• historianinthekitchen on April 27, 2024

  This book is for anyone looking to take pizza (and salad) to the next level. If you want to make a good red-sauce pizza with pregrated mozzarella, I would just start with Stafford’s original pizza dough recipe on her blog. It’s easy and works well. If you’re looking for fancier pizza, more dough recipes, a ton of topping options, and a lot more produce, Pizza Night is perfect for you. I wrote my full thoughts here: https://historianinthekitchen.substack.com/p/the-weeks-we-left-the-pizzas-in-the?r=78in

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Blistered shishito pizza with onions and Monterey Jack

  • NicoleBrown on September 21, 2024

    Picked up some shishito peppers at the farmers market so I was excited to see this recipe! I liked it a lot. We did add chicken to ours. I feel like the lime wedges add a lot so definitely don’t skip them! It was a busy week and i forgot to prep the dough. I subbed Jenny Can Cook’s 20 minute pizza dough instead.

• Greek pizza with spinach, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives and feta

  • Jviney on September 29, 2025

    Made this to the letter and it was so good, really excellent variety of flavors in each bite.

  • SKidd on May 15, 2026

    Adapted slightly to simplify slightly and use what I had on hand: garlic scape pesto on the bottom, then raw spinach and then mozzarella. Didn’t have pickled peppers but had fresh sweet peppers. Delicious!

• Loaf pan tiramisu

  • Jviney on January 01, 2026

    Made as part of a New Year’s Eve mug pastry menu, everyone loved it. I couldn’t find soft ladyfingers, but the alternative quickly dipped in the coffee rum mixture worked well. Solid recipe.

• Neapolitanish pizza dough

  • lean1 on April 17, 2024

    I have made this dough a couple of times so far. It takes no time to mix, the dough takes time to rise over two days. Make sure you make it in advance. The dough develops lots of flavor. Whole book is wonderful love all the recipes and variations

  • Jviney on April 21, 2024

    I sort of neglected this dough, forgetting to make it two days in advance to begin with and then not giving the dough enough space to prove at room temp before baking. I’ve learned it’s very forgiving and absolutely delicious.

  • NicoleBrown on August 24, 2024

    We like this dough a lot! My kids rarely eat their pizza crust - but they eat this one! I agree about it being forgiving. I’ve let the day get away from me & definitely did not give it enough proofing time; it’s still great! My only caveat is that to feed my family of 5 (all guys/boys) we need all four doughs as they’re on the smaller side.

  • pattyatbryce on September 07, 2024

    This was a fail for me. The bread rose on the first proof, but didn't on the final. It came out more like a flatbread. I will try again in case I made a mistake.

  • SheilaS on September 26, 2024

    I’ve made this dough a couple of times and have been happy with the results. I’ve also frozen dough balls per the instructions in the appendix and they also performed well.

  • ezwriternc on October 20, 2024

    Easy and good. Froze some and worked well after defrosted.

• Sourdough Neapolitanish pizza dough

  • Lepa on June 10, 2024

    We liked this dough. It was really tasty- and a great way to use my starter!

• Thin-crust pizza dough

  • SheilaS on September 26, 2024

    I’ve found this dough very easy to work with. It also freezes and thaws nicely per the instructions in the appendix. The thin crust with no bubbly edges is new to me but I’ve enjoyed the versions I’ve tried from the book.

  • ezwriternc on October 01, 2024

    I halved the recipe and it came out great. I grilled it per instructions. Restaurant quality.

  • ezwriternc on October 20, 2024

    Easy and good. Made half and froze one. Worked great.

  • averythingcooks on February 16, 2025

    Our tastes have moved away from bready pizza crusts which brought me here. A house emergency meant that the "portion the dough" step (between the long room temp rise & the fridge) got missed and the bowl went directly into the fridge after that 1st rise, but no matter, it still seemed to work. The next day, I opted to leave it alone in the fridge until dinner and then divided it (1/2 recipe) using 1 portion for our pizza & freezing the other. I went online for the semola remicinata specifically for this recipe & we are very happy with this sensible sized, thin, crispy but still with some chew crust.

• Pan pizza dough

  • SheilaS on September 26, 2024

    Great flavor! I’ve been halving this recipe to bake in a quarter sheet pan (9 x 13 in) and it’s worked perfectly.

  • ezwriternc on October 20, 2024

    Really good. Focaccia like. The pan you make this in is important.

