By David Tanis
- Total Time
- 1 hour, using prepared dough
- Rating
- 5(396)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This pizza is in the light-handed California style, with no tomato sauce. If you prepare the dough in advance (it takes only 20 minutes or so, and can be refrigerated for several days), putting a pizza or two together for dinner is actually a breeze, arguably easier than making a pasta. Omit the sausage for a vegetarian version.
Featured in: Pizza, Made With a Light Hand, California Style
or to save this recipe.
Print Options
Include recipe photo
Advertisem*nt
Ingredients
Yield:4 10-inch pies
- 6cups thinly sliced bell pepper or other sweet pepper
- 2cups thinly sliced red onion
- 1jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced
- 2garlic cloves, minced
- 3tablespoons olive oil
- Salt
- 4balls of pizza dough, ready to stretch and bake (see recipe)
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
- 8ounces/225 grams low-moisture mozzarella or Fontina, grated
- 1pound/450 grams fresh mozzarella
- 8ounces/225 grams Italian fennel sausage (2 sausages in casings), cut into ½-inch pieces (optional)
- 1tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram
- Basil leaves, for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
1472 calories; 71 grams fat; 30 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 26 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 138 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams dietary fiber; 13 grams sugars; 69 grams protein; 2893 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
Step
1
Prepare the pepper mixture: Place peppers, onion, jalapeño, garlic and oil in a mixing bowl. Season well with salt and toss to distribute seasoning, then set aside.
Step
2
Heat oven to 500 degrees and place a baking stone or heavy baking sheet on middle rack.
Step
3
Shape the dough: Pat 1 dough ball to a flat disc, lightly dust both sides with flour and stretch by hand to a 10-inch diameter. Alternatively, lightly dust dough with flour and roll out with a pin. Place dough circle on a parchment-lined rimless baking sheet (or use a rimmed baking sheet turned upside down, or a pizza peel).
Step
4
Sprinkle each pizza evenly with 2 ounces of grated cheese, leaving a ½-inch border. Top each with 4 ounces sliced fresh mozzarella. Arrange the pepper mixture over the cheeses and dot each pizza with 2 ounces of sausage meat in very small pieces. Sprinkle with a pinch of marjoram.
Step
5
To bake, quickly slip the pizza, still on the parchment, onto the baking stone. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, until dough is well browned and pepper mixture is slightly charred in spots. Use a large spatula to remove pizza from oven, discard parchment and place on a large cutting board. Garnish with basil leaves and cut into slices.
Ratings
5
out of 5
396
user ratings
Your rating
or to rate this recipe.
Have you cooked this?
or to mark this recipe as cooked.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
Emily Weinstein, Cooking Editor
Apologies for that technical error. The full ingredients list is now showing.
Cindy
I make pizza frequently using Trader Joe's fresh pizza dough... regular style and I use a cast iron skillet either sprayed with Bakers Secret or lightly greased
The pie comes out very easily with a spatula onto the cutting board.. no worries
Susehahna
Naan (Indian flat bread) is an easy substitute for pizza dough. Naan is now available in many grocery stores. For a crispier crust, lightly toast the naan before adding the toppings. Using naan instead of pizza dough means you can have pizza on the table in 20 minutes -- 10 minutes to get the toppings ready while the naan is toasting, then 10 minutes in the oven at 425 degrees.
dimmerswitch
Used fresh pizza dough from local CoOp - Whole Foods or Pizzeria would have it too - to save time. Tossed / stretched to fit jelly roll pan. Cut the topping recipe in half (although I used the whole jalapeno anyway and it was just right heat level). It was a perfect fit of topping to crust. Serves four that way. Recommend mixing fresh marjoram in with the onion mixture if you're using it so that fresh herb doesn't burn.
Eddie
It seems the ingredients list is incomplete.
Marie N.
Should one cook the sausage before adding it to the pizza? Or will the heat from the oven cook the sausage at the same time as the pizza?
Robert
The baking temp is 500F. The instructions seem to say to place the pizza WITH parchment paper on the stone. Won’t the paper burn? Or have I read too many Ray Bradbury books?
