I love pizza – basically any kind. I could eat it every day. Maybe it’s psychological, but something about the taste of pizza brings back happy memories from my childhood. Yeah, like every time I managed to convince my parents to let me order a pie.
It was usually on Fridays, and was always a reason for me to celebrate. I mean, even my adult self rejoices at the anticipation of knowing this is coming through my front door in around 40 minutes:
But as much as I love pizza, I know they’re not all created equal. There’s a whole world to choose from when it comes to varieties, crusts, and toppings. A different one to suit each mood, some tasting better with Coke, beer, or even wine.
Sometimes, I find myself craving a particular taste, like basil or ricotta, which usually means two things: getting restaurant delivery and ka-ching ka-ching! Or sometimes the world conspires and I get the craving when all the places are about to close! 🙁
And you know how it goes once you start getting food delivered on a regular basis: it gets expensive! No wonder it’s one of the first things you cut down on when looking for ways to save money. Because, if you’re not careful, it can be quite the budget saboteur!
Ways to Save Money: Do This to Turn a Store-Bought Pizza Into a Restaurant-Style One
So, next time you’re craving some fancy pizza but want to be mindful with your budget, or just don’t have the patience or time to wait for delivery, here’s a hack to “make pizza at home”. Well, not make it from scratch, but spruce up a store-bought pizza so that it feels and tastes like one you would get from a restaurant.
I’ve discovered the key to great taste is to heat it up in the oven, and add nice, fresh ingredients. (Whenever I go to a restaurant, I look carefully at the toppings they add to get inspiration for my copycat homemade version).
To make it, I like to start with a Trader Joe’s Four-Cheese frozen pizza. At only $3.99, I think it’s a good deal and one of the best ways to save money for the experience that you get in return.
My spruced-up pizza, with mozzarella sticks on the side
So the Trader Joe’s pie already tastes great by itself, but I like adding basil, arugula, ricotta, and some garlic powder to enhance the flavor. Depending on the mood, I may also mix it up and switch out the ricotta for mozzarella balls like Ciliegine Whole Milk Fresh Mozzarella balls. I’ve also added Trader Joe’s Breaded Mozzarella Cheese Sticks when we’re really hungry. They’re $3.99 like the pizza, and they conveniently cook at 425 F, for 9 to 10 minutes. This is awesome because you make them at the same time, without worrying about setting different temperatures or heating times!
To cook, first, heat the pizza for almost all of the time the instructions say, but take it out 2-3 minutes before the full time and add the toppings. Then, put it back in the oven to complete the total heating time.
And viola! Enjoy the taste, as well as the low cost! Take a closer look at how the pizza turned out:
Here Are Some Great Ingredients to Spruce Up a Pizza and Seriously Turn Up the Taste
Mix and match at will! You probably already have most of this stuff in your pantry or fridge:
- Your favorite kind of additional shredded cheese
- Basil leaves
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Fresh organic tomatoes
- Pesto
- Pre-sliced mozzarella from a log
- Ricotta
- Dried oregano
- Dried Garlic
- Bacon
- Arugula
- Prosciutto
- Pancetta
- Truffle oil
- Garlic butter on the crusts
Hopefully you get creative and come up with a masterpiece, happy as a kid:
The Lowdown
So, make sure you have at least one frozen pizza in your stocks. It might save you next time you have midnight cravings and everything’s closed. It’s also one of the most overlooked ways to save money. Now that you know these tricks, you can still enjoy pizza that tastes just how you want it!
That’s my take!
Are you a pizza lover like me? Do you have any hacks to make pizza at home, enhance a frozen one, or avoid overspending on restaurant delivery? Let me know what other toppings should be on my list to spruce up a frozen pizza!
Lily, You are my idol. I do this all the time. The Trader Joe 4 cheese is one of my favorite palette’s to work with.
p.s. I worked 10 years at a private label frozen pizza manufacturing company
Tom
Tom you made my day; great minds think alike! LOL Oh wow, you worked at a frozen pizza company!! I bet that job had some tasty perks…My first job was selling chocolate covered almonds and other nuts! I ate so many it took me a while to be able to eat them again!! 🙂
Great idea!
I’ve definitely not though about doing this, and enjoy supreme pizzas regularly lol.
Thanks for sharing
Thanks Chris! Oh, you can definitely have a ball getting creative with all the toppings: anchovies, mushrooms, olives, Canadian bacon, green peppers…. you name it! LOL. Thanks for stopping by! Lily
As far as I can remember, we have always done pizza Friday with our kids, an easy meal at the end of a crazy week. Enhanced frozen pizza is by far the cheapest:) We also have pita pizza night where we each make our own pizza using pita bread, really fun with younger kids:)
Hi Caroline! Oh yes, pizza Friday is a most cherished memory from my childhood; one day when we have kids I see ourselves making it a tradition with them. 🙂 I love your idea of everyone getting to make their own pizza! Sounds like a lot of fun!!!
Great post Lily, pizza is hands down the greatest invention in world history so this has to be one of the greatest posts as well! And taking perfectly acceptable store bought pizza and making it better is one of those frugal miracles that make life better without costing very much at all!
Thanks a lot Steve!! “Frugal miracle”, I love it! We sure do love pizza, you’re right pizza is an invention with no equal. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Lily
Great article! Frozen pizzas are a life saver when hunger strikes late at night and on a tight budget. I like adding extra cheddar cheese to my pizza and some leftover chicken! Yum! I’m going to have to make one tonight because now I’m craving it! Lol
Thanks Jelitza! I hear you, I was craving it as I wrote the post; also that GIF of the cheese pizza at the top is very hard to resist. LOL. I was drooling when I first saw it! LOL. Adding extra cheese is a must! Cheese just makes life better!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
I love Trader Joe’s 4 cheese pizza! I am happy with it just by itself but I have never thought to enhance the pizza with extra toppings. Thanks for the tip! One of my goals is to learn to make pizza from scratch, apparently it is easy??
Isn’t that pizza awesome? I’ve had it by itself too and it’s pretty good. I’ve never made pizza from scratch, that’s also one of my goals. I’ve seen people make it and it doesn’t look hard. I actually saw that Trader Joe’s sells the prepared dough in a small clear bag and the toppings right next to it. While it’s not technically from scratch, I think it’s a good start. 🙂
That is a great idea. We have a pizza stone. It makes the crust crispy and delicious. I now know what we will be having for dinner tonight.
Haha Thanks Dave! Bon appetit! 🙂
Wow Lily!
You sure know how to hack a pizza!
Your tips sound awesome!! And I love pizza! It’s like one of my favorite… I seriously have a weakness for it 🙁
It’s unfortunate that I don’t know where I can find Trader Joe’s in Toronto… the last time I google searched, I only found one in Niagara Falls which is a bit far from me. I don’t even think we have many selections here in…
The pic of your pizza looks fantastic btw! I would love to try some of that.