• Simple tomato sauce

  • averythingcooks on August 07, 2024

    There is good flavour here with lots of onions & garlic and the white wine is a nice touch. After blending & a taste, I opted for a return to the pot to simmer with a parm rind rather than adding more salt. I made a 1/2 recipe and after last night's 12" pizza, there is enough leftover for at least 2 more pizzas heading to the freezer.

• Fresh tomato sauce

  • TFall21 on September 08, 2025

    Really nice, basic sauce to use on pizza, pasta, or whatever. The red peppers add some brightness to the flavor.

• Roasted tomato "butter"

  • averythingcooks on September 21, 2024

    Interesting that she writes "butter" because this is in fact a "pourable sauce". Regardless, it is very tasty. I switched the order a bit, adding the butter to pan as it cooled to help it melt and then after the 1st blitz in the blender, I started with less water (1 tbsp) and it seemed "pourable" at that point so no more was needed. We'll see what happens when I start to use it (as it is heading to the freezer today).

  • lean1 on January 27, 2025

    delicious sauce. Easy to make and the little bit of butter makes it take so rich.

• Basil pesto

  • averythingcooks on February 01, 2025

    I always think pesto is about ratios & this is a good version. I did start more slowly with the lemon and then carried on to taste. Also, I've read so much about why you don't toast pine nuts for pesto that I completely missed that she calls for toasting...oh well, I didn't and I'm happy with the result.

• Sun-dried tomato pesto

  • lean1 on May 19, 2024

    terrific flavor will make often

• Lemon vinaigrette

  • SheilaS on September 26, 2024

    This is a great, light vinaigrette and very versatile. It called for in at least 8 of the salads in the book.

  • ezwriternc on October 20, 2024

    Very good and easy.

  • averythingcooks on January 19, 2025

    This is a nice assertive vinaigrette and a good use of white balsamic. It will be repeated.

• Red wine vinaigrette

  • SheilaS on September 26, 2024

    Nice, classic vinaigrette. I used it in the Bar’s salad and it was perfect.

• Caesar dressing

  • averythingcooks on February 16, 2025

    I used the mayonnaise (other option = egg yolk ) & anchovy paste to taste. I started with less olive oil than called for which for us was a good idea as I still felt it was a bit oily. A little more lemon juice + some parmesan grated in helped with that & although this won't take over as the house gold standard caesar dressing, we enjoyed it with romaine beside our pizza.

• Italian dressing

  • Lepa on June 11, 2024

    This is a basic, but solid vinaigrette.

• Mimosa vinaigrette

  • SheilaS on September 26, 2024

    Nice citrus vinaigrette

• Blue cheese dressing

  • ezwriternc on October 20, 2024

    Very good basic blue cheese dressing.

  • averythingcooks on June 30, 2025

    With lots of the flavour hits we like in a blue cheese dressing (buttermilk, lemon, honey in place of the sugar called for & chives) we really enjoyed this dressing. An oh yes...a shot of hot sauce is also a good add in.

• Greek yogurt ranch dressing

  • Jviney on April 19, 2024

    Quick and easy and I loved that thinning it with water is the only thing between consuming it as a dip or as a dressing.

  • averythingcooks on November 28, 2025

    This carried a pretty big hit of lemon but otherwise we liked it. Lesson learned....lemon juice to taste next time. We enjoyed this over a crunchy fresh iceberg wedge. It would also be good as a veggie/chip dip.

• Herby ranch dressing

  • Jviney on July 18, 2024

    Good! I couldn’t find fresh dill, so used some dried plus fresh basil and rosemary. Pretty quick and easy.

  • jimandtammyfaye on July 22, 2024

    This is a really good ranch recipe. I used the recommended mayonnaise as a sub for egg yolk, and I reduced the total amount of herbs. Next time, I will use the prescribed amount of parsley, dill, and scallions.

  • averythingcooks on September 26, 2024

    This was a great use for my freezer jar of "Garden Herb Blend" (chopped fresh dill, chives & parsley flash frozen on a pan then transferred to a jar). For 1/3 of the base (also using the mayo as suggested) I added around 3 big spoonfuls and this was the perfect dressing for romaine, red onion & sweet peppers beside a lovely tomato galette.

• Green goddess dressing

  • averythingcooks on October 04, 2024

    With no cilantro or anchovies (although I will often sub in anchovy paste or capers if necessary), this is the perfect, "heavy on the herbs" green goddess dressing for us.

