Spicy Prawn Pizza with Apple and Cabbage Slaw - Easy Budget Dinner

This is FRIDAY NIGHT SORTED. A homemade focaccia-style pizza base topped with a rich tomato sauce, spicy marinated prawns and melted cheese, served alongside a fresh, crunchy apple and cabbage slaw that cuts right through the richness. It feels like a proper treat, but it comes together from a budget supermarket shop and a little patience while the dough rises. Let's cook!

Why This Prawn Pizza Works

Spicy prawn pizza with an apple and cabbage slaw, about 1 hour 40 minutes start to finish, and most of that is hands-off while the dough does its thing.

The technique that makes it work is a wet, sticky focaccia-style dough. It will feel much softer than you expect, and that softness is exactly what gives you the pillowy, chewy base.

What makes this version different is the slaw. Cold, tart apple and raw cabbage against a hot, spicy, cheesy pizza sounds like a wildcard, and it is the best thing on the plate.

After years of working with dough professionally, my one piece of advice is this: if you can find fresh yeast, use it. It is often cheaper than dried, you get far more of it, and the result is ALWAYS better.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 20 minutes, plus 1 hour rising time
• Cook Time: 15 to 20 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 35 to 40 minutes
• Serves: 2 to 4 people (easily 4, or 2 if you are feeling like a feast)
• Difficulty: Easy
• Special Equipment: Large baking tray or oven dish, lined with baking paper

Two things here are worth your patience. The tomato sauce wants the onion sweated down slowly before the tomatoes go anywhere near it, because that is the difference between a sweet, rich sauce and a sharp, raw-tasting one, and then it wants reducing until it is genuinely thick. A loose sauce soaks straight down into a focaccia base and leaves you with a wet middle, which is the one thing that can let this pizza down. The dough is the other. Resist adding flour when it feels sticky, oil your hands instead of flouring them, and press it into the tray with your fingertips. It is essentially my easy same day focaccia bread with a topping on it, so if you enjoy this dough you already know what to make next.

Ingredients

For the pizza dough:

• 6g fresh yeast (or 2g dried/instant yeast, just under 1 tsp)
• 2g caster sugar (1/2 tsp)
• 210ml warm water
• 240g plain flour
• 3g sea salt (1/2 tsp)
• 12g olive oil (1 tbsp), for oiling the bowl

For the tomato sauce:

• 1/2 onion, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic, finely diced (optional but great if you have it)
• 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
• Salt, to taste
• A drizzle of olive oil

For the topping:

• 150g raw prawn meat, cut into chunks
• 1/2 tbsp crushed chilli (adjust to your heat preference, and always taste your chilli first as they vary enormously)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• A drizzle of oil
• 75g grated cheese

For the apple and cabbage slaw:

• 1/4 of a half cabbage (so one eighth of a whole cabbage), finely sliced
• 1 apple, cut into thin batons
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• A splash of vinegar (apple cider, white wine, or whatever you have on hand, you just want something a little tart)
• A drizzle of olive oil
• Toasted sesame seeds, optional but lovely

How to Make Spicy Prawn Pizza

1. Make the dough: Crumble the fresh yeast into the warm water and add the sugar. Give it a stir and leave for a few minutes until it starts to look a little foamy. Add the flour and salt and mix together until a soft, sticky dough forms. It will be wetter than you expect and that is fine. Oil a bowl generously, place the dough inside, cover with a clean tea towel or cling film, and leave somewhere warm for about 1 hour until doubled in size. If your kitchen is cool, pop it in the oven with just the light on for a little extra warmth, which may speed the rise up too.
2. Make the tomato sauce: While the dough rises, heat a drizzle of oil in a pan over a low to medium heat. Add the onion and garlic if using, along with a pinch of salt to help them soften. Sweat them down slowly for about 8 to 10 minutes until soft and sweet. Add the can of chopped tomatoes and let everything bubble away until the sauce is thick and reduced. Season to taste and set aside.
3. Marinate the prawns: Cut the prawns into chunks and add the crushed chilli, a pinch of salt and pepper, and a drizzle of oil. Toss to coat and set aside. Taste your chilli before you add it, as every jar and every fresh chilli is completely different in heat.
4. Preheat the oven: Heat your oven to 220C (210C fan / 450F / Gas Mark 8) and line a large baking tray or oven dish with baking paper.
5. Shape and top the pizza: Once the dough has doubled, tip it out onto your lined tray. It will be soft and sticky, so oil your hands and use your fingers to press and stretch it out to fill the tray. Do not worry about it being perfect. Spread the tomato sauce over the base, leaving a small border around the edges. Scatter over the marinated prawns and then top with the grated cheese.
6. Bake the pizza: Place in the hot oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the base is golden underneath and the cheese is bubbling and starting to catch at the edges.
7. Make the slaw: While the pizza bakes, finely slice the cabbage and cut the apple into thin batons. Add to a bowl with a splash of vinegar, a drizzle of oil, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Toss well, taste, and adjust the seasoning. Add toasted sesame seeds if you have them.
8. Slice and serve: Slice the pizza and serve alongside the slaw. The cold, crunchy slaw against the hot, spicy pizza is genuinely one of the best combinations you will taste.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Genuinely budget-friendly: This pizza comes from a shop of under $50 that feeds two to three people across three dinners. Homemade pizza for a fraction of the cost of a takeaway.
• Fresh yeast for the win: Fresh yeast is often cheaper than dried and you get far more of it. Any leftovers wrap up and freeze beautifully, so nothing is wasted.
• That slaw though: The apple and cabbage slaw sounds simple, but it is the perfect partner for this pizza. Cold, crunchy and a little tart against the spicy, cheesy topping.
• Totally flexible: No garlic? No worries. Different vinegar in the dressing? Perfect. This recipe works with what you have, which is the whole point of Savvy Suppers.

