For those moments when a pizza craving hits and you want something quick and easy, without having to call out for one to be delivered, we give you French Bread Pizzas. Stacked with healthier toppings and a crunchy crust, these are ready in almost an instant.
One thing everyone around the world has in common is a love of pizza. You can visit any major city and you will see a pizza restaurant or someone selling slices at the side of the street. The reason is, there is so much that you can do with a humble slice of pizza and its toppings.
We have gone all out with the vegetables in this one, and it's so easy to adapt too. Whilst we love making homemade pizza dough, when a pizza craving hits and we want something quick, we make these French Bread Pizzas. Just cut open a French stick, add a tomato sauce and load with vegetables and cheese.
If you are looking for some other pizza alternative recipes, then why not try our Tortilla Pizza, Pizza Bagels or Easy Pizza Toast.
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Why you will love them
- Quick - This is ready in just 10 minutes and perfect for when the pizza cravings hit.
- Great to get kids involved with making - These are really easy for kids to make, and what kid doesn't like pizza.
- Low in calories - There are only 175 calories per pizza, making it a great low calorie pizza option.
- Good way to use up French bread - If you have some French bread leftover from another recipe, this is a good way to use it up.
Ingredients needed
- French stick - Cut in half and then down the middle so you have 4 pieces. This is your pizza base.
- Vegetables - These are the main toppings. We used courgette, mushrooms and red bell pepper.
- Cheese - We used a mature cheddar as the strong flavour means you don't need as much.
- Tomato puree (paste) - This is the pizza sauce.
- Oregano and black pepper - For an authentic Italian taste.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step by step
One: Slice the French stick in to 4 pieces.
Two: Add 2 tablespoon of tomato puree to each piece of French stick.
Three: Top with the vegetables and cheese and then a sprinkle of oregano and black pepper.
Four: Put under the grill for 10 minutes.
Variations
The great thing about these French Bread Pizzas is that they are so easy to adapt. Although there are lots of different topping options, you want to make sure that you don't overload the pizzas, as it will make them very difficult to pick up and eat. Too many toppings also means that the pizza won't cook evenly and the toppings will be undercooked and the base will be burnt. So, go easy on the toppings! Here are some of our favourite variations:
Pizza sauce - We used some tomato puree, however you could make our Easy Pizza Sauce if you wanted something a little more special. If you want even more flavour, then use a good quality BBQ sauce for the pizza sauce. You could even use Pesto as the base.
Meat - We kept this vegetarian, but if you wanted to add meat then there are lots of options. You could use chopped ham, leftover shredded chicken, cooked sausage, pepperoni, bacon, chorizo or prawns.
Vegetables - There are so many ways that you can give a vegetable boost to these tortilla pizzas. We added some slices of cherry tomato for colour, but you could also add sweetcorn, chopped spinach, diced mushrooms, grated courgette (zucchini), sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red pepper, olives, artichokes, or onions. You could also add pineapple, but it's not a vegetable and it also causes a lot of arguments when it comes to pizza!
Cheese - We have used a mature cheddar and mozzarella, but other cheese that works well includes Stilton, feta, Parmesan or Swiss.
Healthy swap
To make these lower in calories and more vitamin packed, simply scoop out the bready insides so there is a deeper hole. Not only do you have less bread and carbs, but you have more space to add vegetable toppings. Let's face it, pizza is all about the toppings anyway, for us at least.
What to serve with French Bread Pizza
Pizza and any kind of potato goes well. Why not try our Air Fryer Potato Wedges, Skin On Fries, Hasselback Potatoes, Parmesan Truffle Fries or Homemade Garlic Crisps?
If you are looking for some vegetable side dishes, then we have got you covered too. Try our Cheesy Cauliflower Nuggets, Broccoli Slaw, Garlic Spring Greens and Roasted Tenderstem Broccoli.
If salads are more your thing, we have a Cucumber and Radish Salad, Chopped Blue Cheese Salad or Little Gem Salad.
Storage
These French Bread Pizzas are best eaten immediately. However, if you do have leftovers then they can be wrapped in foil and stored in the fridge for 2 days. You can then either reheat them in the oven or an air fryer for 5 minutes.
FAQs
Kids will absolutely love these pizzas! Not only will they like not having to wait very long for them to be ready, but they can have fun making them too.
Get the bread ready and slice up all the toppings, and then you can let them build their own pizza. That way, everyone gets a flavour topping that they want.
This takes less than 10 minutes under the grill.
If you use a gluten free French stick and make sure that there is no cross contamination, then this can be gluten free.
You can make a vegan version of this my using a vegan cheese alternative.
