After shopping, prepping, and cooking meals all week, the very last thing I want to do on a Friday night is whip up something elaborate.  It’s way too easy (and definitely more expensive) to stop at one of our local restaurants and pick up dinner after a long week.  But with the new year ahead, I’m sticking to my goal of cooking a majority of our meals at home, regardless of how simple or complex they are…or what night of the week it is.

As to be expected my children love pizza.  It’s one of those foods that is quick and easy to make (even if you’re going all out and making the dough from scratch).  Given the fact that my son has food allergies, we’ve had to be creative with something as basic as pizza.  Fortunately palatable, vegan cheese alternatives like Daiya exist.

Since I’m always cognizant of the reality of food allergies, I decided that a night where everyone could create their own pizzas was in order. I laid out a few different types of pizza crusts, including these gluten-free pizza crusts from Udi’s, dairy and vegan cheeses, a selection of fresh cut vegetables and little bowls of Ragu Pizza sauce. I served it with a salad (which my son just loves, proving he is definitely my son) for an added veggie boost.

Children, particularly those around my kid’s ages, enjoy being in the kitchen, however they often lack the patience necessary to prepare and cook even a simple dish.  Prepping everything ahead of time and arranging a “work station” allows children the freedom and autonomy to create their own pizza in a controlled environment.

Tips for hosting a DIY Pizza Party Night:

But the smaller, individual sized pizza crusts

If you opt not to purchase shredded cheese, do so and then place it in individual bowls

Chop up all veggies ahead of time and also place those in individual bowls

Portion off the pizza sauce to minimize clean up due to spills

Offer meat and vegetarian options

Don’t forget the cooking spray. I like the Olive Oil one because it’s healthy and goes well with pizza

Have you ever hosted a pizza party night? What are your best tips? Share them below!

Win It! One of you will win  a $300 American Express Gift Card for your very own pizza party. Simply leave me a comment with a recipe you found on Ragu’s site using one of their two pizza sauces. Comments will close on January 20th 2012 at 11:59 PM PST.

US Residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

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Disclosure: This post was created in connection with my appointment as an Ambassador in the Ragú® Mom’s the Word on Dinner Program. Visit www.facebook.com/ragusauce to join the conversation.

Caryn Bailey
Latest posts by Caryn Bailey (see all)

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1035 Responses to DIY Pizza Party Night! *Giveaway*

  39. I’ve never hosted a pizza party before, but my best tip would be to have everything neatly layed out on a spread so that everyone can add their own toppings. Organized and fun!

    Reply

  46. I’d like to try the Italian Specialty of the House Pizza recipe that uses their Quick Pizza Sauce. The zucchini and eggplant with the pimientos sounds interesting.

    Reply

  68. My favorite tip is to buy some individual-size pizza pans at a restaurant supply store…they are inexpensive and kids love them…they make it an authentic-feeling experience.

    Reply

  77. I like the After the Game Pizza! We make this alot and although they used French bread, it is GREAT on any bread!
    AFTER-THE-GAME PIZZA

    Ingredients

    1 loaf Italian or French bread (about 14-in. long), halved lengthwise
    1 jar (14 oz.) Ragu® Pizza Sauce – Homemade Style
    1 cup thinly sliced pepperoni
    1 can (4 oz.) sliced mushrooms, drained
    2 small green bell peppers, thinly sliced
    1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (about 4 oz.)

    Hubby deosnt do green peppers and he has all meat, I do a veggie style that is really good!

    Reply

  87. The After the Game Pizza made with a loaf of french bread sounds like a quick, easy meal any time

    Reply

  98. I had a pizza party night with my cousins when I was a lot younger, I think I was 18 or 19 yrs old. We all made homemade pizza on a Saturday night. It was a lot of fun. My tip would be make a variety of pizza so everyone can sample and enjoy.

    Reply

  157. I would love to try the Bacon Bagel pizzas. My son loves bagel bites so this sounds like a great alternative.

    Reply

  179. I’ve never hosted a DIY pizza party. My best tip would be to pre-cook or steam veggie to keep cooking times shorter.
    jtmagmom73(at)gmail(dot)com

    Reply

  185. We’ve hosted before and we found that having a station to have the kids come through works well. We also did it by age so the very little one’s went first as they needed the most help but once the older ones came through it was a breeze!

