Favorite Pizza Recipes--Sundried Tomatoes & Barbecued Pepperoni

This article called for my favorite pizza recipe but I'm going to share my two favorite recipes with you all.

I'm not going to add a recipe for pizza dough because, in my humble opinion, it doesn't make any sense to spend time making a pizza dough when there are perfectly acceptable alternatives that take less time to make and taste almost as good as home-made pizza dough. One of my favorite alternatives is the Boboli crust that is sold in your favorite grocery store. I also like the pizza dough sold in the refrigerated section of the grocery store if I'm making a thin crust pizza. Another great time-saving alternative is to go to your favorite pizzeria and ask if you can buy some of their dough and roll it out at home. Feel free to use any type of pizza crust you like on either of these recipes but I've tried different types of crusts for these recipes and I'm listing the ones I think go best with each set of ingredients. Your tastes may differ.

My first favorite pizza is based on the type of pizza I enjoyed most in Italy. I found that my favorite types of pizzas did not have any type of pizza sauce on them. As a matter of fact, the more basic they were, the more I loved them. This is my favorite "Italy" inspired pizza:

Sun-Dried Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil Pizza

1 Store bought pizza crust (I prefer the thin crust for this pizza)
1 small jar of sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
1 extra large or 2 medium sized fresh mozzarella balls in brine
A large bunch of fresh, sweet basil

Follow the directions on the pizza dough package.
(I like to bake the pizza crust lightly for approximately 5 minutes before layering the other ingredients.)

Slice the mozzarella balls into 1/8" wide slices.
Lay the slices across the pizza dough. I like to leave a little crust between the cheese slices.
Lay the sundried tomatoes over the top of the cheese slices.
Tear basil leaves into pieces and sprinkle torn leaves over the top of the pizza.
Bake according to the pizza dough directions, taking into account the 5 minutes the crust was pre-baked.
Slice and enjoy!

The above recipe also lends itself to a wide number of tasty variations. Substitute goat cheese for the mozzarella. Carmelize some sweet onions and add for a wonderfully sweet compliment to the sun dried tomatoes. If you like meat on your pizza, add some thinly sliced pieces of prosciutto for some salty contrast. Whatever you like, you can add EXCEPT for pizza or tomato sauce! This pizza does not lend itself to sauce.

My other favorite pizza is more American style but I've tweaked it to my own personal taste. Again, my preferred crust for this pizza is thepre-made Boboli crust which means that cooking time is next to nothing for this pizza! This is a quick dinner option that makes a great meal when paired with a salad.

Barbecue Pepperoni Pizza

1 large pre-cooked crust. (My favorite is a Boboli crust.)
1/2-3/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce. (I like Kraft or Bullseye brand.)
3/4-1 cup of shredded cheese. (I like Sargento's 4 Cheese Mexican Cheese Blend)
1 package of sliced pepperoni

Grind the pepperoni slices in a food processor until the pepperoni resembles ground meat.
Spoon the BBQ sauce onto the crust and spread evenly. (Use as much or as little as you like. I prefer my pizza to be on the saucier side.)
Spread the shredded cheese evenly over the sauced crust.
Top liberally with the ground pepperoni.
Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Slice and enjoy!

If you'd like to make this a little bit lower in fat, use the following substitutes: K.C. Masterpiece makes a wonderful and tasty low calorie BBQ sauce. Use low-fat cheese (NOT FAT FREE) instead of the full-fat version, and use turkey pepperoni instead of the regular pepperoni. I promise you'll barely notice the difference!

I hope you enjoy these pizzas. If you do get to make them, I'd love to hear some feedback!