Even though everyone loves pizza night, if your family is sick of having the same old cheese pizza every week, it might be time to try something new. It’s easy to make pizza night more fun by adding new toppings like sausage. Your family will keep coming back for more slices. Sprinkling some sausage on top of your pizza will also up its protein content — a nice bonus!.
You need to do some work before you can enjoy a sweet and spicy sausage pizza bite. Let’s look at some strategies and options to make your next pizza night unforgettable.
Pizza night just got a whole lot tastier with the addition of savory, protein-packed Italian sausage. But before you bite into that perfect slice, you need to learn how to cook Italian sausage the right way to take your homemade pizza to the next level.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk through the entire process of preparing Italian sausage for your pizza – from picking the right type of sausage to cooking methods to recipe ideas. Let’s get started!
Selecting the Best Italian Sausage
The first step is choosing an Italian sausage variety that will give your pizza layers of flavor Here are some top options
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Sweet Italian sausage – Mildly spiced with fennel seed, this variety has a hint of sweetness. It’s very versatile for pizzas.
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Hot Italian sausage – Packs some heat from red pepper flakes Adds a spicy kick
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Mild Italian sausage – Subtler seasoning without much spice. Nice choice for kiddos.
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Chicken Italian sausage – Lower fat option with similar zesty flavor.
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Pork Italian sausage – Classic choice with rich, meaty taste. Higher in fat than chicken.
For easiest prep, choose bulk sausage meat over links. But you can certainly squeeze meat out of casings if links are all you can find.
Opt for a high-quality sausage without a lot of fat or fillers for the best texture and flavor. The key is delicious yet simple ingredients.
Pre-Cooking the Sausage
Once you’ve selected your sausage, you’ll want to pre-cook it before topping the pizza. Here are two easy methods:
Stovetop:
- Crumble sausage into a skillet and cook over medium-high heat until browned and firm.
- Break up any large chunks and drain excess fat.
- Once cooked through, transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
Oven:
- Spread sausage crumbles on a baking sheet.
- Bake at 400°F for 12-15 minutes until no longer pink.
- Remove and drain on paper towels.
Pre-cooking gives you nicely browned sausage ready to top your pizza without any par-cooking on the pie.
Pizza Topping Ideas
Now comes the fun part – turning that savory sausage into mouthwatering pizza toppings. Here are some tantalizing ideas:
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Crumbled sausage – Sprinkle crumbles over the entire pizza or just part of it.
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Sausage chunks – Cut pre-cooked sausage into bite-sized pieces.
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Sausage strips – Slice links into coin-shaped rounds.
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Sausage blob – Drop spoonfuls for hearty meat clusters.
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Sausage patties – Brown and add mini-patties as a topping.
Mix and match multiple prep styles for variety in every bite. Get creative with different sizes and distributions.
Complementary Toppings
Of course no pizza is complete without awesome accents to complement the Italian sausage. Consider these delectable toppings:
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Onion – Sliced or caramelized onions pair perfectly.
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Bell peppers – For some extra crunch and color.
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Mushrooms – Meaty, earthy flavor.
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Olives – Salty, briny balance.
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Jalapeños – Spice it up with some heat.
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Pineapple – Fruity contrast to the savory sausage.
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Spinach – For a nutrition boost.
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Tomatoes – Fresh diced or sauce.
Get creative with your own favorite veggies, fruits, herbs and more!
Saucy Foundation
The base tying everything together is the sauce. For Italian sausage pizza, tomato-based sauces make the best choice.
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Marinara sauce – Straightforward, lightly seasoned tomato sauce.
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Pizza sauce – Spiced-up marinara sauce.
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Alfredo sauce – For a creamy, luxurious base.
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Pesto – Herbaceous and garlicky.
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BBQ sauce – Unique twist for a smoky flavor.
Spread your sauce of choice evenly over the crust before piling on those toppings.
Recipe Inspiration
Once you’ve mastered cooking Italian sausage for pizza, it’s time to put it all together into full tasty pies! Here are 3 recipes to consider trying:
Italian Sausage Pizza
The classic! Load up a crispy crust with marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, sliced Italian sausage, and sliced bell peppers.
Hawaiian Sausage Pizza
For a sweet and savory pie, top dough with pizza sauce, low-fat mozzarella, crumbled Italian sausage, diced pineapple, and red onion.
