Category Archives: Italian sausage

Deep Dish Pizza Recipe

Posted on August 20, 2012 | Leave a comment

Deep Dish Pizza

Ingredients:

  • Italian sausage
  • Sauteed green pepper and onion
  • Fresh mozzarella cheese
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Marinara sauce
  • Homemade deep dish dough made with cornmeal

Note:

This was a special pizza. My brother-in-law, Matt, gave me a cast iron skillet for my birthday. I have been a little too intimidated to try using it myself so he offered to come do a cast iron deep dish pizza lesson. It was super easy to make and so much more delicious than my old method. The cast iron skillet cooks the dough to perfection, crispy on the outside, soft but not mushy on the inside. The cheese melted beautifully and stretched out into long strings. The ingredients tasted much more flavorful. Andrew and I agreed that we will be making many more cast iron deep dish pizzas in the future.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in cheese, Italian sausage, marinara, meat, mozzarella, Onion, Parmesan, peppers, pizza, sauce, veggie

Sausage and Peppers Deep Dish Pizza Recipe

Posted on April 13, 2012 | 1 Comment

Sausage and Peppers Deep Dish Pizza

The ingredients I used for this deep dish pizza are some of my all time favorite. I thoroughly enjoyed this recipe and will definitely repeat it in the future. I rolled out, then pressed deep dish pizza dough (1 cup cornmeal substituted for 1 cup flour) into a round pie pan that had been sprayed with canola oil and sprinkled with cornmeal. Pre-baking the dough takes about 7 minutes since it is pretty thick. After pre-baking, I layered mozzarella cheese, Italian sausage, green peppers, onions and pizza sauce in the pan. The thickness of the pizza causes the it to take longer to bake, so I baked it for about 20 minutes.

→ 1 Comment

Posted in cheese, Italian sausage, meat, mozzarella, Onion, Parmesan, peppers, pizza, pizza sauce, sauce, veggie

Tagged , , , , ,

Greens and Beans Pizza Recipe

Posted on January 14, 2012 | Leave a comment

Greens and Beans Pizza

Greens & beans is a healthy meal that is inexpensive and simple to prepare. I make my recipe as a soup a few times each winter and have been waiting for the right time to turn this comfort food into a pizza. It can be risky to take something that is already delicious and change it so that it works on a pizza. With my greens and beans pizza recipe I worried that it might be a bit dry, but it worked out great. Here’s how I put it together.

I started by breaking up spicy Italian sausage with a potato masher in large pan on medium-high heat. In a separate pan, I sauteed a chopped white onion and garlic. Then I added escarole so it would wilt. To finish the preparation of the greens and beans I added cannellini beans and the cooked sausage to the pan.

To create the pizza I put mozzarella cheese onto pre-baked dough and topped it with the greens and beans. Finally, I added a light sprinkle of parmesan cheese after I took it out of the oven. Next time I create this pizza I might try making it a vegan friendly pizza by leaving off the sausage and the cheese.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in beans, cheese, escarole, garlic, greens and beans, herbs, Italian sausage, Meal->Pizza, meat, mozzarella, Onion, Parmesan, pizza, Seasonal, veggie, Winter Recipe

Tagged , , ,

Sausage and Leek Pizza Recipe

Posted on November 10, 2011 | Leave a comment

Sausage and Leak Pizza

I didn’t have any big ideas for a pizza this week so I looked to my freezer for inspiration. There was a bag of frozen leeks that I knew would compliment the Italian sausage patties I found in the downstairs freezer. Andrew grilled the sausage while I sauteed the leeks. I spread some marinara and a generous portion of mozzarella cheese before topping the pizza with sausage and leeks. This was a really simple pizza, but very good!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in cheese, Italian sausage, Leek, marinara, meat, mozzarella, pizza, sauce, veggie

Tagged , , ,

Spicy Meat Pizza Recipe

Posted on November 6, 2011 | 1 Comment

Spicy Meat Pizza

Andrew’s little brother has had a football game almost every Saturday this fall so he has been coming over for dinner on Sundays. Meat lovers pizzas are a perfect fit for Tyler’s big appetite.

