If you've been looking for a way to ease your end-of-the-week dinner scramble, one great way to do that is to declare one night pizza night. When you know that one night a week is pizza for dinner, it stops the questions about what's for dinner...at least for that one night each week. And, it brings the family together to make dinner, because the kids can even make their own. Here are a few tips to help you make that night as easy as possible for everyone.

Don't Make The Dough

Especially if you declare pizza night to be a weeknight meal, you want to make sure that the prep and cooking is as quick and easy as possible. The best way to do that is to eliminate the time spent making the dough. Between the preparation time, the rising, and the kneading, it's a fairly time-consuming effort. But that doesn't mean that you have to settle for pre-made crust from the store. You can get that take-out crust flavor easily by hitting up your local family pizza restaurant for dough. Many will sell the dough balls they use, and they freeze well, so buy them in bulk to make it easier.

Pre-Make Your Sauce

When you know you'll be making pizza one night a week, it's worthwhile to make a few cups of pizza sauce per batch so you can freeze it for the next couple of weeks. That way, all you have to do is thaw it in warm water and you'll be ready to make your pizzas. The best part of making your own sauce? You can sneak in things like carrots or sweet potato pureed into the sauce - great for those veggie-phobic kids! If you haven't found a recipe you like, you can buy your pizza sauce in jars or even in the fresh ingredient cooler in your local grocery store.

Cook Your Pizza In A Skillet

If you really want to speed things up, and get a crispy crust while you're at it, consider cooking your pizza crust in a cast iron skillet on the stove top. A little olive oil in the pan and medium-high heat will give you a crispy pizza crust with melted cheese and all the toppings you enjoy.

With tips like this, you can create a family pizza night to remember. Make it a weekly ritual and your family will always know that they can come together that one night a week and break bread, swap stories, and laugh. For more information, contact a local family pizza restaurant.