Hawaiian Pizza Night

Friday nights are frequently pizza night...on the menu tonight: Hawaiian Pizza! Homemade marinara really makes a difference too; homemade pizza is really easy to pull together with mostly store-bought ingredients, but I always make my own marinara. It is definitely worth the time. The toppings for this pizza rendition are simple: Canadian bacon and frozen pineapple.  As I always say, I never make the same (even simple) recipe twice. Here's how it went down tonight:

Marinara Sauce (makes 2 pizzas worth)

1 medium onion, diced

2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 medium carrot, finely diced

2 celery stalks, finely diced

3 T extra virgin live oil

1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes

kosher salt and pepper to taste

2 tsp dried thyme

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a heavy skillet and sautee the onion, garlic, carrot and celery just until translucent (do not brown); usually 10-15 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper, and thyme.  Simmer, covered, over low heat 30-60 minutes until thick (the longer the better). Using an immersion blender, puree the sauce to desired consistency (a food processor or blender would work too). Freeze unused portion for another time.

Hawaiian Pizza

1 pkg pizza dough (I use whole wheat)

1-2 T olive oil (or olive oil spray)

1-2 tsp garlic powder

1-2 tsp dried oregano

Marinara (see above)

Frozen pineapple chunks

6 slices Canadian bacon, diced

1 8-oz bag of shredded mozzarella cheese

Roll out pizza dough. Brush with olive oil and season evenly with garlic powder and oregano.

Heat a skillet sprayed with cooking spray over medium heat and toss frozen pineapple chunks until thawed and slightly seared; set aside. 

Spoon desired amount of marinara onto prepared dough, top with pineapple, bacon pieces and cheese.

Bake at 350 deg F for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is done. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

*Tips: I buy a few bags of shredded mozzarella when they go on sale and keep them in the freezer for pizza. The frozen cheese can be broken up and spread right onto the pizza without thawing first. The pineapple and Canadian bacon quantities can be altered to suit your preference.

Unfortunately I do not have a photo to accompany this recipe, although rest assured it was delicious...my husband and son, and well me too, were so hungry we nearly ate the pizza right out of the oven! Next time I make this pizza, I will be sure to take a picture first.