Taste of Italy: These delicious pizzas are the perfect freezer fillers this summer

Irish Examiner

5 days ago

Summer and pizza go well together, what with lazy days, smaller appetites, and a reluctance to cook when the sun is shining. A few pizzas in the freezer are ideal for those days when a sandwich seems insufficient, yet the same combination of ingredients hot out of the oven is a satisfying treat.
For this week's top 8, we kept an eye out for old favourites along with new flavour combinations. We also spotted pizza dough in freezer compartments, for those who want to choose their own toppings.
Even better, if the weather isn't so good, amuse the children by making pizza dough from scratch, and save a few euros.
Use 500g strong flour, ½ teaspoon dried yeast, 1 teaspoon salt and 300ml warm water to make a dough by hand or in a blender or mixer. Mix until well combined. A dough hook in the mixer will knead it for 5-10 minutes, until it becomes spongy.
Tip onto a floured surface and, if making it by hand, knead with the heel of your hand until it feels bouncy – this can take 15 minutes, depending on the weather. Set aside for a few hours in a covered, oiled bowl until doubled in size.
Flatten out and top with your favourites, topping with basil leaves after cooking. For a quicker result, though a little heavier, scone dough, rolled thinly, also works.
Slice of Life healthy pizza cauliflower pepperoni 349g €5
Slice of Life Pizza.
A light thin base of white and wholemeal flours has puréed cauliflower and carrot, which lighten the texture and add to the flavour of a tasty crust. The topping has a natural, flavoursome sauce made from tomatoes, salt, sunflower oil, herbs and garlic, finished with a generous amount of mozzarella. This topping comes with finely sliced and mildly spiced pepperoni. Produced in Dublin, we bought it in Lidl Ballincollig.
Score: 9.5
Saturday Pizzas margherita 400g €4.99
Saturday Pizzas, Margherita Pizza. Picture: David Creedon
Good, natural pizza base of just flour, water, salt and yeast makes for a flavourful crust and a light base. The topping of simple tomato sauce made from tomatoes, salt, a little sugar and pepper is nicely balanced and topped with olive oil and fresh basil leaves. A hit with all tasters. Produced in Cork.
Score: 10
M&S Food woodfired roasted vegetables 440g €7
Woodfired Italian Ham & Mascarpone Pizza. - Picture: David Creedon
Good, thin, pizza base here made from basic ingredients - flour with malted flour, yeast, water and salt. The topping has decent chunks of juicy peppers, courgettes, and tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and herbs. Enjoyed by all.
Score: 9
Dunnes Stores gluten-free mozzarella & tomato pizza 300g €3.49
Dunnes Stores Gluten Free, Mozzarella & Tomato Pizza. - Picture: David Creedon
Expecting the dry taste of some gluten-free products, tasters were pleasantly surprised by the taste and light texture of this pizza. The crust is made with rice flour, cornflour, pea flour, flaxseed, and various starches. The tomato sauce is quite rich, the mozzarella is generous, and it's seasoned with oregano. Made in Italy.
Score: 8.75
Dr Oetker Suprema cinque formaggi 424g €5.99
Dr. Oetker, Suprema CinQue Formaggi.- Picture: David Creedon
Tasters liked this balance of a crunchy base, which was not too thick, topped with rich tomato purée and the five cheeses mentioned in the Italian title – mozzarella, smoked white cheddar, provolone, ricotta and blue. The five make for interesting textures – creamy and chunky, dry and stringy. No chemical additives in the base or topping. Made in the EU.
Score: 9
Tesco Finest ham, mushroom and mascarpone 430g €5.50
Tesco Finest, Ham, Mushroom & mascarpone Wood Fired Pizza. - Picture: David Creedon
Tasters liked the blend of creamy mascarpone cheese with garlic-flavoured mushrooms. The ham was unremarkable but there was plenty of flavour overall with the topping of Parmesan.
Score: 8.5
Lidl Deluxe four cheese & semi-dried tomato pizza 430g €3.29
Deluxe Four Cheese & Semi-Dried Tomato, Wood Fired Pizza. - Picture: David Creedon
A good blend of cheeses here – smoked provola, emmental, asiago cheeses, as well as unspecified 'hard cheese', topped with tasty buffalo mozzarella pearls.
The base made from wheat flour, dried wheat sourdough, malted wheat flour, black pepper and yeast, with maize starch and dextrose, makes a tasty and crisp crust. The sun-dried tomatoes with garlic add a rich flavour to the topping. Made in Italy.
Score: 8.25
Goodfella's ham & pineapple stone-baked thin 365g €4.19
Goodfells Ham & Pineapple Pizza. - Picture: David Creedon
The pineapple-on-pizza debate will continue as long as people enjoy this combination. Here, it works well with plenty of mozzarella to bring a genuine Italian feel to this pizza.
Ham and pepperoni both have preservatives and stabilisers. As an occasional treat, these are fine, but it's best to avoid UPFs in the form of processed meats daily. Irish made.
Score: 8
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