Pumpkin and Sausage Pizza
This pizza captures the essence of Autumn with pumpkin puree, crumbled sausage, sage, and pecorino cheese.
Makes: 1 (12- to 14-inch) pi
Cost: $15
Equipment
- Cutting board and knife
- Skillet
- Medium saucepan
- Rolling pin (optional)
- Large rimmed baking sheet or baking stone/steel
- Pizza peel (optional)
Ingredients
- ½ pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 5 fresh sage leaves, 2 left whole, 3 rolled up and cut into thin ribbons
- 1 cup pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin
- 1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1½ teaspoons white wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon dried chile flakes, divided
- ½ cup grated pecorino cheese, divided
- 1 (14- to 16-ounce) ball pizza dough
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500°F (if using a baking sheet) or as high as it will go (if using a baking stone/steel; place the stone/steel in the bottom third of the oven before you start preheating). Let the oven preheat for at least 30 minutes. Then, if you’re using a baking stone or steel, switch the oven to Broil on high.
- Cook the sausage in a small skillet over medium heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until it is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the sausage to a paper towel–lined plate to drain.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the 2 whole sage leaves. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the sage begins to curl, then use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the sage from the butter. Stir in the pumpkin, garlic, cream, vinegar, ⅛ teaspoon of the red pepper flakes, and ¼ cup of the pecorino. Stir until the sauce is heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or reserved pumpkin juice. Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside to cool.
- Stretch or roll out your dough to a 12- to 14-inch circle, then transfer it to an oiled or parchment-lined baking sheet or a lightly floured pizza peel (if using a baking stone/steel).
- Spoon the cooled sauce onto the dough disk and spread it evenly, leaving a ½-inch border of dough. (You will need about ¾ cup of sauce to cover the dough, but you'll have plenty more if you want a saucier pizza.) Scatter the cooked sausage over the sauce, and top with the remaining ¼ cup of pecorino cheese and the remaining ⅛ teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
- Transfer the pizza to the oven and bake until the crust is golden and the cheese has browned in spots—8 to 10 minutes on the baking sheet, 6 to 8 minutes on the baking stone/steel.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and let it cool for at least 5 minutes, then scatter the sliced sage over top; slice and serve.