It is said that French bread pizza was invented at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, in a food truck run by Bob Petrillose. Apparently he didn't like selling slices of pizza, so in 1960 he began making French bread pizzas and calling them PMP (Poor Man's Pizza).
Yes, you can cook this in the air fryer. You can cook at 200°C for 5 minutes. Just use cheese and tomato toppings for this method though, otherwise it will be too heavy to get out of the air fryer.
Yes, you can make these a couple of hours in advance and then keep them in the fridge until you are ready to cook them.
Extra tips
• Get kids involved in making these by having the bread and toppings all prepared and letting them build their own pizza.
• This is a great opportunity to use up leftovers, so use any vegetables and cheese that need using up. Chopped spinach would be a great addition to this.
• Make these lower in calories by scooping out the bread insides and loading it with more vegetables.
• For extra flavour, you can add a pinch of dried oregano on top of the cheese before the tortilla pizzas before they go into the oven, or you can sprinkle them with fresh chopped basil before serving.
• Add some extra flavour to the pizza sauce by mixing in some BBQ sauce or hot sauce with the passata.
• Like some spice on your pizza? Sprinkle over some red chilli flakes before serving.
More pizza recipes
If you’ve tried this French Bread Pizza recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
French Bread Pizzas
Ingredients
- 200 g (7 oz) Granary French bread stick - cut in half then sliced down the middle
- 0.5 Courgette (zucchini) - halved lengthways then sliced
- 4 Mushrooms - sliced
- 0.5 Red bell pepper - diced
- 40 g (0.33 cups) Mature cheddar
- 8 tablespoon Tomato puree
To serve
- Dried oregano
- Ground black pepper
Instructions
- Slice 200 g Granary French bread stick into four quarters.
- Spread 8 tablespoon Tomato puree over the bread.
- Top with 0.5 Courgette (zucchini), 4 Mushrooms, 0.5 Red bell pepper and 40 g Mature cheddar. Sprinkle with Ground black pepper and Dried oregano.
- Put under the grill for 10 minutes.
Recipe Tips
- Get kids involved in making these by having the bread and toppings all prepared and letting them build their own pizza.
- This is a great opportunity to use up leftovers, so use any vegetables and cheese that need using up. Chopped spinach would be a great addition to this.
- Make these lower in calories by scooping out the bread insides and loading it with more vegetables.
- For extra flavour, you can add a pinch of dried oregano on top of the cheese before the tortilla pizzas before they go into the oven, or you can sprinkle them with fresh chopped basil before serving.
- Add some extra flavour to the pizza sauce by mixing in some BBQ sauce or hot sauce with the passata.
- Like some spice on your pizza? Sprinkle over some red chilli flakes before serving.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
stephanie says
What a great idea - might make these this weekend x
Michelle @ Greedy Gourmet says
Everyone? I'm one of the freaky few who don't like pizza. :-) Love the toppings you used though!
Tara says
I love stuff like this, this looks like the perfect lunch!
Julie Wright says
these look absolutely delish! I have french sticks waiting to be eaten too, guess what I am having for my lunch!
Thank you for sharing :)
Colette says
We are going to make three for dinner tomorrow night. Great idea, and like you say, much cheaper and healthier thank ordering pizza.
Tandy | Lavender and Lime says
These look so good Dannii.
WhatLauraLoves says
Ooh yummy, these look lush. I've been making my own pizzas on tortillas lately and they're so tasty! xxx
Ceri Jones says
So great to be able to fix those cravings by whipping these up so quickly! If I ever get a craving for pizza its for those thin crispy italian ones.
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
I LOVE that you promote healthier choices and the fact that it's okay to not be perfect... and pizza every now and again is A-OK! ;) French bread pizzas always make me think of when I was younger, because they were all the rage! I still love them to this day, and these look delicious Dannii! Love the healthier toppings too! Cheers, friend!
Rach @ This Italian Family says
Anytime we had leftover french bread when I was growing up, we would always have french bread pizzas the next day! I loved that. These look yummy. And that photo of the fall leaves is so beautiful!
Manali@CookWithManali says
this is such a fun recipe! love it!
emma white says
these look amazing and I am certainly going to give them a try myself, as think even the kids will love them .
Sarah Bailey says
Oh my goodness this brings back such memories, my friends Mum used to make the best french bread pizza's when I was a kid! x
Becca Adams says
Courgette on a pizza? That's a new one to me, but it looks really good. I would add some olives and mozerella.
Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes says
I love pizza. It's the perfect weekend comfort food. These look brilliant and so easy to whip up too.