French Bread Pizza

Hi, it’s Lu from Leesh & Lu’s Recipe Box, and I’m here to share a fun, family involved recipe. It’s easy, quick to make, and the whole family can be involved! But before I get started, I thought I’d just introduce Leesh & I. First off, we are sisters, just 2 years apart in age. If you’re wondering, Leesh & Lu are nicknames. Alycia often was called Leesh for short, and my younger siblings couldn’t say Lindsay. Since my dad always called me Lindsay Lu, I was often known as Lu Lu or Lu. Leesh and I started our recipe blog almost 5 years ago as a way to share our favorite recipes and to stay close. For the most of the past 5 years we’ve lived in different states – it’s hard not being able to get together and do things as often as we would if we lived close to each other, so blogging and sharing our favorites is a fun way for us to keep close and involved. Our love to cook comes from our mother, who is a fabulous cook! She often had hot pancakes or waffles waiting for us before we went to school and yummy after school snacks like homemade pretzels, and cookies and milk. She can cook and bake and she taught us how to appreciate good, homemade food. And as we’ve grown up and started our own families (we are both married with 3 kiddos), we have enjoyed using the skills our mother taught us to cook, bake and create. We love good food and we love the way it brings family and friends together. That’s what our recipe website is all about, we only share what we love. You know, the things we are going to make over and over again. If we don’t like it or want to make it again, it won’t be seen on our site. Our motto is “tried and true by Leesh & Lu”, not just because it rhymes, but because it’s true! If you love family pleasing recipes, make sure to follow us.

I love the mission and theme of Real Imprints. There is lots to be found on this website to help inspire and lift others. It’s such a neat place to visit! I hope that the recipe I’m sharing today will help you to draw closer to the ones you love. After my son passed away (you can read more about him here and here), I realized even more how extremely important family is. I want to cherish my moments with my family as much as I can. Leesh and I love to let our kids be included in our recipe making adventures. It’s a fun way to learn and grow together. What do you do to be close?

Today’s recipe is a simple meal the whole family will enjoy: French Bread Pizza. My mom used to make this for us when we were kids and I always loved it. I’ve learned a few tricks that have helped the pizza be even better too (e.g., no soggy bread for the crust). So follow the instructions, involve your kids as much as possible and enjoy! I hope you have a fun time making it and that you will really enjoy it!

French Bread Pizza

Printable Version {Click Here}

Ingredients:

1 loaf french bread, sliced in half lengthwise (like a sub sandwich)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Garlic salt, for sprinkling

½-? cup Parmesan cheese, fresh grated

1-2 cups pizza sauce, depending on how saucy you like it

1-2 cups Mozzarella/Colby jack cheese blend, depending on how cheesy you like it

Pizza toppings of choice (we used pepperoni, olives, green chile and roasted red pepper)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the loaf of french bread in half lengthwise the way you would a sub sandwich) and place on a foil lined baking sheet. Press the bread down on the cut side with your finger tips to kind of compress the bread. This helps it not be soggy.

Lightly brush each open face of bread with olive oil and lightly sprinkle with garlic salt and Parmesan cheese. Try to get good coverage of the Parmesan cheese, this will help create a barrier between the bread and sauce so you don’t get the soggy crusted pizza.

Place in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 4-5 minutes until lightly golden (including the Parmesan cheese, it will be slightly hard to the touch). Don’t burn the cheese though. Remove from the oven.

Spread sauce over each half and sprinkle with ½-1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Top with your desired pizza toppings. If you’d like a little extra cheese on top add 2-3 tablespoons.

Bake for 6-10 minutes or until the cheese is starting to bubble and brown slightly and the edges of the bread are turning a nice deep golden brown. Let it rest for a few minutes before slicing and enjoy!