• Whipped ricotta

  • Lhughes2 on January 03, 2026

    Amazing!!

• Bufalina's shrimp pizza with roasted lemon salsa

  • pattyatbryce on September 07, 2024

    We didn't love the lemon salsa - the pith was too bitter and by the time you got the edges to caramelize, the thinner parts of the middle of the lemon burnt. Next time, I would just use preserved lemon vs. roasted. The shrimp was good on the pizza.

• My mother's horiatiki salad

  • Lepa on May 15, 2024

    This a particularly tasty version of this classic salad. The use of white balsamic vinegar gives it a softer, slightly sweet taste that compliments the vegetables.

  • pattyatbryce on September 07, 2024

    Fantastic salad. Easy to pull together with big rewards. Great flavor.

  • Lhughes2 on January 03, 2026

    Make this on repeat during the summer.

• Grilled BBQ chicken pizza

  • NicoleBrown on September 14, 2024

    Sadly I did not love this one. Both my husband and I found it to be rather bland. The other pizzas we’ve made so far have been amazing! I guess they can’t all be 5/5.

  • ezwriternc on October 01, 2024

    This came out so good. The bbq chicken has excellent taste. The dough came out phenomenal on the grill. I used sour cream and added a quarter cup of candied jalapeños and served with the Cole slaw. One pizza basically serves 2.

  • Happykikkers on January 02, 2025

    Good combination! We omitted the fruit and added our own (leftover) bbq marinated chicken from a different recipe. Made with the Neapolitanish pizza dough.

• Classic creamy coleslaw

  • ezwriternc on October 01, 2024

    I used one bag of shredded Cole slaw and halved the recipe. A good cole slaw. Nothing different from other recipes but went really well with the bbq chicken pizza

  • averythingcooks on January 22, 2025

    This simple dressing is very similar to our favourite dressing for old-school broccoli salad (but with a different vinegar & slightly different ratios), so it was not surprising that we did like it. But I think the milder vinegar (white balsamic here vs distilled white in the other) is why we liked this it even better after I added celery seed & hot sauce to taste.

• Roasted Hatch chile pizza with corn and Oaxaca cheese

  • lean1 on May 19, 2024

    made with 1 tablespoon mayo to cut calories and omitted the chili peppers. Loved the flavor combination. Needed a few extra minutes to brown

  • NicoleBrown on August 17, 2024

    Used the corn & hatch peppers I picked up at the farmers market to make this. Really delicious! We had some salsa verde prepped from our garden bounty and added that on top as well. I failed to see the pizza dough required a 6-10 hour rise so I subbed a quicker multi grain one from ATK. I followed the instructions for the hatch peppers, but my husband who use to cook for a living said it actually works better if you don’t cut them in half to roast. So next time I’ll leave them whole & save some prep time.

• Summer squash and squash blossom pizza

  • als102 on July 23, 2025

    This genuinely surprised me! I replaced the blossoms with sliced garlic and the whole pizza had way more flavor than I was anticipating. So so good!

• Summer wedge salad with charred corn, tomatoes, and herby ranch dressing

  • Jviney on July 18, 2024

    This recipe really does work, I didn’t love the corn in the mix but that’s personal preference. A nice use of mid-summer veggies.

• Esquites-inspired street corn salad

  • jenburkholder on March 17, 2025

    Made this to go with a Mexican beef main dish. It's still winter so no fresh corn, but used a 10 oz bag of frozen corn which worked fine. Three of us ate it all and enjoyed.

  • Lepa on July 04, 2025

    This is a really special salad! Highly recommend with corn in season now.

  • EmilyR on July 29, 2025

    I have tried a wide array of Esquites style salads. Always a little different and great with peak season corn.

  • averythingcooks on August 06, 2025

    I have yet to make an esquites / elotes style corn salad that we didn't devour. I added diced shallot & Fresno chiles to the pan with the corn and we thought the finely sliced romaine was a nice touch. I used Tajin seasoning for the chili powder as it was out for the main anyways. This is worth a repeat.

• Cherry tomato and cherry salad with feta and jalapeños

  • Lepa on June 10, 2024

    This salad is fantastic! It is bright and juicy and the flavors go together very well. Even the kids loved it. Highly recommend trying this before cherry season ends.

• Peach pizza with jalapeño, prosciutto, and crème fraîche

  • Jviney on July 21, 2024

    What’s not to like? I think I’d be sure to seek out sweet peaches for these, and personally I’d use pickled jalapeños next time. Otherwise, a nice flavor combination.

