Italian Sausage and Caramelized Onion Pizza features a crispy pizza crust topped with fragrant tomato sauce, caramelized onions, juicy Italian sausage, a hint of chili flakes, and aromatic herbs. Get ready to impress your friends and family with this easy-to-make masterpiece!
This is our go-to recipe when we are craving a rich and filling pizza. We love the way the sausage, sauce, and onions all build on each other to make an extremely satisfying pie.
If you are looking for other decadent pizza recipes, try our Fig Pizza or our Prosciutto Ricotta Pizza.
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Why You'll Love This Sausage Pizza
- Taste - The sausage and caramelized onion together is ridiculously good.
- Texture - The sausage is lightly crispy, the caramelized onions are soft with a light bite, and the pizza dough has a crisp edge.
- Effort - All you need to do is make the sauce, cook the sausage, and bake the pizza. If you want to streamline the process, you can make the sauce beforehand or use store-bought.
- Time - It takes just 10 minutes to make the sauce and prep the other ingredients. It takes about 10 minutes to cook the sausage and 10 to 15 minutes to cook the pizza after that.
Key Ingredients
- Pizza dough - We love Trader Joe's pizza dough because it is mildly flavored and crisps perfectly. We also like DeLallo.
- Tomato pizza sauce - Our tomato pizza sauce is light, bright, and easy. You can also use store-bought if you don't feel like making your own.
- Mozzarella cheese - Fresh mozzarella has a mild savoriness that compliments the rich caramelized onions and sausage.
- Italian Sausage - We love to use sweet Italian chicken sausage because it has all the rich flavor of Italian pork sausage, but is slightly healthier. Use spicy Italian sausage if you prefer some heat.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions/Variations
- Hot honey - Drizzle some Hot honey sauce on the pizza for a uniquely sweet and spicy accent.
- Crispy - Bake the pizza for an extra couple minutes to make it extra crispy.
- Homemade pizza dough - If you have time, make your own dough from scratch then add our toppings.
How to Make This Pizza
- Let dough temper - Place dough on a lightly floured work surface and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven - Place the oven rack in the middle tier and preheat the oven to 475°F.
- Cook sausage - In a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add sausage to the pan and use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage into small pieces. Cook until the sausage is just about cooked through and becomes browned and crumbly in texture, about 7-10 minutes. (Photo 1, 2, and 3)
- Transfer sausage - Then remove the sausage from the pan and set aside. (Photo 4)
- Cook onions - Add more olive oil to the pan on medium heat and add the thinly sliced onions. Cook the onions and stir occasionally until the onions are light brown and caramelized. Then remove from heat and season to taste with salt. (Photo 5 and 6)
- Pizza sauce - While the sausage and onions cook, make the pizza sauce. In a bowl, mix the crushed tomatoes, minced garlic, and extra virgin olive oil until combined. Then salt to taste and set aside. (Photo 7 and 8)
- Prepare pizza dough - Stretch the dough by hand or use a rolling pin to create a 12-inch circle or a 9x13" rectangle. Lightly oil a pizza pan or baking sheet with olive oil and place the dough on in the pan. (Photo 9 and 10)
- Add sauce, cheese, and seasoning - Then use a ladle to spread pizza sauce on the dough, using the back of the ladle or a spoon to smooth out the sauce in a circular motion. Leave about an inch around the edges for the crust. Then, top the pizza with mozzarella first, then the rosemary, and red pepper flakes. (Photo 11 and 12)
- Add toppings - Then, spread out the caramelized onions and sausage evenly on the pizza. (Photo 13)
- Bake pizza - Bake pizza on the middle rack for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and lightly golden and the bottom of the crust is lightly browned. The cheese will be bubbly around the edges. Baking time may vary depending on the size of your oven. (Photo 14)
- Serve - Remove from the oven and cut into 8 slices. Then, top with fresh basil ribbons and serve immediately. (Photo 15 and 16)
Pro tip - Be sure to brown the sausage to bring out its flavor and make the outside crispy.
Top Tips
- If there are brown bits in the pan after you cook the sausage, deglaze it with a tablespoon of water and scrape the pan to incorporate it into the sausage.
- Be sure to dust the dough with flour so it won't stick to the pan while baking.
- Spread the dough slowly and carefully to ensure the dough has an even thickness throughout and there aren't any holes.
