Homemade Pizza Night: A Simple Valentine’s Day at Home

This is kind of a funny little blog post for me because I never celebrate Valentine’s Day. It’s not because it’s an absurd holiday (though… maybe a little). It’s mostly because no one really knows what they’re celebrating, which is the day Saint Valentine was beheaded.

I’ve always preferred to celebrate the one true gift Parks & Rec gave the world: Galentine’s Day. For years, I’d celebrate by making homemade pizza with one to four girlfriends and watching a romcom. It was such a sweet way to share sisterhood. Not to mention, inexpensive.

So this year, as many of you know, I’m not single. I know – news to me too, especially since I still don’t think much about Valentine’s Day. It’s not that I’m not romantic! I love all the Valentine’s things: hearts, balloons, cards, sweetheart candy, omg and Belgian chocolates. What I don’t love is how obnoxious the day can be and how it’s designed to make people feel bad for simply not having someone. I also don’t love how restaurant prices magically quadruple overnight.

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Homemade Pizza Night: A Simple Valentine’s Day at Home

So this is why we decided to have a cute little night in and celebrate love from the comfort of our own home with a simple, easy, inexpensive meal. 💕

This honestly could not have been easier, friends. I wish I could say this meal was sponsored by Trader Joe’s because that’s where I got all of the ingredients. Mr. On The Trip Side got a bread machine for the holidays last year, and next time we’re going to try making homemade pizza crust in it. But for today, here’s what we used:

Trader Joe’s plain pizza crust
Marinara or pasta sauce (I love roasted garlic options on my pizza)
Green pepper
Mushrooms
Sliced Olives
Sharp cheeses (we used Kerrigold cheddar + goat cheese)
Cooked chicken
Olive oil
Seasonings

The hardest part was turning the pizza into a heart. I’m not even joking.

I also always use the back of the pan because it’s easier to slide the pizza off. I oiled it, added the dough… and over-oiled so it wouldn’t stay put. So I flipped the dough over, and that worked perfectly. Pro tip: if you’re making a regular round pizza, preheat your pan in the oven first. I didn’t do this, but it totally works.

Once you shape your pizza, add sauce, a layer of cheese, toppings, another layer of cheese, and bake for 10–15 minutes depending on how you like your crust.

I was perfectly happy keeping this a veggie pizza, but I’ve been working out more lately and Mr. Manfriend made a pretty convincing argument about needing more protein. So we pan-fried chicken in leftover tomato sauce, chopped it up, and added it after the pizza came out of the oven.

The second hardest part was waiting for it to cool so you don’t burn your mouth off.

All in, this pizza cost maybeeee $10. We already had a lot of the ingredients, and if I had a do-over, I’d load it up with even more veggies. 10/10 will make again.

I hope this post de-influences you in a way. You don’t have to spend $250 on Valentine’s Day. You don’t need to overbuy or go wild. You can show the person you love that you love them… literally every day.

You know what means more to me than flowers on Valentine’s Day? Flowers on any other day, when they don’t feel obligatory.

Okay, I went on a few rants today.

Wishing you the happiest Galentine’s, Valentine’s, love day, and/or cozy night in.