  • NicoleBrown on August 24, 2024

    So good! My small town grocery store does not carry crème fraîche so we subbed ricotta. Picked up jalapeños from the farmers market and they did not come to play! Heat overpowered the peaches a little bit. Would make again!

• Cucumber salad with red onion and burrata

  • Lepa on August 14, 2024

    This was pretty good but I am not convinced cucumber and burrata is the best combination. Not sure if I will make this again.

  • Lhughes2 on January 03, 2026

    Great combo. So fresh!

• Spring wedge salad with radishes, egg, and Greek yogurt ranch

  • Jviney on April 19, 2024

    Beautiful on the plate, and fresh with all the colorful and crunchy hope of spring. It honestly made for a lovely and delicious dinner by itself. Very quick once the dressing is made.

• Baby spinach salad with apple, pine nuts, and goat cheese

  • Jviney on April 21, 2024

    Killer with fresh spring spinach from the farmer’s market. The apple cider dressing was delicious, it was all quick to throw together, really yummy.

• White pizza with arugula, pistachios, and honey

  • Jviney on April 21, 2024

    The favorite pizza of the night. I made one as written and then another drizzled with truffle oil per the inspiration in the notes. Really yummy.

  • SheilaS on July 09, 2025

    I loved this one. I used the Neapolitanish dough instead of the thin crust because I had it on hand.

  • Melizabeth1 on April 17, 2026

    Very good. Don’t be shy with the seasoning and toppings. Didn’t love the pistachios but that’s just personal taste.

  • jobie_ixahwf on May 21, 2026

    So good!

• Veggie platter with romesco and hummus

  • lean1 on May 19, 2024

    made today with jarred peppers. Came out a bit watery, but still tasty.

• Salami and red onion pizza with Calabrian chiles and hot honey

  • Lepa on June 10, 2024

    This was a delicious combination. I dialed down the chiles for the kids but otherwise followed the recipe. We liked this with the sourdough pizza dough.

• Detroit-style pepperoni pizza

  • Lepa on June 11, 2024

    This was SO good and also very easy and doable on a weeknight. It made just enough for four. The method for parbaking the crust was easy and resulted in a delicious pizza.

• Puttanesca pan pizza with tomatoes, onions, anchovies, and olives

  • Lepa on August 15, 2024

    We had mixed reviews on this pizza. The olive lovers enjoyed this pizza but my son who doesn't like olives wasn't crazy about this version. I probably prefer the Detroit pizzas in this book because I like tomato sauce on pizzas.

• Detroit-style pizza for a crowd with pepperoni, pickled jalapeños, and hot honey

  • Pandan on October 01, 2024

    Made this for my own birthday because it sounded so good. Wasn’t disappointed! The dough just was way too liquid to handle (didn’t need it by hand though, used my bread machine). Had to add more bread flour. The topping was perfect with the jalapeños and hot honey (mixed my own with honey and hot Malaysian chile sauce). Might look for another pan pizza dough recipe but will definitely repeat this topping. I used more pizza sauce, which maybe was the reason I didn’t really get the frico crust.

  • katmagdunn on May 17, 2026

    This was so delicious!! The dough takes quite a while but is pretty hands off. I just bought the vodka sauce but it was really popular — and the frico crust was a huge hit. Served with a kale Caesar with pickled red onions.

  • bradley074851 on February 07, 2026

    For a crowd? Says who? Unorthodox process for a Detroit style but worth it for a stellar frico crust. Pair with an acidic red and a lemony salad.

• Roasted butternut squash pizza with Gruyère and rosemary

  • ezwriternc on October 20, 2024

    Absolutely fabulous. I did add a little more spice. I didn’t toast the oil garlic and rosemary. I used sour cream instead of crème fraiche. I just drizzled the olive then sprinkled garlic and onion powder on the squash. This was restaurant quality.

  • Jviney on December 27, 2024

    This is always a good flavor combination. I found the Gruyère too rich, just personal preference. I’d like to try it again with a milder mozzarella.

• Sicilian-style pizza for a crowd with "the works"

  • ezwriternc on October 20, 2024

    Excellent. So versatile. Used the Lloyd’s pan. Everyone loved it.

• Grandma pizza with broccoli rabe and sausage

  • Lepa on November 21, 2024

    This was delicious - one of the best pizzas in the book so far. I only used 1tbsp of Calabrian chilis but the kids still thought the pizza was a bit too spicy.

