Meat Lover's Pizza
If you love pizza in all it's bready and cheesy glory, but still find yourself hungry for something more substantial, then chances are you'll be a fan of meat lover's pizza. Most pizzerias offer some kind of extra meaty option on their menus for true carnivores who are looking for more than simple slices of pepperoni.
The meat toppings can vary, but often include cooked and crumbled Italian sausage or ground beef, bacon, pepperoni, and sometimes sliced ham. Pepperoni might be the most common American pizza topping, sold as little packages of small round disks. But pepperoni is actually a variety of salami that is made from beef and cured pork along with seasonings such as chili pepper and paprika. The red color comes from the paprika and the characteristic touch of heat is from the chili pepper. The sausage most commonly used on pizza is an Italian pork sausage seasoned with fennel. It can be mild or spicy from the inclusion of red pepper flakes. Either works well for this recipe. When building a meat lover's pizza, the cooked ground sausage and crumbled bacon are typically layered under half the cheese. Since those meats are already cooked before being added, keeping them under the cheese prevents overcooking and drying out.
Ingredients:
- 1 (10- to 12-ounce) ball pizza dough (homemade or store-bought)
- 1/2 cup pizza sauce (homemade or store-bought)
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese (shredded, part-skim, or whole milk)
- 1 cup sausage (cooked and crumbled)
- 24 pepperoni slices
- 4 slices bacon (cooked and crumbled)
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (grated)
- Crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)