I started with spicy Italian sausage and turkey pepperoni, a  great combination on any pizza. I put banana peppers on a pizza for a the first time this spring and knew they would be a great compliment for this spicy pizza. Topped with my homemade pizza sauce, onions, and mozzarella cheese, this pizza was excellent and with Tyler as a guest there were no left-overs!

→ 1 Comment

Posted in banana peppers, cheese, Italian sausage, meat, mozzarella, Onion, pepperoni, peppers, pizza, pizza sauce, sauce, veggie

Tagged , , , ,

Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza Recipe

Posted on August 30, 2011 | 2 Comments

I have been making so many pizzas this summer that I haven’t been able to keep up with the blog posts. Andrew’s former student Rob and his girlfriend joined us for dinner in June before they headed off to NYC. Rob is a foodie, but he didn’t have any special requests so I decided to make a Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza and take a second shot at my Barbecue Chicken Pizza.

I think you need more than two types of meat to classify a pizza as meat-lovers so I can’t label this pizza as that, but this one sure tasted great. I used precooked sausage from Wegmans prepared food section and turkey pepperoni. The flavor from the sausage, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese combined for guest-satisfying first pizza.

The second pizza was the show stopper of the night. Last summer I made a BBQ chicken pizza, but used store bought sauce and red onions. For this pizza I marinated the chicken in homemade sauce. First, I spread on a thin layer of BBQ sauce onto the dough. Then, rather than using mozzarella like last time, I sprinkled on cheddar cheese. Finally, I placed the grilled BBQ chicken on top. The homemade sauce and the cheddar cheese made all the difference. I still prefer onions on my BBQ chicken pizza, but this was still a winner.

→ 2 Comments

Posted in BBQ, cheddar cheese, cheese, chicken, Italian sausage, meat, mozzarella, pepperoni, pizza, sauce

Tagged , , , , ,

The Healthy Italian Pizza Recipe

Posted on August 7, 2011 | 6 Comments

For some reason I was in the mood for lasagna earlier today so I bought the ingredients to make a summertime lasagna. I thought this would be a nice dish to prepare for RJ, one of Andrew’s former students/flag football teammates, but at the last minute I remembered a pizza adventure I had been wanting to try. I have made over 100 unique pizzas, but somehow I have never made a pizza with ricotta cheese. Tonight would be the night.

In addition to the ricotta cheese I had also picked up Italian sausage at the store. We had an abundance of yellow squash and a nice bunch of basil from our CSA, The Good Food Collective.  To begin, I sliced one yellow squash and white onion and then sauteed them. I also browned the sausage in a pan. While that all cooked I used a blender to combine ricotta cheese, fresh garlic and basil. It smelled and looked pretty similar to a pesto sauce. After pre-baking the dough I spread on the cheese mixture, then topped it with the Italian sausage, yellow squash and onions. I then let it bake for about 10 minutes.

I always enjoy having guests over on nights I am making a new creation so that if it is a good pizza they can enjoy in the experience with us. Well this pizza was a winner! The ricotta cheese mixture tasted fantastic with the flavors of the fresh squash and the Italian sausage.  The flavors were rich but that didn’t stop us from eating most of the pizza. Another thing I like about having guests over for new pizza creations is giving them the the honor, or the pressure, of naming the new pizza. When given the reigns RJ quickly settled on The Healthy Italian.  Overall, my Healthy Italian pizza recipe made for another delicious summer pizza!

