Italian Sausage White Pizza
Flavorful Italian sausage nestled in a rich and creamy white sauce, You will love this Italian Sausage Pizza for your next pizza night!
Every now and then, we switch things up from our regular pepperoni pizzas on movie nights and make this Italian Sausage White Pizza.
While I love tomato-based sauce, and my daughter is, hands down, the most avid fan of pepperoni pizza in the family, we can all agree that white pizza is also delightful and hard to resist. And we are all in love with this white sausage pizza
White Pizza Sauce
- This white sauce is adapted from my Bacon Mushroom Pizza. It is simply made with milk, flour, butter, and parmesan. The perfect base for a white pizza recipe!
- It is a nice base for so many toppings. The mild flavor makes it versatile and easy to pair with almost any savory toppings.
- The method for cooking is similar to the roux method, using butter and flour to thicken this milk-based sauce
Let’s Make Italian Sausage White Pizza
MAKE THE PIZZA DOUGH
In a bowl of a stand mixer, add the yeast and warm water. Let stand until the yeast is foamy. Stir in the salt and olive oil.
Add the flour. Using the dough hook, knead until a shaggy dough is formed. Continue to knead until the dough gathers in the center of the bowl.
If the dough is too sticky, sprinkle 1 tbsp of flour at a time, until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl. This dough is meant to be soft and tacky so do not add too much flour.
Gather the dough and place it in a lightly greased bowl. Toss it around to coat. Cover the bowl loosely with a clean towel and allow it to rise for 1½ hours.
MAKE THE WHITE PIZZA SAUCE
In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat until bubbly. Add the flour and whisk constantly until no lumps remain. The mixture should be golden like coffee.
Add the milk and continue to whisk until the sauce thickens. You can stir in a pinch of nutmeg here, if you prefer. Turn off the heat. Immediately stir in the parmesan cheese until it melts.
ASSEMBLE THE PIZZA
Once the dough is ready, divide it into 2 portions. You will only need half of the dough. You can freeze the other half for up to 2 weeks, wrapped well in wax paper and then in foil.
Preheat the oven to 450 F. Shape the dough to fit a 12-inch pizza pan. You can do this by allowing the weight of the dough to work for you. Just toss it around until it stretches out, then place it on top of the pizza pan.
Do not over-stretch, wait for the dough to relax. Shape it and let it fill the pan when it is more relaxed and does not shrink back.
Spread half of the white sauce over the dough. Sprinkle half of the Italian sausage all over. Next, sprinkle half of the mozzarella cheese on top.
Next, drop the remaining white sauce in dollops all over the pizza, sprinkle the remaining Italian sausage, then the mozzarella. Sprinkle the oregano and basil on top.
Bake the pizza at 450 F, for 16-20 minutes, or until the top is bubbly, the cheese has melted and the edges are lightly golden.
Serve immediately. Sprinkle this with red pepper flakes for a bit of heat, if desired!
Pointers
- If you are not able to find bulk Italian sausage, just remove the casing of the sausages.
- The pizza dough recipe yields enough for 2 round 12-inch pizzas. You can freeze the other half for future use.
More Delicious Recipes
Italian Sausage White Pizza
Flavorful Italian sausage nestled in a rich and creamy white sauce, You will love this Italian Sausage Pizza for your next pizza night!
Ingredients
For the Pizza Dough
- 1 cup warm water (105-115 F)
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour (312 grams), plus 3 tbsp extra
For the White Pizza Sauce
- 3 tbsp butter (43 grams)
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour (23 grams)
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup milk
- pinch of nutmeg (optional)
For the Toppings
- 1 cup cooked Italian sausage (bulk)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried basil
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Make the Pizza Dough
- In a bowl of a stand mixer, add the yeast and warm water. Let stand until the yeast is foamy. Add the salt and olive oil and stir.
- Add the flour and, using the dough hook, knead until a shaggy dough is formed. Continue to knead until the dough gathers in the center of the bowl. If the dough is too sticky, sprinkle 1 tbsp of flour at a time, until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl. DO not add too much flour. This dough is meant to be tacky and soft.
- Gather the dough and place it in a lightly greased bowl. Toss it around to coat. Cover the bowl loosely with a clean towel and allow it to rise for 1½ hours.
Make the White Pizza Sauce
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat until bubbly. Add the flour and whisk constantly until no lumps remain. The mixture should be golden like coffee.
- Add the milk and continue to whisk until the sauce thickens. Stir in nutmeg, if you are using. Turn off the heat. Immediately stir in the parmesan cheese until it melts. Set the sauce aside.
Assemble the Pizza
- Once the dough is ready, divide it into 2 portions. You will only need half of the dough. You can freeze the other half for up to 2 weeks, wrapped well in wax paper and then in foil.
- Preheat the oven to 450 F. Shape the dough to fit a 12-inch pizza pan. You can do this by allowing the weight of the dough to work for you. Just toss it around until it stretches out, then place it on top of the pizza pan.
- Pat the dough until it reaches the edges of the pizza pan. You need to be patient as the dough relaxes. Do not over-stretch, wait for the dough to relax. Shape it and let it fill the pan when it is more relaxed and does not shrink back.
- Spread half of the white sauce over the dough. Sprinkle half of the Italian sausage all over. Next, sprinkle half of the mozzarella cheese on top.
- Next, drop the remaining white sauce in dollops all over the pizza, sprinkle the remaining Italian sausage, then the mozzarella. Sprinkle the oregano and basil on top.
- Bake the pizza at 450 F, for 16-20 minutes, or until the top is bubbly, the cheese has melted and the edges are lightly golden.
- Serve immediately. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, if desired!
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 543Total Fat: 42gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 1109mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 5gProtein: 23g
Delicious! The only thing I did differently was to add fresh garlic to the sauce while the butter melted. Thanks for the recipe!
Randi, that must have been so flavorful! Thanks for that idea!