Hosting a Virtual Family Pizza Party + Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe
Host a virtual family pizza night using these tips and recipe for the perfect homemade pizza sauce featuring Red Gold Tomatoes!
As a military family we’re pretty used to not seeing our family very often. Usually we can expect a visit or two throughout the year, but this year has been a bit different. Like many people, we’ve made great use of technology to stay connected with our family across the globe!
Just as a fun break from the typical FaceTime call, I organized a little virtual family pizza party. The goal: get everyone to create the same fun and delicious meal and enjoy it together. From afar, of course! I even threw together a cute little shopping list/invite that you can download at the bottom of this post!
A pizza party was the perfect option for our virtual party, because it’s SO easy to make. And while the goal was to have everyone enjoying the same meal (that’s where the delicious homemade sauce comes in), pizza is one of those dishes that is completely customizable to fit absolutely everyone’s tastes!
That’s why we love to make pizzas from scratch for our pizza nights! Each of our girls gets to come help out in the kitchen and make her own pizza exactly how she wants it! It’s an activity and meal all in one!
More often than not, we use a homemade dough for pizza nights. It’s a fairly basic recipe made with water, yeast, sugar, salt, and flour.
Some other great options for pizza crust include:
- flour tortilla
- frozen pizza dough
- pre-made crust
- English muffins (a favorite for lunch or after school snacks)
- bagels
- flat bread
- naan
>> Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe <<
Back in Newport, I did a few DIY pizza nights at a local restaurant and learned that the key to a great crispy crust is to get the oven HOT. The restaurant pizza oven was set to 800º F, and could cook the dough and toppings all once in 2 minutes flat. At home you’ll likely have to settle for something around 500º. No worries though, you can pre-bake the homemade crust for roughly 10 minutes before adding on the sauce.
Anyway, back to the sauce! I’m sharing a recipe for a thick flavorful sauce that really holds the toppings without making the crust soggy. This homemade pizza sauce recipe is so easy that even the most inexperienced cook in your family can nail it. The kiddos should easily be able to help out with this one!
The base for a good pizza is a good sauce and the base for a good sauce is using the best tomatoes. Red Gold is my go-to brand for canned tomato products. Red Gold Tomatoes are grown and canned here in the USA across 40 Midwest family farms. The tomatoes are picked at peak-ripeness and steam packed fresh to preserve true tomato flavor and eliminating the need for artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. Can’t beat that!
Another aspect that I love about Red Gold and is always important to me, is that they support the military. Red Gold was founded in 1942 by a father and daughter who wanted to help their country by canning tomatoes for the U.S. troops during World War II.
This year, Red Gold partnered with the Folds of Honor Foundation, which provides educational scholarships to the children and spouses of fallen and disabled service members. Through the Ketchup with a Cause program, a portion of the proceeds from Red Gold Folds of Honor Ketchup purchases go towards supporting the legacy of our nation’s heroes.
Once you’ve got your preferred base and awesome sauce, it’s time to add your favorite toppings! Below are some of my favorites, but the possibilities are literally endless!
Pizza topping options:
- Mozzarella cheese (fresh slices or shredded)
- pepperoni
- bell peppers
- black olives
- pineapple
- sausage
- spinach
- onion
Generally, with a pre-baked crust, you can bake at 500º for 10-12 minutes. If using a homemade pizza dough, bake for 10 minutes before adding sauce and toppings. Toppings with lots of moisture content might require a few extra minutes or a quick broil.
How to organize a family pizza night
Organizing your own virtual family pizza night is simple!
- Choose a time and date–I love a good pizza on a Friday night
- Pick a platform that allows for family members to easily connect (Teams, Facebook Messenger Rooms, etc.)
- Send out an invite with details along with the printable shopping list and sauce recipe from the bottom of this post
- Shop for your ingredients and toppings
Additionally, I recommend using a tablet device, such as an iPad, as it has a larger screen, and you don’t have to worry about flour or tomatoes getting into the spaces between the keys.
See the homemade pizza sauce below and be sure to share the goodness with your family!
Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe
Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 28 ounce can Red Gold Crushed Tomatoes
- 6 ounce can Red Gold Tomato Paste
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Drizzle olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add diced onions to the hot oil, and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add Red Gold Crushed Tomatoes and Red Gold Tomato Paste to the sauce pan with onions and stir until fully combines.
- Stir in oregano and salt, heating just until the tomatoes begin to bubble. Cover and simmer over low heat for 25 minutes.
- Store leftover sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Download Virtual Pizza Night Shopping List
Red Gold tomatoes are available in commissaries nation-wide. Use the Red Gold Store Locator to see where to buy them near you!