• Winter white pizza with garlic and herbs

  • SKidd on December 14, 2024

    Excellent flavors with the fontina/gruyere and herbs, I used heavy cream instead of crème fraîche for the base as that’s what I had on hand,

• 'Nduja and pickled pepper pizza with burrata

  • Happykikkers on January 08, 2025

    We liked this! Though my dough didn’t want to be a circle so it was more of an oval. The burrata is nice as it cuts through the fieriness of the nduja.

• One-bowl chocolate chip cookies

  • averythingcooks on February 02, 2025

    As promised these came together quickly (but do need a 30 minute chilling time) and although I don't usually go for such large cookies, we both like these. I made 1/2 and using her 50 g target got 11 cookies. I baked 6 (the lower limit of 16 minutes seemed perfect) and put 5 in the freezer to bake later in the week. Perhaps not the best chocolate chip cookie I've ever made but they are worth repeating.

  • averythingcooks on February 08, 2025

    A quick update - I baked the frozen cookie dough balls (no need to thaw) and as she suggests, they only needed a couple of extra minutes. The verdict was clear: “These taste exactly the same as the 1st batch”. So yes, I’ll come back here to make / bake a few as needed while keeping a supply waiting in the freezer.

  • mooo42 on June 06, 2026

    This was a quick recipe, but even with reducing the sugar a bit, way too sweet. Fine if you need to put something together quickly, but not something I would make again unless under a time crunch.

• Raw corn salad with cherry tomatoes and edamame

  • SheilaS on July 09, 2025

    Nice, fresh summer salad. No need to make a dressing, just toss with a squeeze of lime juice and drizzle of olive oil.

• Arugula salad with prosciutto and Parmesan

  • SheilaS on July 09, 2025

    Lovely little salad. My only change was to cut/tear the prosciutto into pieces to avoid needing a knife to eat it.

• Classic chopped salad

  • Lhughes2 on January 03, 2026

    Love this hearty salad for lunch and as a side dish.

• Fall Caesar salad with shaved Brussels sprouts

  • SheilaS on March 25, 2026

    Nice twist on a Caesar. My mandoline (and cut-proof glove) made quick work of the sprouts.

• Brussels sprouts pizza with pancetta, balsamic, and ricotta

  • SheilaS on March 25, 2026

    I used diced pancetta as that’s all I had on hand. The Brussels sprouts leaves tended to fall off when you pick up a slice but I enjoyed the combination of flavors and textures.

  • anna_1bxel8 on March 29, 2026

    Used goat cheese instead of ricotta cream, didnt use pancetta

• Asparagus pizza with crème fraîche and whipped ricotta

  • Apollonia on April 17, 2026

    What a treat. Really lovely and light - a perfect spring pizza!

  • Rachel_ on April 26, 2026

    Substituted the thin crust pizza…which still doesn’t seem like it’s getting as dark as I would like before the toppings are done. Maybe I need to para bake or something. Either way toppings were excellent

  • jobie_ixahwf on April 19, 2026

    We made this in our outdoor pizza oven. So good! Using a peeler to get thin asparagus strips was a great trick and made for a tasty way to prepare the veggie! Will definitely make again!

• Caramelized leek and potato pizza with chive cream

  • Melizabeth1 on April 18, 2026

    Potatoes weren’t cooked to my liking and it was a bit too much work to try again, like the idea though!

• Roasted cauliflower pizza with caramelized onions and pickled cherry peppers

  • Lhughes2 on January 03, 2026

    Excellent!

• Salt-roasted beet salad with walnuts, goat cheese, and chives

  • Lhughes2 on January 03, 2026

    Love, love, love this salad. The beet cooking method results in tender and flavorful beets.

• Spanakopita-inspired spinach and feta pizza

  • Rachel_ on April 18, 2026

    Should have parabaked longer but this was an A+ brunch pizza

• Fennel salad with citrus, olives, and Parmesan

  • anna_1bxel8 on March 28, 2026

    Yum!

• Celery, endive, and apple salad with walnuts, blue cheese, and dates

  • jobie_ixahwf on May 21, 2026

    Surprisingly delicious!

• Christina Mueller

  This book is for pizza and salad lovers and anyone who celebrates Pizza Night.

  Full review

• Eat Your Books by Jenny Hartin

  Another winner from Alexandra Stafford - and this time - a cookbook that focuses on all things pizza!

  Full review