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May 3, 2011

Quick Dinner Idea: Pizza & Salad

making pizzas

A few years ago I told you about a trusted staple in our dinner rotation- MAKESHIFT PIZZAS!! If you have access to Middle Eastern flatbread from Trader Joe’s, you can easily make your own quick custom pizzas. If you don’t, try to find some other comparable flatbread or pita. Wanna see how easy they are? Let’s take a look!


I like to enlist Cooper’s help in the kitchen when I’m making them. He does a fantastic job sampling the cheese!

making pizzas

Casey always requests a classic Margherita pizza. Cooper likes a plain old cheese pizza.

Me? I like to shake it up! I always experiment with mine. Most of the time I add mushrooms to my pizza, but last week I used the Flat Roasted Chicken leftovers and made this concoction.

Piled on top, you’ll find fresh spinach, basil, feta, sun-dried tomatoes & chicken. I drizzled olive oil & sprinkled a few red pepper flakes on top! If I had marinated artichokes or red onion I might have thrown some on too.

making pizzas

I made my Mom’s Green Salad to go with our pizza. The dressing is easy & we ALWAYS need our greens.

After 20 minutes in a 400F oven, the pizzas are done!

making pizzas

They’re so thin & crispy! And the best part is that everyone gets EXACTLY what they want on their pizza.

cheese pizza

I cut each round into quarters and fill the rest of the plate with salad. Tada! Dinner time!

pizza & a salad

So this is what a regular week night dinner looks like in my household. You should try it out!  I bet they’ll instantly become a staple in your rotation!

  • Jon V

    I love the idea of throwing these together quickly, but so fresh and inviting. With fresh herbs growing in my garden this year, I will have to remember this one.

  • Dana

    I’m a reasonably intelligent woman, a decent cook, and I shop at Trader Joe’s. WHY HAVE I NEVER THOUGHT OF THIS BEFORE??? Thanks for the awesome (and quick!) dinner idea.

  • Marilyn

    It makes me happy that these are also a staple in other households. My husband is a genius at toppings. On Sunday, we topped our pizzas with kalamata olives, red onions, feta and spinach. So good! 🙂

  • Kristin

    YUMMM!! I’m totally making this a dinner night this weekend, thanks for the good idea!! i LUVVV your blog btw =)

  • bridget

    im loving this idea. getting those flatbreads from trader joes next time im there!

  • Michelle

    Oh what a perfect way to satisfy everyone. We have a serious pizza fetish around here and I love having it exactly how I want it and my J exactly his way. Great simple idea!

  • Leah

    Ohhh love this!!! My boyfriend is a meatoholic and I love my veggies so this is a perfect idea for us to both be happy clams!! Thank you for your blog it is awesome, I come by almost everyday to read new posts and go through your archives. You have awesome ideas, keep it up :)!!!

  • Jess

    oh these look just perfect. i love adding all sorts of toppings on my pizza, but basil and red pepper flake always make an appearance with sauce and ample cheese of course:)

  • Katrina

    Dinners this easy make me so happy. Love this!

  • SusanK

    I’ve been making these 4ever but on whole wheat tortillas which are little floppy. I usually toast them in the oven before topping them and then pop them back in. I think it makes them a little less floppy. The flatbread is probably a better choice, so I’ll try that next time.

    You probably know this, but Trader Joe’s has a great jarred pizza sauce!

  • Emma in Sydney

    You aren’t up to this yet Tracy, but the best thing about this dinner is that a 10-year-old can totally make it himself! My son makes this for Sunday lunches quite often, and he’s so proud of himself, when he comes and tells us lunch is served.

  • Kim

    Here in Canada, we don’t have Trader Joe’s but we do have Loblaws which has a similar line of ready to use products. I don’t think they have middle eastern flatbread, but they do have a great garlic naan that I use for quick pizzas like this! My fave toppings are buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil, tomato sauce, and sliced sopprasetta. Yummers.

  • Jessica

    Great idea, also for people like me who usually just cook for one!

  • Jenny

    This looks delicious!I love that Middle Eastern flatbread from Trader Joes but I have never used it for pizza. I will definitely be picking up some of that bread this weekend along with some basil. Thanks Tracy!

  • Pizza dinner | Myactorstore

    […] Quick Dinner Idea: Pizza & Salad – ShutterbeanA few years ago I told you about a trusted staple in our dinner rotation- MAKESHIFT PIZZAS!! If you have access to Middle Eastern flatbread from Trader Joe’s, … […]

  • Kate

    I know this is an older post but I just tried this tonight for dinner and loved it! After living in a small town for years, I finally live within 5 minutes of a Trader Joe’s and I’m in heaven! I’ve been looking through some of your older posts for your favorite items from there. I would love to know your current ones. 🙂

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