→ 6 Comments

Posted in basil, cheese, garlic, herbs, Italian sausage, meat, Onion, pizza, ricotta cheese, Seasonal, squash, Summer Recipe, veggie

Tagged , , , ,

Fulmer Pie Pizza Recipe

Posted on July 31, 2011 | 2 Comments

Fulmer Pie Pizza

I come from a long line of farmers and do-it-yourselfers, but somehow I have struggled with both skills. I am just learning how to garden and I have been known to purchase a lot of ingredients that my Uncle Al would just as soon make himself. Homemade pizza sauce is an ingredient that I have not yet attempted. While visiting my Uncle Al, he hand had some homemade sauce in the fridge ready to use for one our of three pizza creations.

To go along with the homemade sauce we pan cooked Italian sausage. We also included kalamata olives,  sun dried tomatoes, sliced jalapenos and yellow peppers. After pre-baking the dough we slathered on the homemade sauce, laid on sharp provolone cheese, added all the veggies and sausage, then sprinkled on grated parmesan cheese. We let the pizza bake and then dug in.

So many flavors jumped off this pizza. I honed in on the homemade pizza sauce. Uncle Al’s sauce recipe is so good that I could eat it like soup! The rest of the pizza was amazing as well, from the sausage to the veggies and the cheeses. It only took one bite to for me to change my ways and commit to making pizza sauce for all my pizzas.

→ 2 Comments

Posted in cheese, Italian sausage, jalapeno, meat, olives, Parmesan, peppers, pizza, pizza sauce, provolone, sauce, sun-dried tomato, veggie

Tagged , , , , ,

Grilled Sausage and Kale Pizza Recipe

Posted on July 11, 2011 | Leave a comment

One of the things Andrew and I look forward to eating in the summer is Italian sausage, topped with peppers and onions from the grill. While cleaning out the freezer this afternoon I found two sausage patties and some frozen kale. So, in place of peppers and onions (see Pizza #23 Fuggetaboutit Pizza) I decided to make a sausage and kale pizza.

First, I chopped the kale and sliced the onion, then sprayed them with a light coating of olive oil spray. Andrew grilled the veggies along with the Italian sausage, while I rolled out the dough. I sprayed one side of the dough, then laid it on my grill pan. We let the dough cook for four minutes, then flipped it. Next we added the toppings. I spread on marinara, sprinkled on mozzarella cheese, then Andrew added chopped Italian sausage, the kale and onion. We let it cook for about five more minutes, then brought it to the top shelf under the grill in order to let the cheese melt. The sausage tasted great with the kale and onions. This pizza was another success!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in cheese, grilled pizza, Italian sausage, kale, marinara, meat, mozzarella, pizza, sauce, veggie

Tagged , , ,

Chicago Deep Dish Pizza Recipe

Posted on March 26, 2011 | 5 Comments

Chicago, IL

I knew that deep dish pizza originated in Chicago, but I was really surprised to learn that it was invented by Pizzeria Uno’s. Had I read the small print on the sign that reads “est. 1943″ I might not have been so surprised. Founder Ike Sewell created the recipe that is enjoyed across America to this day.

The uniqueness of the deep dish pizza lies in the crust. It is thicker than typical pizza dough and is made with cornmeal. The dough is pressed into a well-oiled deep dish pan and then par-baked. Next, the pizza is built kind of bottom up, starting with cheese, then toppings and finishing with tomato sauce.

To make the dough I followed my standard recipe but substituted a 1/2 cup flour for a 1/2 cup of cornmeal. After par-baking the crust I spread on mozzarella cheese, hot Italian sausage, peppers, onions and garlic, more cheese and topped with with marinara sauce. The pizza baked for quite a bit longer than my other pizzas, probably about three times as long. Once it was finished I topped it with parmesan cheese and sliced into quarters.

I have been known the crave a greasy Uno’s deep dish with its flaky crust, but it is a great thing when my own Chicago deep dish pizza recipe is something I’ll be sure to crave in the future. My crust tasted more like cornbread and the fresh ingredients complimented each other so well. This one was a winner!

→ 5 Comments

Posted in cheese, garlic, herbs, Italian sausage, marinara, meat, mozzarella, Onion, Parmesan, peppers, sauce, veggie

Tagged , , ,