- If using a domed pizza oven, like Gozney or Ooni, reduce the cook time to accommodate the oven. Cook times will be closer to 5 minutes or less.
Recipe FAQs
Do I need to precook the sausage?
Yes, it ensures the sausage will be fully cooked and makes the sausage nice and crispy.
Can I freeze Italian sausage pizza?
Yes, just wait until the pizza gets to room temperature then store it in a freezer safe container. When you want to it eat, let it thaw, then reheat at 300°F in the oven on a baking sheet until warm.
Related Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Italian Sausage and Caramelized Onion Pizza
Italian Sausage and Caramelized Onion Pizza features a crispy pizza crust topped with fragrant tomato sauce, caramelized onions, juicy Italian sausage, a hint of chili flakes, and a sprinkle of aromatic herbs. Get ready to impress your friends and family with this easy-to-make masterpiece!
Servings: 8
Calories: 432kcal
Equipment
- 1 knife
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil divided
- 8 oz sweet or hot Italian sausage casing removed, chicken or pork
- 1 small sweet onion thinly sliced
- kosher salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour for dusting
- 1 lb pizza dough
- ½ cup pizza sauce see recipe below for a full batch of sauce
- 8 oz mozzarella cheese fior di Latte (regular), buffalo, or shredded
- 1 tablespoon rosemary finely chopped
- crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoon fresh basil cut into ribbons
Pizza Sauce
- 14 oz crushed tomatoes about 1¾ cups
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Let dough temper - Place dough on a lightly floured work surface and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.1 tablespoon all purpose flour, 1 lb pizza dough
- Preheat oven - Place the oven rack in the middle tier and preheat the oven to 475°F.
- Cook sausage - In a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add sausage to the pan and use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage into small pieces. Cook until the sausage is just about cooked through and becomes browned and crumbly in texture, about 7-10 minutes. Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside.2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 8 oz sweet or hot Italian sausage
- Cook onions - Add more olive oil to the pan on medium heat and add the thinly sliced onions. Cook the onions and stir occasionally until the onions are light brown and caramelized. Remove from heat and season to taste with a pinch of salt.2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 1 small sweet onion, kosher salt
- Pizza sauce - While the sausage and onions cook, make the pizza sauce. In a bowl, mix the crushed tomatoes, minced garlic, and extra virgin olive oil until combined. Salt to taste and set aside.kosher salt, 14 oz crushed tomatoes, 2 cloves garlic, ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Prepare pizza - Stretch the dough by hand or use a rolling pin to create a 12-inch circle or a 9x13" rectangle. Lightly oil a pizza pan or baking sheet with olive oil and place the dough on in the pan. Use a ladle to spread pizza sauce on the dough, using the back of the ladle or a spoon to smooth out the sauce in a circular motion. Leave about an inch around the edges for the crust. Then, top the pizza with mozzarella first, then the rosemary, red pepper flakes, onions, and sausage.2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 1 small sweet onion, ½ cup pizza sauce, 8 oz mozzarella cheese, 1 tablespoon rosemary, crushed red pepper flakes
- Bake pizza - Bake pizza on the middle rack for 12-15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and lightly golden and the bottom of the crust is lightly browned. The cheese will be bubbly around the edges. Baking time may vary depending on the size of your oven.
- Serve - Remove from the oven and cut into 8 slices. Top with fresh basil ribbons and serve immediately.2 tablespoon fresh basil
Video
Notes
Storage
- Refrigerate leftover sausage pizza in an air-tight container or wrapped in foil for up to 3 days. When you are ready to eat it, enjoy it cold, at room temperature, or heat in the oven at 300°F on a baking sheet for 5 to 7 minutes.Â
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- Brown the sausage to bring out its flavor and make the outside crispy.
- Deglaze the pan with a tablespoon of water to incorporate any leftover bits into the sausage.
- Dust the dough with flour so it won't stick to the pan while baking.
- Spread the dough slowly and carefully so it has an even thickness throughout and there aren't any holes or thin areas.
- If using a domed pizza oven, like Gozney or Ooni, reduce the cook time to accommodate the oven. Cook times will be closer to 5 minutes or less.Â
Nutrition
Calories: 432kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 766mg | Potassium: 340mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 373IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 180mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @theheirloompantry or tag #theheirloompantry!
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