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Change up pizza night! This easy-to-make sausage and roasted red pepper pizza brings salty and earthy flavors together, and it’s crave-worthy.
Sausage and peppers: better together.
Confession: I’ve never been a huge fan of sausage on pizza, until now. Last year I was woo’d by a pasta dish that incorporated crumbled sausage, roasted red peppers, spinach, and cheese. I’d forgotten just how well sausage and peppers worked together and was immediately inspired to try it with pizza, despite my usual aversion. We’re always looking for new ways to enjoy pizza in this house—especially with our homemade Friday night pizza ritual. Lo and behold, this combination proved to be perfect for our favorite savory pie; salty crumbled sausage, slightly sweet roasted red peppers, melty cheese, and of course spinach, for nutritional balance ;)
Serve it with this side salad for pizza, and you’ve got yourself a complete meal.
How to make Sausage and Roasted Red Pepper Pizza.
We keep things as quick and simple as possible in this recipe by using jarred roasted red peppers. But if you’re feeling it, you can definitely roast your own red pepper in the oven. As for the sausage, we removed the pork from the casing and transferred it to a pan to fry and crumble prior to baking it on the pizza. Use whatever kind of Italian sausage you love most; hot is great for those who love an extra punch. We kept things tame with a mild and sweet variety since our little guy was going to be eating it as well, and it was delicious.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Pizza dough—homemade or store-bought.
- Marinara
- Italian sausage
- Roasted red pepper
- Spinach
- Mozzarella cheese
Here’s what you’ll do:
- Preheat the oven to 450º F or, if using store-bought, preheat it as per the directions on the package.
- Heat a pan over medium-high heat; drizzle just a tad of oil into the pan. The sausage is already fatty, but a bit of oil will help it in not sticking to the pan.
- Remove the sausage from it’s casing (you can do this easily by just squeezing it out onto the pan). Break the meat up into chunks with a spatula, and cook the until it’s no longer pink—about 3-5 minutes. Continue to break it down into chunks as it cooks so you get a crumbled texture. When done, remove from heat and set aside on a plate lined with paper towels. Lightly pat the sausage with paper towels to remove excess oils and grease.
- Form your dough onto a lightly greased pizza pan.
- Evenly spoon marinara over the dough, then sprinkle the cheese over the marinara. Top the cheese with spinach, roasted red pepper, and crumbled sausage.
- Place the pizza in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the crust is golden and cheese has fully melted.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and let it sit for about 5 minutes before cutting it and serving it.
Other pizzas to try at home:
Hope you enjoy!
If you plan on making this recipe, be sure to snap a pic and tag us on Insta! @killing__thyme.
Sausage and Roasted Red Pepper Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 ball of fresh pizza dough, homemade or premade, You could also just use a premade shell if need be.
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 12 oz Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled
- Olive oil
- 1 12 oz jar of roasted red peppers, drained and sliced into strips
- 1 cup ribboned or roughly chopped spinach
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450º F, or according to your pizza dough directions.
- Lightly oil your pizza pan. Transfer the dough out onto it, and work the dough up to the edges of the pan until your pizza dough is fully formed.
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat; add a tiny drizzle of oil.
- Place the sausage into the pan and cook just until it's no longer pink, breaking it apart with a spatula until it's crumbled. Transfer the sausage to a plate line with paper towels and gently pat the sausage crumbles with paper towels to soak up excess grease; set aside.
- Spoon the tomato sauce over the center of the pizza and evenly spread it out, leaving about 1/2-1 inch of room for a crust to form. Evenly sprinkle the shredded cheese over the marinara, then top the cheese with the roasted red peppers, spinach, and sausage, spreading them out for even coverage.
- Bake the pizza for 12-15 minutes, or until the crust is golden in color. Remove the pizza from the oven and let it sit for about 5 minutes before cutting into it.
