If you’re considering purchasing an outdoor pizza oven for your backyard space, you might be wondering what types of foods you can create with it. These appliances may be named after their compatibility with making pizza, but you can create a wide variety of recipes with an outdoor oven. Whether you’re considering a pizza oven purchase or you simply need more recipe inspiration, keep reading for a full list of foods to cook in your personal pizza oven other than pizza.
Meat Dishes
This versatility of the pizza oven is what makes it so useful. In fact, you can cook your entire meal utilizing a wood-fired oven, starting with a main meat dish. You can cook everything from expensive cuts of steak to whole chickens in your outdoor pizza oven. In fact, you’ll be surprised by how much this cooking process can enrich the flavor of your favorite meat dishes. If you need more recipe inspiration, try meat dishes such as pulled pork or chicken, kabobs, racks of ribs, and more. Make sure you utilize a meat thermometer when cooking distinct types and cuts of meat, especially while you’re still learning the ins and outs of using a pizza oven.
Seafood
Don’t leave the offshore meats out of your pizza oven. You can cook a wide variety of seafood dishes in your outdoor oven if you’re looking for some variety or if you have unique dietary needs. Seafood dishes can be a lot healthier and lighter than traditional meat dishes, especially if you’re cooking outdoors in the sweltering summer weather. Try all your favorite seafood dishes in the outdoor oven, including shrimp, salmon, all varieties of roasted fish, and more.
Vegetables
Whether you’re looking for vegan and vegetarian options or simply need a side dish for your main meal, you can find a plethora of vegetable recipes to make in a wood-fired oven. Explore some popular vegetable dish options below.
Corn on the Cob
Corn on the cob is a summer staple, so get outdoors and cook some up in your outdoor pizza oven. There are several ways you can cook corn on the cob with an outdoor oven. One of the most convenient methods is to simply leave the fresh corn in the husk and bake it in your oven. You can also remove the husk and tassels and place the cobs on a baking sheet or grate. Both methods provide an even roast, and leave you with a sweet, smokey corn on the cob.
Potatoes
Potato dishes have some of the widest variety of all vegetables, and they are perfectly compatible with a wood-burning pizza oven. A simple potato dish to start with is the baked potato. These potatoes are so easy and convenient for the pizza oven—all you need to do is wrap whole potatoes in foil, puncture them with a fork, and bake them until tender. Gratin potatoes is an easy side dish that you can quickly prepare in a cast iron skillet and stick in your pizza oven to slow-cook. You can also roast baby potatoes the same way with your favorite seasoning and toppings.
Roasted or Baked Veggies
In addition to corn and potatoes, you can cook just about any vegetable recipe in a wood oven. Wood-burning pizza ovens are perfect for cooking your favorite roasted or baked vegetable recipes. All you need to do is monitor the temperature in your outdoor oven and keep an eye on your veggies, so they don’t burn. The wood-burning oven adds a delicious, smokey taste to any vegetable that you won’t want to miss.
Desserts
If you use your indoor oven often for baking desserts, you’ll be pleased to know that personal pizza ovens support a wide variety of dessert recipes. Due to the temperatures that wood-fired ovens can reach, you might also find that your desserts take less time to bake in a pizza oven than a traditional oven. Get inspiration for classic desserts to follow up your meals.
Pies, Cakes, and Muffins
Once you have mastered the unique temperature range and cooking times of the pizza oven, you can cook all your favorite baked goods in it. You can cook just about anything in your pizza oven that you would in a regular oven, including pies, cakes, and more. Bake pies and cakes in your trusty cast iron skillet or oven-safe pans. In fact, preparing pie crust for pies is quite like making pizza crust, and their cooking times will be similar as well.
S’mores
S’mores are a classic campfire treat, but did you know that you can make them in an oven as well? This s’mores dish is more of a pie or casserole than your traditional s’mores sandwich, but it retains all the flavors. Set out your cast iron skillet and start with a layer of pie crust or graham cracker crust. Next, add your layer of chocolate bars or chips, and then top your dish off with a thick layer of marshmallows. Cook the dish until the marshmallows appear golden brown on top, which should be approximately six minutes later, depending on your oven temperature. You’ll have several servings of gooey s’mores without all the work of roasting marshmallow after marshmallow over the fire.
Bread
There’s no better way to bake bread than in a wood-fired oven. You’ll feel like a genuine baker working in a European bakery while exploring bread recipes in your pizza oven. Learning how to bake bread creates delicious results that you can serve alongside any meal. Plus, the bread preparation and baking process can be a lot of fun for adults and children who might want to help. There is also a wide variety of types of bread you can make, including plain loaves, garlic bread, specialty bread like focaccia, rolls, and more. Wood-burning ovens add a unique, woodsmoke flavor to your bread, just like the rich flavors they can add when cooking pizza.
Hopefully, this list of foods other than pizza you can cook in a pizza oven has helped inspire you with some new recipe ideas. Pizza ovens definitely don’t stop at making pizza, and the above dishes are just the beginning of what you can create. If you’re interested in experimenting with pizza oven creations, grab your own personal pizza oven from Cast Master Elite today.
