While the low end of frozen pizza isn't much better than it was 30 years ago, today there are some still-cheap versions that are worth the calories. Some of the best ones are replicas of the pizzas sold at iconic pizzerias like Roberta's (Brooklyn) or Gino's East (Chicago). The other reliable path to a decent frozen pizza is to seek out those that are imported, like the Italian varieties at Trader Joe's or the surprising German imports at ALDI.
Midtown Pizza at H-E-B boasts that the stone-baked crust is imported from Italy, which makes for an interesting hybrid when the toppings are sourced and added in Texas. This particular pie is topped with spicy Italian sausage, red peppers, caramelized onion, tomatoes, provolone, and mozzarella. H-E-B carries several varieties of Midtown Pizza; they clock in at 14-16 ounces and are priced from $5 to $6 (more for pies with meat).
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| Frozen pizza, before baking at home |
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| Remarkable texture |
Visually, the crust had the look of a genuine Neapolitan pizza, with a puffy leopard-spotted cornicione. I baked it at 425 degrees for 12 minutes, directly on an oven rack, and sliced it into 8 small pieces.
The flavors of this pizza were spot-on. The mozzarella had a creamy element and the provolone added some nice sharp notes. The sausage was both plentiful and tasty; the tomato sauce was a role player to bring it all together.
The crust itself had an excellent flavor; in fact at some H-E-B stores you can buy a two-pack of these crusts to concoct your own custom pizza. Mine was a little moist in the center and dry at the edges, but I suspect that the imperfect moisture distribution was due to the fact that it had been in my freezer too long.
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| Authentic Neapolitan style crust |
It's hard to beat a legitimate $6 Neapolitan pizza in your freezer; H-E-B has a winner with Midtown Pizza.
Just had the Margherita. No packet of pesto sauce was included. The crust was too charred and hardly any sauce. The worst frozen pizza we’ve had.
ReplyDeleteSorry I have to disagree... this pizza is the best store bought! Especially love the 2 pack crust and build my own option but I’ve had the complete ones as well and really delicious! Go HEB!
DeleteWe just had it tonight and it was AWESOME! My chef husband and I added some fresh shredded Parmesan, oregano and basil. Yum!
DeleteThis pizza is fantastic. The trick is not to over cook the crust. I drizzle olive oil and bake it until the crust is soft and chewy crispy.
DeleteHorrible pizza. I would never recommend it. Crust is trash and flavors were indistinguishable other than basil.
DeleteBest store bought pizza of all time. You are supposed to cook at 475 F for 7 mins. Incredible crust, my favorite is the Goat Cheese one.
ReplyDeleteFlavor is great. But it is so thin on the inside portion of the pizza, the crust gets to mushy.
ReplyDeleteI tried the Margherita Pizza by HEB's Midtown Pizza Company. The picture on the front of the box was lovely, it looked like a winner for sure. But...upon opening the box, I found a 12" pizza with a naked one & a half inch wide border surrounding a very skimpy amount of the tomatoes that are supposed to make up the base, no marinara present. Mozzarella also skimpy, and there were some halved cherry tomatoes present. The pesto sauce was in a little packet. Thank goodness I had some leftover mozzarella and also some grape tomatoes which I added before cooking. I didn't have any type of marinara or crushed tomatoes to perk up that base. Cooked at 475 for 8 minutes on middle shelf. The flavor was pretty good, but the middle crust was so thin starting at the 3" mark, well, it was almost non-existent. It became a knife & fork affair, since the middle 6" diameter was just a limp circle, with the toppings falling off as I cut into it. The flavor was very good on the crust that stayed crisp. But, this needs a lot of improvements before I will try it again.
ReplyDeleteI had the Amalfi coast pizza and was quite pleased (I did add garlic and olive oil as well as thinly sliced red onions)
ReplyDeleteI have never had a pizza that I have not played with the toppings but this pizza had a good crust and nice taste.
This is really good for frozen pizza. The haters commenting probably think Digiorno/Dominos is the best pizza.
ReplyDeleteI suspect you are correct. Some folks do want "a lot for the money" and view pizza as a commodity.
DeleteWell, 3 of those negative reviews are from the same person. All on the same date within minutes of each other. It's obvious.
DeleteGood observation! I removed those comments
Deleteman what kind of pizza yall eating thats better frozen name one
ReplyDeleteShut it, Ben. Name your favorite pizza.
ReplyDeleteI had a bit of the same issue, as I noted "Mine was a little moist in the center and dry at the edges, but I suspect that the imperfect moisture distribution was due to the fact that it had been in my freezer too long." Maybe thaw it first, then cook for less time?
ReplyDeleteI worked at an Italian restaurant in Spain and this is as close as you can get to the real Italian crust . Nothing that you can buy in the store comes close
ReplyDeleteMine hasn’t been stored in the freezer long but it’s rock hard at the edges and pretty soggy in the middle. Both ended up like this. The sauce was super scant on the first we got and it was bland. The second is much better on both accounts. Normally I love H‑E‑B products but this one missed the mark for me.
ReplyDeleteMidtown Margarita and Amalfi Coast pizzas are my favorite frozen pizzas. I agree with some of what the comments say such as wide thick outer edge with no sauce and toppings but the crust itself is so good that I don’t mind. I occasionally add a few additional toppings but I like them as is.
ReplyDelete