Robert
All fo these comments about buying pizza dough. Just find Jim Lahey's No-Knead Pizza Dough recipe online. Put the stuff in a bowl around 9:00 p.m. the night before and let the flavor develop over about 18 hours for dinner the next night. Nothing could be easier or tastier, and the recipe makes enough for two large pizzas, so you can make one and freeze the other. Once you see how easy and tasty, you'll never buy store-bought again. And a Baking Steel is fantastic.
Liz
I use parchment paper under the pizza to transfer from the peel to stone. It will pull right off the pizza once it's time to take it out.
Laura
You can use an upside-down cookie sheet. A cast iron pan would work, but getting it in and out might be a bit tricky, since you can't just slide it in. Give it a try!
sylvia
The dough for this is great - I chilled it in the fridge about 6 hours . We were very pleased with it. The pizza took at least twice as long as the time in the recipe, I even used a pizza stone. I double checked my oven temp (it's correct) because it was so far off. I didn't care for the marjoram, I wish I had gone with my initial thought which was to use oregano.
LindaHutch
Pizza crust cooks great when we pre-heat our pizza stone to 500 degrees. Our only problem has been getting the dough onto the hot stone without turning it into a mess. This recipe has the perfect solution: parchment paper!We put the parchment paper on our pizza peel and shape it there. The paper goes right onto the stone. It's so easy to transfer shaped dough to the stone this way!
meinunich
Instead of pizza stone or pizza sheet, I just put the pizza on the very bottom of the oven and it worked well.
Abby G
This was great! Made it without the meat.
additions
I used a cast iron pizza stone and it took a few mins longer than specified. But really great flavor! Used the referenced dough recipe and it came out well too!
David shepherd
Tip: preheat the oven for 45-60 minutes; this gets all oven elements up to temp. An intense blast of heat will cook that pie fast; at 500°, no more than 8 minutes max. At the preheat stage, place two racks close together in the center of the oven, line the top one with flat slate or terracotta tiles to form a shield to the dimensions of your pie. This acts as a second stone, reflecting heat downward to the pie, giving that nice char.
Robert Johnson
Mr. Weinstein: There seem to be various kinds of pizza dough, but of late I have been seeing references to a light "artisan" variety that can also be made very thin. I would love to see a piece on that from you.
Rob
What if you don't have pizza sone or steel?
LA beth
Fabulous and infinitely improvable
LindaHutch
Pizza crust cooks great when we pre-heat our pizza stone to 500 degrees. Our only problem has been getting the dough onto the hot stone without turning it into a mess. This recipe has the perfect solution: parchment paper!We put the parchment paper on our pizza peel and shape it there. The paper goes right onto the stone. It's so easy to transfer shaped dough to the stone this way!
Mike oxsmall
Love this recipe absolutely amazing
Zil
Use Italian hot cherry peppers! Rinse them before slicing. YUM!
Melissa
Like Sylvia, I found that the dough needed at least twice the baking time noted in the recipe.
Kim
This was so good. We used "Impossible" sausage as a replacement to meat sausage. Overall a great pizza that I will make again for friends.
Marie N.
Should one cook the sausage before adding it to the pizza? Or will the heat from the oven cook the sausage at the same time as the pizza?
Rita
I was wondering the same thing. I'm going to cook it first.
DawnN
I have huge trouble getting pizza dough from a peel onto the stone. I use cornmeal, but it sticks or is too fragile to move. Tips?
Liz
I use parchment paper under the pizza to transfer from the peel to stone. It will pull right off the pizza once it's time to take it out.
Jennifer
We use pizza screens -- it made like SO much easier (and GREATLY reduced the chances that we would burn ourselves or set parchment paper on fire).
Geteb
I had the same problem. A friend who worked in a pizzeria suggested cornmeal AND flour. While that has helped, it hasn't completely worked. Might try the parchment paper route...
Robert
All fo these comments about buying pizza dough. Just find Jim Lahey's No-Knead Pizza Dough recipe online. Put the stuff in a bowl around 9:00 p.m. the night before and let the flavor develop over about 18 hours for dinner the next night. Nothing could be easier or tastier, and the recipe makes enough for two large pizzas, so you can make one and freeze the other. Once you see how easy and tasty, you'll never buy store-bought again. And a Baking Steel is fantastic.
Private notes are only visible to you.
