12 Inventive Plays on Pizza

Everyone loves a pizza party! This morning we showed you how to cook a totally scrumptious gourmet pizza from everyday canned goods. So, it only makes sense that for this week's round of culinary inspiration we turn to a dozen other creative pizza recipes from fellow crafty cooks around the web.

1. Mini Deep Dish Pizzas: Couldn't resist kicking off our pizzatastic roundup with a batch of mini deep dish pizzas by culinary contributor Jaymee Sire. Made with the Super Bowl in mind, these mini marvels are good for just about any dinner party or potluck. (Recipe and photo: Brit)

2.Prosciutto Wrapped Pizza Cups: A close cousin of the deep dish, these prosciutto-wrapped cups take full advantage of your muffin pan and it's pretty much impossible to eat just one. (Recipe and photo: A Bittersweet Wife)

3. Pepperoni Mac and Cheese: You get that we include a mac and cheese recipe in almost every recipe roundup, right? This pepperoni variety takes only 5 minutes to make, and is comfort food bliss. (Recipe and photo: Taste and Tell)

4. Pizza Pretzel Poppers: Described as Totino's pizza rolls all grown up, these beer-infused poppers are open to all sorts of improvisation. For a play on Jalapeño poppers, we recommend swapping mozzarella for cheddar and throwing in a few spicy jalapeños! (Recipe and photo: Will Cook For Friends)

5. Basil Cauliflower Pizza: While we love love love our pizza dough, we're digging this veg-heavy alternative. The crust is made out of cauliflower, eggs, cheese, basil, and garlic, and has a crispy rich texture. We wonder what other vegetables are primed and ready to turn into pizza dough. (Recipe and photo: Fat Girl Trapped In A Skinny Body)

6. Pepperoni Pizza Pot Pie: Giving the term pizza pie a whole new meaning, this recipe layers sauce, pepperoni and cheese and bakes it under a canopy of doughy pizza crust. Another one primed for improv, you can get away with using only 4 ingredients to make this tasty dish. (Recipe and photo: The Family Kitchen)

7. Super Skinny Pizza Pinwheels: A savory twist on the cinnamon roll, these pizza pinwheels employ good old Pillsbury Crescent Rolls as dough and are filled with all your favorite pizza toppings. (Recipe and photo: Dashing Dish)

8. Baked Pizza Potato Skins: We're surprised that we haven't seen pizza potato skins on the menu of more sports bars around the country. Talk about a ridiculously perfect marriage of two classic late night snacks! And we love this veggie variety with spicy peppers. (Recipe and photo: Sea Salt With Food)

9. Baked Pizza Dip: Pizza, as a dip. Yep. Dreams really can come true. Toast up some crostini, throw on Moonstruck and get cozy for a Sunday night in. (Recipe and photo: An Edible Mosaic)

10. Mini Pizzas With Oat Crust: Another crust alternative, these oat cakes are crispy and super healthy. Best of all, you don't have to wait for the dough to rise. Just mix together oats, bran cereal and eggs and you're good to go. (Recipe and photo: Fuss Free Cooking)

11. Leftover Butter Paneer Curry and Naan Pizza: A rather resourceful way to use your takeout Indian leftovers, this spicy naan pizza is creamy, rich, and just might have you ordering more food to make pizzas with! If you don't have quite enough leftover curry, try adding a few dollops of plain yogurt after baking. (Recipe and photo: 6 Bittersweets)

12. Chunky Pizza Soup: That's right. Pizza can be a soup, and it can do so deliciously. Sort of an Italian American take on French Onion soup, we recommend sneaking a full helping of veggies into each soup bowl before topping with mozzarella. (Recipe and photo: Moderate Oven)

Does your love of pizza date back to Saturday mornings spent watching the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles chow down on box after box? Got any yummy takes on pizza we should know about? Leave us a note in the comments below or say hi on Twitter.