Italian Sausage and Pepper Pizza

After making this I had leftover sausage. I think I struggled to come up with a recipe idea for maybe a minute, if that. Pizza? Uhm yes! Absolutely yes! Right? I mean it wasn’t for me but the Mr is a fan of Italian sausage so I figured why not. I like making pizza at home. It’s super easy as long as you plan a head a bit. That is of course unless you take the super easy route and buy dough or use something similar to Boboli. I won’t judge you for either. In fact, I like Boboli. I haven’t had it in a few years, but I do like it!

There are several other options for dough which requires a bit more effort on your part since they’re all homemade… make dough ahead and freeze some for the future. Then all you have to do is thaw it out and go! You could also make a quick dough. And by quick dough I mean 3 hours or so tops and you’ve got dough ready to use. Then there’s the option I used this time, and several times previously… thin crust. This requires more planning than quick dough as it needs to sit in the fridge for at least a full day or more before you use it. The longer it sits, the more flavor it has. I knew this pizza had to be a thin crust pizza. It was necessary on so many levels. Don’t ask me to explain, just nod and agree with me k? Sometimes you just know it has to be a certain way and this was one of those times.

The next time you are craving pizza… with notice of course. You need to make this, especially if you love hot sausage. I promise you’ll go back for seconds and be thanking me for making your belly and taste buds happy.

Italian Sausage and Pepper Pizza

Easy thin crust two cheese Italian sausage and pepper pizza. A fun addition to any pizza night or game day menu!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Total Time1 day
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Pizza
Servings: 3 plus

Ingredients

  • thin crust pizza dough makes one pizza
  • 1/4-1/2 lb Italian sausage
  • pizza sauce
  • 1 C cheddar cheese shredded
  • 1 C mozzarella cheese shredded
  • yellow bell pepper
  • red onion
  • olive oil

Instructions

  • Prepare thin crust dough as directed. When ready to make pizza, preheat oven to 500°F
  • Heat skillet over medium heat. Add sausage to pan, toss and break up into small pieces until cooked through and slightly browned. Remove excess fat as needed. Remove from heat, transfer sausage to a size appropriate bowl.
  • Slice pepper, discarding seeds. A third to half of the pepper should be enough. Cut onion down the center from tip to root. Cut off the bottom, then very thinly slice. Trim down pieces by cutting in half if smaller slices are desired.
  • Prepare a baking sheet with  a light coating of olive oil. Spread out dough carefully. If a hole should happen, simply pinch to fix. Spread pizza sauce over nearly the entire surface, leaving 1/2" edge uncoated. Scatter raw onions, peppers and cooked sausage meat throughout. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 500°F for 12 minutes.

Notes

An original recipe from Baked by Rachel
Share this:

29 Responses to “Italian Sausage and Pepper Pizza”

  1. #
    1
    Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen — October 11, 2011 at 9:51 am

    Sausage pizza…a guilty pleasure for sure! Cold and for breakfast? Even better I say.

  2. #
    2
    Tina@flourtrader — October 11, 2011 at 10:03 am

    I can’t have my pizza without sausage on it! How I would love a slice now-yours is definitely creating a craving for me. Thanks for sharing-yum!

  3. #
    3
    Kate@Diethood — October 11, 2011 at 10:08 am

    Oh lord! It’s 9 am and I want this pizza!!

  4. #
    4
    Kelly — October 11, 2011 at 11:27 am

    What a delicious looking pizza, this looks wonderful! :)

  5. #
    5
    Susie — October 11, 2011 at 11:36 am

    The pizza looks fantastic and hubby loves thin crust pizza dough. I should make my own dough I’m always a bit lazy and buy the dough from Whole Foods that is fresh. Someone made it so that counts right? LOL!

    • #
      5.1
      Rachel — October 11, 2011 at 12:58 pm

      There is absolutely nothing wrong with buying premade dough especially if it’s fresh! :)

  6. #
    6
    Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts — October 11, 2011 at 12:55 pm

    Love sausage pizza! We made pizza last night, but I didn’t have any sausage :(

  7. #
    7
    Jersey Girl Cooks — October 11, 2011 at 2:05 pm

    This is my kind of pizza!

  8. #
    8
    janet@fromcupcakestocaviar — October 11, 2011 at 2:49 pm

    Oh wow, that looks good rachel1 That is one of my all time favorite pizzas! Usually I would do mushrooms but I think the peppers sound really good!