    Reply

  230. i’ve never hosted a party. It would be great to have everyone bring a recipe using the ragu sauce along with an ingredient to make pizzas.

    Reply

  245. Which question above?

    Have I ever hosted a Pizza party/Tips?

    We had a pizza party a few months ago (probably closer to a year from now). We kept pizzas rotating through the oven. I put in two to start and then, about half way through their cook time, I slid one over and put in another (rectangle pans easier than round). Then, when the first two came out, another went in. This let there be a steady flow of pizzas and allowed people to try each one fresh from the oven and not cold.

    Reply

  246. I like you on Facebook. That’s an entry too!

    Angela B…(let me know if you need the rest to validate)…you probably just got the notification.

    Reply

  256. I would like to try the PEPPERONI CALZONE. Wow sound like a great and easy Game day treat

    jerseygirl137(at)yahoo(dot)com

    Reply

  285. The Hearty Sausage & Pepper Pizza recipe looks and sounds delicious! I definitely have to try making that next weekend! YUM!
    kfloveinme at gmail dot com

    Reply

  289. We’ve had pizza party nights. But, we usually order several different pizzas (according to taste) from our local pizzeria.

    Reply

  300. I would love to try the Mediterranean Pizza. I think that eggplant on a pizza would be an interesting combo.

    Reply

  310. I host pizza party nights for my kids and sometimes when their cousins visit. My tip is to have a variety of toppings on hand and both thin and thicker crusts to satisfy everyone’s tastes.

    Reply

  311. I would love to try the Double Topped Mushroom Pizza. We love mushrooms so this is perfect for our house.

    Reply

  344. I haven’t hosted a pizza party, but I think if I did I would set it up buffet style with a bunch of different topping so everyone can make it the way they like,

    VampireVixen85(at)hotmail(dot)com

    Reply

  352. I would love to try:

    PIZZA PINWHEEL SNACKS
    Ingredients

    1 package (13.8 oz.) refrigerated pizza crust
    1/2 cup Ragu® Pizza Quick Sauce
    1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (about 2 oz.)
    1/2 cup sliced pepperoni, chopped (about 2 oz.)

    Directions

    Preheat oven to 425°. With rolling pin or hands, press pizza crust into 8 x 12-inch rectangle, then cut into 4 equal squares.
    On greased baking sheet, arrange squares. With knife, starting at corner of each square, cut toward center of square stopping 1/2-inch from center. Evenly top each square with 2 tablespoons of Sauce, then cheese and pepperoni. Fold every other point into center; press to seal. Bake 10 minutes or until crust is golden. Serve with remaining sauce, heated.

    Reply

  355. I think the French Bread Florentine sounds yummy! The onions and spinach with cheese and pizza sauce sounds easy to make too.

    Reply

  359. I’ve never hosted a pizza party night but it sounds like lots of fun! Everybody loves pizza and everybody especially loves pizza their way, so creating your own pizza would be a great way to spend an evening, enjoy good friends, and good food!

    Reply

  371. No, I have never hosted a pizza party. But I would like to…. great birthday party idea ofr one of my boys!

    faithful104 at gmail dot com

    Reply

  373. This pregnant girl would loooove to try the MEXICALI PIZZAS!! My 3 lil girls love to make homemade pizzas!!

    Reply

  410. I’ve never hosted a pizza party night but I’ve been to parties where we have pizza. Our family reunion each year is a “Praise & Graze” Thanksgiving get together. We do our own thing for lunch, play games, sing, etc. all afternoon and then we have pizza for supper. We make sure to order plenty of pizzas with a variety of toppings. Each year we keep track of what went over best and tweak our order for the next year accordingly.

    Reply

  441. yes, we make homemade pizzas regularly. my tip is to save $$ by making your own crusts and prebake them before letting everyone add toppings. then when you bake it again to heat the toppings, the crust will get crispier

    [email protected]

    Reply

  446. I have never hosted a pizza night but we DIY pizza at home often. My tip would be to put out ingredients that are not your typical run of the mill pizza type. For example, we love tofu chunks, yellow pepper rings and artichoke hearts on our pizza.

    Reply

  482. Actually no, I have never hosted a pizza party before, although I do make pizza at least twice a month. In the summer I loved adding fresh tomatoes, basil, red onion and broccoli from the garden. Thanks!

