When it comes to whipping up your favourite pizza at home getting the right topping flavour and combination is essential.
The choices are endless really from Margherita to pepperoni, vegetarian or even sweet toppings, the list goes on.
In celebration of World Pizza Day, we’ve rounded up all of the inspiration you need with fifteen of our easiest and most popular pizza toppings.
RELATED: Forget pineapple, Vegemite pizza is officially here and fans are losing it
History of pizza
The Romans actually made “pizza” first as focaccia, before the people of Naples transformed the bread into what it is today with the word pizza being first recorded in 997 A.D. It first hit American shores in the early 1900s and wasn’t popular in Canada until 1950.
Pizza dough
Making your own pizzas at home is an easy way to get the family involved in cooking and also works out to be both healthier and cheaper. Making your own pizza base boasts the most authentic flavour but if you’re in a rush you can buy premade dough from your local supermarket or for a quick and healthy option use pita bread and wholemeal wraps.
Ingredients:
- 150 ml water, at room temperature
- 7 g sachet (1 tsp) active dried yeast
- ½ tsp caster sugar
- 1¾ cups (260 g) strong plain “00” flour
- 1½ tsp sea-salt flakes
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Extra strong plain flour, to dust
- Extra 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1. Pork, Gorgonzola & garlic butter
The fragrant toppings in this combination will send your senses into overdrive. The bittiness of gorgonzola paired with garlic butter and topped off with pork will soon become one of your faves.
Ingredients:
- 500g pork mince
- 125g Gorgonzola, broken into small chunks
- 1 red onion, finely sliced
- 2 green chillies, sliced
- 50g of rocket
- 20 pitted green olives, sliced
- finely grated zest 1 lemon
For the full method, click here.
2. Chicken, sweet potato, semi-dried tomato and ricotta
A light pizza with chicken and ricotta cheese, and plenty of fresh veggies to keep your heart happy.
Features: healthy
Ingredients:
- ⅓ cup tomato sauce
- 40 g mozzarella, torn into bite-size pieces
- 100 g sweet potato, peeled, sliced very thinly into rounds
- 1 chicken sausage
- 40 g fresh ricotta
- ¼ cup small mint leaves
- ¼ cup small flat-leaf parsley leaves
- ¼ cup small basil leaves
- 1 green shallot, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup micro herbs
- 12 semi-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
For the full method, click here.
3. Tiramisu
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp icing sugar mixture
- 2 tsp instant coffee granules
- ⅓ cup boiling water
- ¼ cup mascarpone
- 4 sponge fingers, broken into thirds
- ¼ cup chopped hazelnuts, to serve
- ¼ cup dark chocolate shavings
4. Margherita with rustic tomato sauce
Welcome to the dress circle. Make it for a meat-free Monday and savour the flavour!
Features: vegetarian
Ingredients:
- ½ tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 60 ml (¼ cup) salt-reduced vegetable stock
- 250 g (1 punnet) cherry tomatoes, chopped
- 80 g bocconcini, torn into pieces
- 8 small basil leaves, to serve
- Freshly ground black pepper, to serve
- 25 g (1 cup) rocket leaves, to serve
- 1 small carrot, peeled into ribbons, to serve
- 1 drizzle balsamic glaze, to serve
5. Mozzarella stuffed pizza crust
Ingredients:
- 200ml milk
- 300g strong white bread flour
- 1 tsp fast-action dried yeast
- 1/2 tsp golden caster sugar, plus a pinch
- 3 tbsp olive oil, plus a drizzle
- 250ml passata
- 2 garlic cloves, squashed
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1-2 tbsp polenta
- 250g mozzarella, grated toppings of your choice (we used pepperoni, chorizo and basil)
6. Spinach & blue cheese
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp rapeseed oil
- 2 large flat mushrooms, halved and sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 160g spinach, thoroughly dried after washing
- 1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 40g vegetarian blue cheese, crumbled
- 4 walnut halves, broken
7. Margherita
Features: vegetarian, kid-friendly
Ingredients:
- 1 x 400g tin of cherry tomatoes
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- buffalo mozzarella
- grated Parmesan cheese
- olive oil
- fresh basil leaves
8. Chicken Caesar
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup barbecue-style pizza sauce
- 1½ cups grated mozzarella
- 300g shredded roast chicken meat
- 2 green spring onions, thinly sliced
- 175g packet shortcut bacon rashers, chopped
- 1 cup shredded parmesan
- 1 baby cos lettuce, trimmed, shredded
- ½ cup bottled creamy Caesar salad dressing
9. Peking duck
Ingredients:
- ½ cup hoisin sauce
- 1¼ cups grated mozzarella
- 420 g packet ready-roasted Peking duck breasts
- 5 green spring onions, thinly sliced diagonally
- cucumber, peeled into ribbons, to serve
10. Egg & rocket
Features: healthy, vegetarian
Ingredients:
- olive oil, for brushing
- 1 canned roasted red capsicum
- 2 tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tbsp chopped dill
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 2 eggs
- 65 g pack rocket
- ½ red onion, very thinly sliced
11. Brussels & blue cheese
Features: vegetarian
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp semolina, or plain or strong flour
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 140 g Brussels sprouts, shredded
- 3 tbsp mascarpone
- 75 g soft blue cheese, such as Gorgonzola
12. Eggplant and chilli pide
Features: vegetarian
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt, plus extra to serve
- olive oil
- 2 medium eggplants, sliced
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 pinch saffron
- 1 large pinch cinnamon
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 2 red chillies, finely chopped
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- bunch coriander, chopped
13. Cauliflower crust pizza
Ingredients:
- ½ cauliflower, broken into florets
- 1 egg, beaten
- 50 g parmesan (or veggie alternative), grated
- spray olive oil
- ½ garlic clove
- pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
- 250 ml passata
- handful torn basil
- ½ ball light mozzarella, thinly sliced
- handful of rocket leaves or baby kale leaves
14. Four cheese with walnuts and fried sage
Impress your friends and family with this 5 star gourmet pizza featuring a cheese blend and fried sage.Features: vegetarian
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 12 sage leaves
- 50 g gorgonzola, at room temperature
- 30 g mozzarella, torn into bite-size pieces
- 10 g parmesan, finely grated
- 50 g fior di latte cheese, torn into bite-size pieces
- ¼ cup walnuts, toasted, chopped
- Extra 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper, to season
15. Vegetarian extravaganza
Features: vegetarian
Ingredients:
- 100 g peeled and seeded pumpkin, diced into 1 cm cubes
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season
- 1 ball pizza dough
- ⅓ cup tomato sauce
- ¼ eggplant, thinly sliced into 5 rounds
- ½ small zucchini, sliced lengthways into ribbons
- 1 button mushroom, sliced
- ¼ red capsicum, thinly sliced
- 4 pitted kalamata olives, thinly sliced
- 30 g mozzarella, torn into bite-sized pieces
- 12 baby spinach leaves
- 50 g Greek-style feta, crumbled
- 1 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted
- 1 bottle caramelised balsamic vinegar, to drizzle
