Easy Holiday Dinner: Christmas Tree Pizza

This holiday dinner idea offers a festive twist on a classic meal that kids, teens, and adults alike LOVE: PIZZA!!

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I am OBSESSED with finding cheap and fun ways to add to the holiday cheer of the Christmas season, and this recipe is definitely a winner!!

Made with french bread and an array of delicious toppings, this Christmas Tree Pizza is a simple holiday dinner that is festive and very kid-friendly! It’s a perfect meal to make as a Christmas family activity or even to leave out for Santa Clause!

Ingredients for this Holiday Dinner

One of the best things about pizza is that you can make it whatever you want based on the toppings!! Got picky kids? No worries. Just stick with the pepperoni and cheese. Got some older or more adventurous eaters? Add on other tasty tidbits!

For the pizza shown in the picture, I used:

• 1 loaf french bread
• 1 jar marinara sauce
• 2 cups grated cheese
• 1 pack pepperoni
• 1 tomato sliced
• 1/4 green pepper sliced
• 1/4 cup mushrooms diced
• 1/8 cup white onion sliced

However, that was based off of my family’s pizza topping preferences. You could add any toppings you like! In fact, I originally planned on using pesto instead of the marinara sauce. However, my pesto had gone bad, so I had to throw it out and go a little more traditional. Oh well! It still got eaten up. We had a clean baking sheet!!

Suggestions for “Decorating The Tree”

Creating a Green Pizza: Want a more green looking pizza? Try using pesto sauce either as your base or adding it on top of your cheese. This will help it have more of the “evergreen” color that is so classic for Christmas trees. You could also add more green elements to it such as:

• Arugula
• Broccoli
• Green pepper
• Spinach
• Kale
• Basil leaves
• Pesto
• Rosemary
• Green Olives
• Artichoke

Toppings to Look like Streamers: If you’re wanting to add some festive decor to your holiday pizza, try adding a few toppings that can be sliced thinly to look like garlands wrapping the tree.

• White or Red onion
• Tomatoes
• Bell Pepper (Red, orange, yellow, or green!)

Toppings to Look Like Ornaments: Pizza toppings that are naturally small or can be diced into small pieces are perfect for this job. Here are some ideas:

• Olives
• Bacon bits
• Sliced Ham
• Pineapple
• Pinenuts

The Tree Stump: We opted to just leave our pizza with all the same toppings. However, you could decorate this part of the pizza by using

• BBQ sauce
• Ground sausage bits
• Bacon bits
• Prosciutto
• and more to create a more red/brown color.

Instructions for this Holiday Dinner

Part 1: Create the Christmas Tree Shape

Thankfully, this part is pretty simple. It’s just a bit of cutting and shapes.

• Cut your french bread loaf into 2 long halves, equal in size.
• Place one half in the center of your baking sheet (lengthwise).
• Take the other french bread half and cut it into 3-4 inch long square sections. (You should have 4-5 sections). Optional: cut off the rounded part at the top and bottom of the loaf.
• Then, cut the squares of bread diagonally, creating sets of equal size triangles.
• Add the triangles to the pan, creating a tree shape. Add the smallest set to the top and so forth going down. NOTE: Know that when you go to add these triangles to the pan, one will have a cut side touching the center loaf and one will have an uncut (bread edge) side touching the center loaf. This is why it is important to cut them into squares and then equal triangles instead of rectangles.
• Take any remaining scraps and cut them into small rectangles and squares to resemble presents and place those at the bottom of the tray.

Part 2: Add the Toppings/ Decorate the Tree

In my opinion, this is the fun part!

• Spread an even layer of your sauce onto the french bread.
• Add any desired meats. (Bacon, pepperoni, sausage, etc.)
• Next, sprinkle the top with a healthy layer of grated cheese.
• Then, arrange your other toppings to create a Christmas tree design with lights, streamers, or ornaments. To do this I made diagonal lines with the sliced vegetables.

Part 3: Bake the Christmas Tree Pizza

Ready for your house to smell like fresh pizza?! Mmmmm!

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• When the oven is preheated, place the baking sheet on the middle rack. Cook for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is slightly golden.
• Remove the pizza and allow 5 minutes for it to cool.
• Serve warm and eat!

Tips for this Recipe

• Make it Easy to Serve: Consider cutting the middle portion of the Christmas tree pizza before adding toppings. This will just make things a tad bit easier when you go to serve it up.
• Creating the Tree Shape: When you go to cut the second half of the french bread loaf into squares (to make the Christmas tree branches), make one square about 1/2 inch smaller that the others. This can serve as the triangles that are up at the top of the tree.
• Have Fun With the Toppings: The french bread can hold a decent amount of toppings, so don’t hold back when building your pizza. If you do load it up a lot, maybe just leave it in to bake for an extra minute or two. That will help the crust be a bit sturdier.

Christmas Activities and Games

Make your Christmas Day extra special by doing any of these fun games and activities with family and friends. They are an easy way to make memories together that will last a lifetime!

• Christmas Tree Craft (Torn Paper Art)
• Christmas Mystery Bag Game
• Free Christmas Bingo Printable
• Kid-friendly Christmas Party Games
• 5 Gift Exchange Games

Delicious Christmas Recipes

One of the best parts of the holiday season is all the good food! Here are some delicious treats and appetizers that you could bring to any holiday party or gathering. They are a hit every time!

• Christmas Reindeer Cookies
• Holiday Cinnamon Almonds
• Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms 
• Easy Oreo Balls 
• Bacon Cream Cheese Bread Dip 
• 3 Ingredient Peppermint Fudge

Don’t Leave Just Yet

Here at Events to Celebrate, my whole goal is to help real people plan for their kids’ birthday parties, life events, and holidays! Life is crazy. I GET IT. You don’t have endless time OR money to spend on parties, but you still want to help your guests have a great time. I’m here to help give you tips, tricks, and ideas for celebrating life on a budget.

As a mom, you want to do it all. You want to make your family happy and create special memories. My brand is all about creating special moments with those you love. The kind of moments that you will look back on years later and wish you could relive! So, if that’s something you’re interested in, stick around! I have an email list you can sign up for, so you don’t miss my future party ideas!