    Reply

  490. I would make the DOUBLE TOPPED MUSHROOM PIZZA with their homestyle pizza sauce! Thanks for the chance to win!
    gina.m.maddox (at) gmail (dot) com

    Reply

  497. No, I’ve not yet hosted a pizza party night but if I’m lucky enough to win the giveaway, I’d happily host one the next weekend!

    Reply

  503. I love that you used Daiya and Udi’s! (I’ve never actually tried Udi’s pizza crusts but I guess I should, huh?) The recipe that caught my eye was BACON BAGEL PIZZAS!

    Reply

  505. I’ve never hosted a pizza party but it sounds like a good idea. My tip would be: keep the toppings in separate bowls, because with little ones you never know if they’ll freak out over a disliked topping touching the others. (Luckily, my child has not done this yet, but you never know!)

    Reply

  558. I have hosted a pizza party for a bunch of teens an my tip is cut the pizza in smaller pieces for less waste,,boys will eat more than girls,an have something to go with it like some sort of chips

    vlbelk(at)hotmail.com

    Reply

  621. My kids would love the Easy Homemade Pizza, but the Buffalo Blue Cheese Chicken Pizza sounds amazing to me! Thanks for the chance.

    Reply

  627. the kids and I had a homemade pizza party for my last birthday- it was lots of fun- they helped me make my fave pizza with pineapple, jalapeno peppers , onions, sweet peppers, tomatoes- they had plain cheese because they didn’t want anything on their pizza

    Reply

  646. Yes Ive hosted a pizza party night. My tip is to make sure you make several different types of pizza with different toppings because everyone like something different.

    mnrquick at yahoo dot com

    Reply

  745. I have hosted a pizza party night, and we had a bunch of kids – so we used English Muffins for the pizza dough, Ragu sauce for the sauce, and had a variety of toppings. We lined everything up for the kids and let them go to town. I definitely say to have a few adults stay to help clean up, because kids make a mess!

    Reply

  770. I’ve never hosted a pizza party, but my tip would be to have plenty of toppings for both meat eaters and vegetarians.

    Reply

  783. I found this recipe for 1-2-3 CHICKEN CACCIATORE using Ragu® Old World Style® Pasta Sauce
    * 1 Tbsp. olive oil
    * 5 lbs. chicken legs and thighs
    * 1 jar (2 lb. 13 oz.) Ragu® Old World Style® Pasta Sauce
    1. Heat oil in 6-quart saucepot or large, deep skillet over medium-high heat and brown chicken in batches.
    2. Return chicken to saucepot, then stir in Pasta Sauce. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.
    3. Serve, if desired, with crusty Italian bread or hot cooked pasta.

    Reply

  959. I have a pizza pan I got from my sister when I graduated from high school…I am now 51 and have the same pan. It’s been a while since we made home made pizza, I had no idea Ragu even made it. We use Ragu every single week for pasta dishes. My tip after having 6 kids is to let them help with toppings and section off the pizza’s so they can have their own “speicalty PiZzas”. It cuts down on waste and they will want to eat it because they helped make it!

    The recipe I like the most using pizza sauce on the Ragu site was this 3 cheese one, and will probably embellish it some with veggies and black olives….my kids favorites.

    http://www.ragu.com/index.php/index.php?searchword=Pizza+Sauce&searchtype=category&category=666777-1360&ordering=newest&searchphrase=all&Itemid=69&option=com_search&searchCatName=recipeSearch&x=29&y=10

    thanks much~

    Reply

  966. sorry, I put my answer to questions together (pizza recipe from Ragu site and question about tips and if we hosted a party)

    We used to have LOTS of pizza parties as I have the greatest deep dish pizza pan I recieved as a gift over 30 years ago, but have not done many the past 5 years or so. My tip was to have kids help with toppings and section your pizzas so they get their favorites…there is so much pride in letting them help create a masterpiece, often with silly faces or other designs on the pizzas…they will hardly waste any cuz they are so happy to eat their own masterpiece. Its also a great way to get some veggies into a recipe!

    Reply

  1014. I found this recipe
    CHEESE-STUFFED MEATLOAF
    Preparation time: 20 minutes
    Cook time: 60 minutes
    Servings: 6

    Serve leftovers in hoagie rolls for delicious sandwiches.

    Reply

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