Simple suppers: How to dress up a frozen pizza

With just a little extra effort, you can turn that frozen pizza into something more — more satisfying and maybe even healthier than it started out. Maybe you'll even look forward to frozen pizza night instead of just appreciating its convenience!

The foundation

When thinking about a pizza to dress up, go for the plain variety. Sure, frozen pizza comes in many flavors, but it's easiest to start with a basic cheese pizza. Whether on super sale or one of the slightly more expensive organic frozen varieties, this should be easy to find.

Precooked toppings

If you want to add vegetables or meats to your frozen pizza, you'll likely need to cook them in advance. Frozen pizzas are not cooked at as high a temperature as a regular pizza so there's no guarantee your sausage will be cooked through. A quick saute of veggies — such as mushrooms, peppers and onions — and browning of meats is a good idea.

Uncooked toppings

Some toppings, such as pepperoni, tomato slices or pineapple don't need precooking. You can add them straight to the pizza. In addition, if you want to add more cheese, such as slices of fresh mozzarella, you can do that, too.

Post-cooking additions

You can add even more pizzazz to frozen pizza recipes by adding items and garnishes after it has been cooked. Freshly chopped arugula and freshly grated Asiago cheese add more dimension to a pizza, as do chopped herbs or sea salt.

Frozen pizza can serve a real purpose in our busy lives, but it doesn't have to be boring. Sprucing up a frozen pizza is easy and can even be fun — so get to it!

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