Chicken Sausage Alfredo Pizza
For a creamy white pizza, combine Alfredo sauce, shredded Italian cheese blend, chopped chicken sausage, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes.
The possibilities are endless for crafting your own Italian sausage pizza masterpiece!
Cooking Your Sausage Pizza
Pizza ovens are ideal for the perfect crisp crust, but you can bake outstanding sausage pizzas at home too. Here are a few tips:
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Preheat oven as high as possible, 500°F if your oven allows.
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Let the pizza stone or steel heat up for even better crispness.
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Bake pizzas for 8 to 12 minutes until the crust and cheese are golden brown.
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Use a pizza peel or inverted baking sheet for easy sliding.
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Finish with a sprinkle of Parmesan, oregano, red pepper flakes, etc.
Now slice up your hot, bubbly, sausage-loaded pizza and get ready to enjoy the fruits of your labor!
Key Takeaways
Adding Italian sausage is an amazing way to infuse your homemade pizza with savory, succulent flavor. Follow this process for pizza perfection:
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Pick a high-quality sausage variety like sweet, hot or chicken.
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Pre-cook on the stovetop or in the oven before adding to pizza.
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Top with complementary veggies, cheese, sauce and other toppings.
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Bake at a high temp until the crust is crispy and cheese melted.
With the right techniques and recipes, your Italian sausage pizza will be a new family favorite! The next pizza night is sure to be a hit.
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How to Successfully Cook Sausage Links
While many people believe cooking sausage is a challenge, we think it’s quite the opposite. Some of the most common ways to cook Premio sausage links are on the stove, in the oven, or on the grill. No matter what method you use, make sure the pork sausage and chicken sausage are both cooked to 160 degrees Fahrenheit and 165 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively, so they are safe to eat. Stick to the following steps to cook your Premio sausage properly:
- Put a pan with 6 tablespoons of water on medium heat.
- Place sausage links in the skillet.
- Cover the pan and cook for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Rotate links often.
- Take off the lid and cook for another five to seven minutes.
- Enjoy!
- Place links on a foil-lined baking sheet.
- Place the sheet 7 to 9 inches below the heating element in a cold oven and set the temperature to broil.
- Broil for 13 to 15 minutes on each side.
- Serve and enjoy.
- Preheat your grill with medium flames.
- Set the links on the racks and cook them for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Turn sausage routinely for even browning.
- Serve as desired.
How to Prepare Sausage for Pizza
Learn how to cook sausage for pizza toppings, step out of your comfort zone, and add Premio sausage to your next pie. Sausage is an extremely versatile topping, incorporating distinct flavors and aromas in even the most bland dishes. This meat can live on your pizza in many ways — as slices or crumbles or ground up. Whichever way your family wants it, their taste buds will be begging them for more. Let’s take a good look at what’s possible for your sausage pizzas:
On top of pizza, sausage slices are one of the easiest things to do—just cook the sausage link and cut it into slices. This is one of the best ways to enjoy sausage on a pizza. Slices, which are shaped like pepperoni, will spread your sausage out evenly on the pizza so that you get a piece in every bite. Once the sausage is done cooking, wait a few minutes before slicing it into your desired sizes.
The key to getting the most flavorful slices is to avoid piercing the skin. When you cook your sausage with the casing, it will keep more of its juices, giving you a mouthful of bursting flavors you won’t want to miss. Make sure you cook your links slowly to avoid disintegrating, ripping or burning your casing.
Like snowflakes, each crumbled sausage is unique and tastes great. To make crumbles, cut the casing across the middle and remove the meat. You’ll then place it in a pan over medium-high heat to fry it up nicely. Use a spatula to break the meat up into crumbles as it browns. Keep the sausage over high heat until it’s done, then use a slotted spoon to move it from the pan to the pizza.
If you want to enjoy a tasty topping quickly and easily, ground sausage is the way to go. This method is like using sausage crumbles, but using ground sausage will make your pizza ready much faster. Putting raw ground meat into a hot skillet and breaking it up into bite-sized pieces with a spatula is all you need to do. When the meat is firm and no longer leaking, take it out of the pan and sprinkle it on your pizza.
Recipe: Easy Sausage Pizza
FAQ
Do you cook Italian sausage before putting it on pizza?
Do you have to cook sausage before putting it in the pizza oven?
How cooked should Italian sausage be?
Should you boil Italian sausage before frying?