Chef's Tips for Spicy Prawn Pizza

On fresh yeast: I used fresh yeast for this recipe and I have made it with both fresh and dried. Fresh wins every time, and it is often cheaper than dried with far more in the packet. Any leftover fresh yeast wraps up easily and goes straight in the freezer, so nothing gets wasted. If you can only find dried or instant yeast, use just under 1 tsp (about 2g) and it will work just as well.

The dough will feel very soft: This is a focaccia-style dough and it should feel wetter and stickier than a traditional pizza dough. Do not add extra flour. Oil your hands instead of flouring them when shaping, and press it into the tray with your fingertips. It comes out beautifully.

Taste your chilli: This cannot be said enough. Every chilli, whether fresh or from a jar, is completely different. Some are mild, some will blow your head off. Add a little at a time, taste as you go, and find the level that works for you.

Low and slow for the sauce: Sweating the onion down slowly before the tomatoes go in is what gives you a sweet, rich sauce rather than a sharp, raw-tasting one, and reducing it properly is what keeps the base crisp. If you want a bigger batch to keep in the fridge, my deep and rich tomato sauce works perfectly on this base.

The slaw dressing: I used my own homemade raisin vinegar here, but apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar both work beautifully. You just want something a little tart to cut through the richness of the pizza. If you have mayonnaise you could make a creamy version, or add a little mustard for a sharper dressing.

Substitutions & Variations

• No fresh yeast? Use 2g (just under 1 tsp) of dried or instant yeast instead. Instant yeast can be added straight to the flour without activating first.
• No prawns? Sliced mushrooms, roasted capsicum, or any leftover cooked meat all work well as a topping.
• No canned tomatoes? Tomato paste thinned with a little water makes a perfectly good pizza sauce in a pinch.
• Want more heat? Add extra crushed chilli or scatter some fresh chilli over the top before baking.
• No apple for the slaw? A small handful of raisins or some thinly sliced pear gives a similar sweet contrast.
• Make it cheesier: If you have more cheese on hand, go for it. A little extra never hurt anyone.

Storage

Best eaten fresh: This pizza is at its absolute best straight from the oven while the base is still crisp and the cheese is bubbling. The slaw is best made and eaten on the day.

Fridge: Store leftover pizza slices in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in a hot oven or air fryer for 5 to 8 minutes to crisp the base back up. The slaw keeps for up to 2 days and makes a great addition to a lunchbox the next day.

Freezer: The baked pizza freezes for up to 1 month. Freeze slices individually on a tray first, then transfer to a bag. Reheat from frozen in a hot oven for 10 to 12 minutes. The slaw is not suitable for freezing.

Avoid: Do not reheat pizza in the microwave. The base goes soft and soggy and the cheese turns rubbery. The oven or air fryer takes a few extra minutes and gives a completely different, much better result.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you make pizza dough ahead of time? Yes. Make the dough the night before and let it rise slowly in the fridge overnight rather than on the bench. Take it out about 30 minutes before you want to use it so it comes back to room temperature, as cold dough fights you when you try to stretch it.

Why didn't my pizza dough rise? The most common reason is that the water was too hot and killed the yeast. It should feel warm to the touch but not hot, and if you have a thermometer aim for around 35 to 38C. The other usual culprit is yeast that is past its date.

Can you freeze pizza dough? Yes. After the first rise, knock the dough back, shape it into a ball and freeze in an airtight bag for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and let it come to room temperature before shaping.

Can you double this pizza recipe? Yes, but you will need two baking trays. Make the dough as one batch, then divide it after the first rise. Bake both trays at once if your oven is large enough, or one after the other.

What can you use instead of a large baking tray? Any oven-safe dish or pan works, as the pizza does not need to be a perfect rectangle. A round cake tin, a cast iron pan or a roasting dish all work well. The shape just changes.

How spicy is this prawn pizza? That depends entirely on your chilli. Start with 1/2 tablespoon of crushed chilli, taste, and add more if you want more heat. Always taste your chilli before adding it, as the heat varies enormously from brand to brand and jar to jar.

Why is my pizza base soggy in the middle? Almost always an under-reduced tomato sauce. If the sauce is still loose when it goes on, the liquid sinks into the dough instead of baking off. Reduce it until it holds its shape on a spoon, spread it thinly, and make sure the oven is fully up to temperature before the tray goes in.

What do you serve with prawn pizza? The apple and cabbage slaw is the pairing I would always go for, because you want something cold and sharp against all that heat and cheese. Beyond that, a simple rocket salad with lemon, or a bowl of olives and some extra slaw for the table, is plenty. It does not need much.

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There is something genuinely satisfying about making pizza dough from scratch and watching it double in the bowl while the sauce bubbles away on the stove. The fresh yeast is the secret here, cheaper than dried, more of it in the packet, and any leftovers go straight in the freezer. The prawn topping comes together in minutes and the slaw is the element that makes the whole plate. Cold, crunchy and a little tart, it sounds like a strange pairing but it is exactly what the rich, spicy pizza needs alongside it.

Enjoy!

Del x

Homemade focaccia-style pizza with spicy prawns and a sharp apple slaw, proof that budget cooking never has to be boring.