Summer is for grilling, and out of its short, sun-drenched burst, August is my favorite month for it. We’re lucky in Denver for our late summer evenings that cool down just enough to make cooking, eating, and lingering outdoors a genuine pleasure. I believe almost any food can go on the grill, and this threshold season is the perfect reason to gather and savor: when growth turns
toward harvest, just before the school year begins, and when things feel ripe and ephemeral. Late summer invites us to decelerate, pay attention, and accept change.
Grilled pizza is easy to pull off, and it doubles as the perfect creative project for kids and adults alike. If you have a garden, let young ones pick vegetables as toppings. No garden? Local produce is abundant right now. Take a trip to your local farmers market to let kids select ingredients: some that are familiar and some that are new. For choosier artists, curate several options yourself, then ask them to pick two they already like and two they're willing to try. Cheese sweetens the deal, and there are many store-bought, dairy-free options if anyone in the family is lactose intolerant.
Kids are far more likely to try new foods when they have some agency in choosing them, when they can touch, chop, and experience the ingredients themselves, and contribute to the final dish. Let them tear the mozzarella, spoon on the sauce, and chop or tear the veggies and herbs.
This isn’t just for kids: making pizza is fun for all ages. Spread butcher paper on an outdoor table and turn the whole thing into a shared art project. Go classic with red tomato sauce, or get creative with pesto, alfredo, buffalo, or barbecue. Slice toppings thin, or chop them to bite-sized. When adding meat: make sure it’s fully cooked before it hits the pizza. Arrange everything buffet-style and within reach. Go lighter with toppings at first, depending on the strength and thickness of your crust.
Whether you're starting with raw or cooked dough, it all works beautifully on the grill.
For a raw crust: Brush any old char off the grill grates and oil them well to prevent sticking. Preheat grill to 450 degrees F. Spread flour on your work surface and stretch out the dough by hand. Don't worry about a perfect circle, especially with kids involved; let the dough take a natural shape. Lightly coat the stretched dough with olive oil and season with salt, then carefully transfer it to the grill. Close the lid and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the underside is lightly charred and the dough has puffed and set enough to hold its shape.
Move the cooked dough to your work surface. Turn the flames down to cool the grill to around 300 to 325 F. Layer the sauce, toppings, and cheese, then transfer the pizza back to the grill. Close the lid and let cook for 3 to 5 minutes until the pizza looks done to you.
For a store-bought, already-cooked crust: Preheat your grill to 350 F. Brush the crust lightly with olive oil on both sides, then build it with sauce, cheese, and toppings right on your work surface. Slide the topped pizza onto the grill, close the lid, and cook for about 5 to 8 minutes, checking partway through, until the cheese is bubbling. Keep an eye on it to avoid burning the bottom.
Dress it Up with Garnishes:
No rules here. Use edible flowers, fresh chives, arugula, or basil, microgreens, grated parmesan, crunchy sea salt, cracked black pepper, or a finishing drizzle of balsamic, honey, or olive oil. Let it all rest a minute before slicing so the cheese has time to set. If you don’t have a roller blade, a sharp pair of scissors works well. Pizza is a handheld food, and I like the idea of spreading fresh butcher paper over the table, pulling up chairs, and skipping plates and forks altogether. I like the idea of a communal mess, and a communal cleanup, too.
Jacqui Gabel is passionate about guiding others toward vitality and lasting health by encouraging them to recognize and cook with whole foods. Through hands-on classes, she teaches kids and adults alike to slow down, savor, get messy, stay curious, and play with food again, making cooking feel accessible and genuinely fun. She believes the kitchen is one of the surest places to reconnect with the natural world, and that the more we understand what we're eating, the more vibrant our lives become. Above all, she aims to draw people to the beauty of the Earth, connecting them to their own innate wisdom and the thread of aliveness that weaves us together. Connect with Jacqui at realfooddesire.com.