Description
This Ghostly Pizza recipe is a fun and festive twist on classic pizza, perfect for Halloween gatherings. Featuring a golden, crispy crust topped with marinara sauce, mozzarella or provolone cheese cut into ghost shapes, and decorated with sliced olives to create spooky spider legs and eyes, it’s both delightful and easy to prepare within 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
Pizza Base
- 1 lb. pizza dough, left at room temperature for 1 hour
- Olive oil, for pan brushing
Toppings
- 1/2 cup pizza or marinara sauce
- 8 to 10 deli slices of provolone or mozzarella cheese
- Large pitted olives
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Baking Sheet: Place the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Lightly brush a large baking sheet with olive oil to prevent sticking and help with browning.
- Shape Dough: On a lightly floured surface, shape the pizza dough into a large oval, then transfer it onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Spread Sauce and Bake Dough: Evenly spread the pizza or marinara sauce over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border around the edges to prevent spillover. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the dough puffs up and the edges turn golden brown.
- Prepare Olive Decorations and Cheese Ghosts: While the dough bakes, cut the large pitted olives in half. Slice half of the olive halves into 8 thin slices each. Cut the cheese slices into ghost shapes. Use small pieces of olive halves to create eyes for the cheese ghosts.
- Assemble Pizza with Toppings: Remove the baked pizza crust from the oven. Arrange the cheese ghost shapes on top. Place uncut olive halves between the ghosts to resemble spiders and use the thinly sliced olive pieces to form 8 legs for each spider, decorating the pizza with eerie details.
- Final Bake to Melt Cheese: Return the pizza to the oven and bake for an additional 30 to 60 seconds, just until the cheese starts to melt. This quick step ensures the ghosts hold their shape while becoming slightly gooey and delicious.
Notes
- Be sure to let the pizza dough come to room temperature for easier shaping and better rise.
- Use sharp knives or small cookie cutters to neatly cut the cheese into ghost shapes.
- Monitor the final baking step closely to avoid over-melting the cheese and losing the ghost shapes.
- Feel free to substitute mozzarella for provolone depending on your preferred cheese flavor and meltiness.
- Use a light dusting of flour to prevent sticking when shaping the dough.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (assuming 8 slices per pizza)
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 480 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
