Amp Up Your Weeknight Dinners with Pizza Seasoning Blends

Some nights call for a new recipe and leisurely hours spent in the kitchen; others are decidedly meant for take-out. Most nights, however, are best served by a mostly homemade meal made easier with a few shortcuts. Williams Sonoma carries gourmet versions of everything you need for a well-stocked spice rack and pantry, including pastas, braising sauces and a wide range of rubs and spice blends, including pizza seasonings that are perfect for dressing up a homemade pizza recipe, tossing with pasta or seasoning roasted chicken.

Spice Up Your Pizza with Gourmet Spice Blends

Making pizza at home is a fairly simple endeavor, made even easier with Williams Sonoma's ready-made pizza sauces and their delicious, pizza-inspired spice blends. These savory seasoning mixes combine all-natural herbs and spices with other commonly used Italian ingredients such as sun-dried tomatoes, onions and garlic for a perfectly balanced burst of flavor. With all of the spices and herbs already perfectly proportioned In the seasoning mix, you'll save a load of time without sacrificing flavor. In addition to being a great addition to your homemade pies, these pizza seasoning blends are also perfect for seasoning grilled recipes with chicken or fish, sprinkling on pasta, or even doctoring up a frozen pizza in a pinch. Here are just a few of the available options:

• What's Gaby Cooking, Tastes Like Pizza Seasoning -- From the kitchen of creative food blogger Gaby Dalkin, this blend of classic Mediterranean flavors is a versatile seasoning blend. Italian herbs and spices combine beautifully with garlic, tomato, onion and red pepper for a savory combination with the slightest hint of heat. Made in the U.S., this seasoning mix is also available as a set with Gaby's Tastes Like Pizza Oil.
• Williams Sonoma Organic Pizza Seasoning -- Blended by a family-owned spice company in California's Napa Valley, this seasoning mix is modeled after the custom blends of herbs and spices that Italian chefs and home cooks rely on to lend their pizzas a complex flavor. Aromatic, organic herbs and spices are crushed just before blending with onions and sundried tomatoes for maximum flavor.
• Organic Pizza Seasoning Mini Rub Set -- Perfect for when everyone wants a different flavor or if you just want to mix things up from week to week, this set includes four different pizza spices and blends. Endlessly customize your slices and more with this versatile set, which includes organic red chile flakes, organic oregano, organic spicy garlic powder and an organic spice blend that combines Mediterranean herbs with tomatoes, onions and pepper.

Tools to Make Pizza Night a Breeze

If you're planning to make pizza night a regular occurrence, you'll want to invest in a few simple tools that will help simplify the process. First, if you don't already own one, you'll definitely want a pizza stone. Commonly made of heavy ceramic, stone or cast iron, pizza stones are designed to be pre-heated in the oven before using a pizza peel to slide the prepared pie onto the hot stone for cooking. This process helps ensure that the crust gets perfectly crispy as the pizza cooks. In addition to the pizza stone and peel, you'll want to make sure that you have a pizza cutter or wheel on hand so that you can quickly and easily slice the pizza while it's still piping hot.

Take the Night Off and Let Williams Sonoma Do the Cooking

Of course, some nights making a pizza from scratch is just not in the cards. That's where Williams Sonoma's prepared pies come in. These gourmet pizzas are shipped frozen and arrive at your house ready to be baked and served or tucked in the freezer to be deployed as needed. Options vary widely, so you'll have no trouble finding a package that works for all your home preferences. From a set of six mini pizzas in classic flavors like margarita, Mediterranean and pepperoni to a set of three whipped ricotta truffle honey pizzas that are sure to impress, there really is something for everyone.