3 Easy Recipes Using Trader Joe’s Pizza Dough

We’ve been making homemade pizza around here a lot the past couple of years, so it’s safe to say we’ve made our share. I’m in charge of buying the pizza dough, and I’ve tried a lot of different brands, even some from our local pizza joints. The one that’s risen to the top of the ranks is Trader Joe’s pizza dough, which is easy to work with and can be turned into all sorts of easy Italian meals!

The three recipes I’m sharing with you are what we make most often: calzones, sheet pan pizza, and cheese sticks. The cheese sticks are made the most, if only because the girls come home from school and make it themselves for a snack. It’s that easy and quick!

And in case you want to make a pizza with your own combination of pizza toppings, try this huge list of pizza topping ideas for inspiration.

Does Trader Joe’s have pizza dough besides plain dough?

Trader Joe’s pizza dough comes in Plain, Garlic & Herb, Wheat and Gluten Free. We prefer the plain dough then adding garlic and herbs to the top depending on the recipe, although the Garlic & Herb is good on its own. The main ingredients of the Gluten Free pizza dough is Tapioca and rice. We haven’t tried the wheat so unfortunately can’t offer an opinion on that. All of these recipes call for plain dough.

How long do you cook Trader Joe pizza dough?

How long you cook the dough really depends on the recipe and how thin or thick you like your pizza. We tend to lean toward the thin side, but good pizza is good pizza, am I right? A good rule of thumb is to check 8 minutes into the baking time, and it should rarely take longer than 15 minutes to cook through.

Can you freeze Trader Joe’s pizza dough?

You sure can! I almost always have some in the freezer for a quick, easy meal. Make sure to wrap the dough tightly in saran wrap, then tin foil or a freezer bag (or both), before freezing it. You can keep it stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How do you defrost Trader Joe’s pizza dough?

Defrost the dough by just setting it in its package on the counter at room temperature, or placing it in the refrigerator before you leave for work or the night before. We’ve tried the defrost setting on the microwave, but it’s too easy to start actually cooking the dough. You can also put the package of dough in a bowl of cold water and let it defrost that way at room temperature.

• Room temperature: 2 hours
• Room temperature in a bowl with cold water: 1 hour
• In the refrigerator: 8 hours

Trader’s Joe’s Pizza Dough Ingredients

Trader Joe’s Plain Pizza Dough Ingredients: Enriched wheat flour, wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, malted barley flour, water, soybean oil, dextrose monohydrate, salt, mono & diglycerides, yeast, ascorbic acid.

Trader Joe’s Pizza Dough Cheese Sticks

Pizza Dough Cheese Sticks are made the same way as pizza, but without the sauce and typically a little butter, garlic, and herbs. They’re considered more of an appetizer (or, ironically, to be served alongside pizza), but you can serve them as a main course, too. We like them with a green salad and a glass of white wine. The kids eat them off the pan and disappear to their rooms. #teenagers

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Trader Joe's Pizza Dough Cheese Sticks

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 22 minutes

Using Trader Joe's pizza dough to make hot, cheesy breadsticks takes just a few minutes of prep and they taste so good! The 4 servings listed is as an appetizer; for the main course, this will serve 2 people.

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Ingredients

• 8 oz. (1/2 package) Trader Joe's pizza dough
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella (or more if you like it really cheesy!)
• Pizza or marinara sauce, for dipping (optional)
• Flour, for rolling out the dough

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 425F.
2. Sprinkle a little flour on your work surface and shape the dough into a large rectangle, about 13x9 inches. (You can do this on parchment paper or a silicone baking mat to make transferring the dough to a sheet pan easier.) Transfer the dough to a large sheet pan.
3. Melt the butter, garlic powder and Italian Seasoning in a small bowl. Brush the mixture over the dough.
4. Sprinkle the parmesan over the dough, then do the same with the mozzarella.
5. Bake for about 8-12 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly brown and hot.

Notes

You can freeze any remaining pizza dough for another batch later! Wrap it very tightly in saran wrap, then tin foil. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 778Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 1076mgCarbohydrates: 94gNet Carbohydrates: 90gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 22g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.

Trader Joe’s Pizza Dough Calzones

What’s the difference between Stromboli and a Calzone?

A calzone is filled with ingredients (think of it as sort of being “stuffed” and it’s ingredients are typically ricotta, mozzarella, Italian meats and sometimes onions, peppers, broccoli, spinach, etc.