  9. #
    9
    janet@fromcupcakestocaviar — October 11, 2011 at 2:49 pm

    The 1 up there should have been an exclamation point lol. Oops

  10. #
    10
    Maggie @ A Bitchin' Kitchen — October 11, 2011 at 2:57 pm

    This looks so good! I like Boboli crusts as well, but I recently did a homemade crust for the first time and it was far superior!

  11. #
    11
    Chris @ TheKeenanCookBook — October 11, 2011 at 3:44 pm

    I so want pizza for dinner now. We make home made pizza maybe once a week. Home made dough (either Alton Brown or Tyler Florence). Gotta use a pizza stone – no ifs ands or buts about it!

    Loving the sausage and peppers on this pizza. I did the same exact thing (once) a few months ago when I had left overs. Sadly, sausage is kind of a rarity in the house after Rachel had a bad experience with it while pregnant.

    • #
      11.1
      Rachel — October 11, 2011 at 3:56 pm

      No reason why you couldn’t have a sausage pizza for you and something else for Rachel! We usually do two here since I don’t eat sauce on mine. I’m wondering if a pizza stone would change the outcome of the pizza – ie crispier crust etc? I’ve never tried. Will have to borrow my moms sometime and experiment.

  12. #
    12
    Chris @ TheKeenanCookBook — October 11, 2011 at 3:59 pm

    It’s a good point about two pizza’s. I’m never one to disagree with more pizza :)

    Pizza stone does make for a crispier crust. Because its porous helps wick away the moisture in the dough. Once you try it, hard to not use it again. :)

    Just remember to keep the stone in the oven during warm up and cool down or it may crack. Let me know if you try it :)

  13. #
    13
    Natalie — October 11, 2011 at 8:25 pm

    Looks amazing! I love sausage on pizza!

  14. #
    14
    Tracey — October 11, 2011 at 8:30 pm

    Homemade pizza is one of my very favorite things to make for dinner here. Problem is I usually make 2 pizzas because my husband and I like different toppings and then I end up eating WAY too much of mine :) Your version looks terrific!!

  15. #
    15
    Anne@frommysweetheart — October 11, 2011 at 11:26 pm

    What a gorgeous pizza! Love sausage on my pizza and love to eat pizza for breakfast! Your crust is absolutely perfect!

  16. #
    16
    Sandra — October 12, 2011 at 7:54 am

    Pizza is not pizza without Italian sausage, yummy recipe.

  17. #
    17
    Kita — October 12, 2011 at 9:52 am

    Who could resist a slice of home made pizza with sausage. Yeah, I’d have a few slices!

  18. #
    18
    Aggie — October 12, 2011 at 4:18 pm

    oh my heaven this looks so good. I have a weakness for sausage and pepper pizza.

  19. #
    19
    Lauren@LittleYellowKitchen — October 12, 2011 at 7:24 pm

    So simple but sooo good…pizza rocks. This looks fantastic!

  20. #
    20
    Jen at The Three Little Piglets — October 12, 2011 at 7:40 pm

    That would be great leftover for breakfast too!

  21. #
    21
    Elyse @The Cultural Dish — October 13, 2011 at 10:04 am

    I love Italian sausages so this is definitely a pizza for me!

  22. #
    22
    marla — October 14, 2011 at 9:58 pm

    My whole family love a great sausage & pepper pizza. They could love on this!

  23. #
    23
    Olga @ MangoTomato — October 21, 2011 at 2:26 pm

    I’m a thin crust girl all the way. What’s not to like about meat, cheese and pepers?

  24. #
    24
    Denise @ Creative Kitchen — October 24, 2011 at 8:17 pm

    Making me crave pizza….yum!!

  25. #
    25
    val — December 19, 2011 at 2:35 pm

    Another alternative is to lay down the sausage and put sliced mozz over it, bake then put warmed sauce over the cheese when it comes out the oven. Sprinkle some parm over it, it’s a fav in this area.

  26. #
    26
    Melissa B — August 25, 2012 at 1:55 pm

    Probably a totally silly question…but do I have to use ground turkey? Or can I use actual turkey sausage links and cut them up into small pieces?

    • #
      26.1
      Rachel — August 25, 2012 at 3:10 pm

      I’d suggest using ground sausage or sausage links with the casings removed. But if you choose to chop links up instead, be sure they are in small (not too thick) pieces.

Leave a Comment