Italian Sausage And Sweet Potato Pizza Recipe

It's pretty obvious why pizza is one of the most popular and recognized dishes all over the world: it's perfect for casual gatherings, portable, and easy to make quickly in bulk. It's covered in melted cheese, rich tomato sauce, and all types of different meat and veggie toppings. It's also affordable to make, considering all that's required to make a pizza is a yeasted dough, tomato sauce, and cheese (or not!). And of course, it's delicious— sometimes even bad pizza can be good.

In the last decade, sourdough pizza has become more mainstream, with its signature tangy flavor and dark, bubbly crust. Neapolitan dough remains the most classic, characterized by its thinner crust and short baking time. For this recipe, we've opted for a no-knead crust that will make things a lot easier while still producing an excellent homemade pizza. Popularized by Jim Lahey, the no-knead dough method is relied upon by tons of home pizza makers and professionals alike, and it even rivals some of the best pizza doughs that take 3 times as long to produce.

The first two ingredients required to prepare this pizza are pretty self-explanatory: Italian sausage, and sweet potato. The sweet potato will get chopped and quickly roasted alongside a bulb of sliced fennel, while the Italian sausage will get browned in a skillet before adding it to the pizza. To mix a batch of pizza dough, you'll need all-purpose flour, salt, instant yeast, water, and olive oil. Once the dough is shaped, it will be topped with tomato sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese. After baking, the final pizza will be garnished with fresh basil leaves and grated Parmesan cheese.

Mix flour, water, yeast, salt, and 1 tablespoon olive together in a large bowl.

Cover with a clean towel and let rise on the countertop for 4 hours, or overnight in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with foil and grease with cooking spray.

Peel sweet potato and cut into quarters, then small ¼-inch thick slices.

Add sweet potato and fennel to the baking sheet and toss with a splash of oil, salt, and pepper. Bake 26-28 minutes, until vegetables are fork tender. Cool completely.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a 9-inch cast iron pan. Stretch the dough into the edges with your fingertips. Let rise for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 500 F.

While dough rises, cook the sausage. Add sausage to a skillet over medium heat. Cook 7-9 minutes, until no longer pink.

Add two spoonfuls of tomato sauce to the top of the pizza. Spread it evenly with the back of the spoon, leaving a ½-inch border.

Sprinkle on a handful of mozzarella cheese in an even layer.

Top the pizza with the cooked sausage, fennel, and sweet potato.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until cheese is melted and crust is browned.

Top the pizza with basil leaves and grated Parmesan.

Slice and serve hot.

If you're short on time or just want to get ahead on preparing the pizza, there are a few shortcuts and things that can be done in advance. The pizza dough can be mixed up to a day before and left in the refrigerator, and keeping it a little longer will actually help more flavor develop thanks to the increased fermentation time. For the quickest possible option, store-bought pizza dough is the perfect solution.

The sausage, sweet potato, and fennel can all be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Cook them as instructed in the recipe, then cool and refrigerate in an airtight container. Whenever possible, it's best to shape the pizza and add the toppings right before baking it. If there is pizza leftover, it can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 3 days, then reheated in an oven or microwave just until hot.

With a few simple modifications, you can easily make your pizza vegan, gluten-free, or however else you please. One of the main ingredients, Italian sausage, can be substituted with a plant-based protein of choice. For the pizza dough, store-bought gluten-free crusts are a great substitute. The baking time may change, so consult the package for the best temperature and timing. Depending on the brand of dough, it may be better to bake it on a sheet pan. You could also make your own gluten-free cauliflower crust. 

Sweet potato and fennel can be replaced with any roasted or cooked vegetable, like sliced carrots, caramelized onion, mushrooms, or cubed squash. No matter what combination of ingredients are chosen, this pizza will be quick to disappear from the table! The shredded mozzarella and Parmesan cheese can be replaced with a dairy-free alternative cheese or similar product or swapped out for another type of cheese if desired.