Stromboli is rolled up and has and has layers. Because it’s rolled up, you can’t be as free to load it up as you are with a calzone. Thin-cut meats like salami, pepperoni, ham, and prosciutto work well.

For the most part, we stick to calzones because they’re quicker to make and we like them just as well. You can change up the ingredients we’ve listed in the recipe to whatever you like! Be careful not to stuff it so full that you have trouble sealing it, otherwise the sky’s the limit!

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Trader Joe's Pizza Dough Calzones

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Making calzones is simple, especially using Trader Joe's pre-made dough! This calzone recipe makes two calzones of two servings each.

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups fresh ricotta cheese
• 1/2 tsp coarse salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 16-oz package Trader Joe's pizza dough
• 1/2-3/4 cup pizza sauce (depending on how saucy you like it)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• flour, as needed

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 500F.
2. Mix together the ricotta cheese, salt, pepper, pecorino romano and fresh basil in a medium mixing bowl.
3. Separate the pizza dough into 2 equal portions of 8 oz each.
4. Sprinkle a little flour on your work surface and roll out one portion of the dough into a 12-inch circle.
5. Spread half the pizza sauce half of the circle, leaving about a 1/2 inch border around the edge. Top with half of the ricotta mixture, then the mozzarella cheese.
6. Fold the half-circle with no filling over the filling and crimp the sides of the dough to seal. Transfer the calzone to a baking sheet and repeat the process with the remaining dough.
7. Brush each calzone with 1 tsp of extra-virgin olive oil (more if necessary). Bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until the calzones are golden brown.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 701Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 1376mgCarbohydrates: 89gNet Carbohydrates: 84gFiber: 5gSugar: 6gProtein: 31g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.

Trader Joe’s Pizza Dough Sheet Pan Pizza

Making sheet pan pizza is the quickest way to get pizza on the table fast.

How do you make pizza on a baking sheet?

Sheet pan pizza is simple! We don’t even bother rolling out the dough. You just punch, pull and press the dough until it’s stretched to fit the entire pan.

Can you put the pizza in the oven without a pan?

Uhh…no.

You can cook frozen pizza dough right on the rack because it’s hard as a rock and won’t fall through the grates. But please don’t try putting raw dough directly on the oven rack.

Can you cook the pizza on aluminum foil?

Sure, it will work. It’s not something I’d recommend doing if you have a sheet pan, pizza stone or just about anything else. But if you don’t have those things, aluminum foil will work in a pinch. Be sure to use several layers and make it large enough to fit the entire pizza.

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Trader Joe's Sheet Pan Pizza

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Making pizza on a sheet pan is much easier, especially using Trader Joe's pre-made pizza dough. Choose any toppings you like to have pizza your way, the easy way!

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Ingredients

• 1 16-oz package Trader Joe's pizza dough
• 1 cup pizza sauce
• Assorted toppings of your choice
• cooking spray

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 425F.
2. Lightly spray a sheet pan with cooking spray. Stretch and press the dough to fit the size of your sheet pan.
3. Spread the sauce over the dough, then add your favorite toppings.
4. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until the crust and cheese are golden brown. Slice and serve!

Notes

One package of dough will fit a large sheet pan, or you can split the dough if you want a smaller pizza. Any remaining dough can be frozen for up to three months. Wrap it tightly with saran wrap, then again in tin foil.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 689Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 860mgCarbohydrates: 110gNet Carbohydrates: 105gFiber: 5gSugar: 5gProtein: 13g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.

How To Cook Pizza In An Air Fryer

1. Prepare the air fryer basket with nonstick cooking spray
2. Prebake the dough in the air fryer for 2-3 minutes for a crispy bottom.
3. Assemble the pizza in the air fryer.
4. Cook at 375F for about 5-7 minutes or until the is brown and the cheese is melted.

More easy weeknight recipes, all less than 10 ingredients!

• Crispy Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
• Blackened Salmon with Roasted Tomatoes
• Instant Pot Pork Chops with Dijon-Butter Sauce
• Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana Soup
• Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Buffalo Chicken & Spinach

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Kristy Bernardo

Kristy Bernardo is the recipe creator behind The Wicked Noodle. She's a five-time cookbook author, has taught cooking classes to both kids and adults, and has been creating recipes for nationwide brands since 2009. She learned most of her cooking skills from her mom and grandmother, then honed those skills at boot camp at the Culinary Institute of America.

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