Italian sausage pizza — just saying it out loud makes us hungry! If you’re familiar with (and a fan of) the classic combination of sausage, peppers, and onions, you are going to love this bold, flavorful grilled sausage pizza. We’re sharing our tips and tricks for making the best grilled pie, and how to cook it so that the crust is crispy, but not burnt, and the cheese is ooey, gooey melty!
Here’s why we love it so much:
- Sausage and fennel: this much loved combination of ingredients is a match made in heaven! Browned spicy Italian sausage pairs with sweet caramelized fennel, onion, and roasted red peppers. It’s a little sweet, and a little heat!
- Texture! The pizza is both crunchy from grilling and super cheesy from freshly grated mozzarella. It checks all the boxes!
- Prep the ingredients inside, then finish directly on the grill. During the hot summer months, it means you don’t have to turn on the oven!
- Individual or family-style: you can easily turn this into one giant pizza or divide the dough and make personal size pizzas.
It’s just the best ever, and we can’t wait for you to try it!
Looking for more pizza recipes? Be sure to try our BBQ Chicken Pizza (it’s a copycat recipe from CPK!) and our Burrata Pizza!
Ingredient Notes
- Homemade or store bought pizza dough
- Hot Italian sausage, casings removed
- Marinara sauce
- Fresh mozzarella cheese
- Fennel
- Onion
- Fresh rosemary
- Lemon zest
- Red pepper flakes
- Roasted red peppers
- Pecorino Romano
- Fresh basil
When we’re using sausage as a pizza topping, we always opt for hot Italian sausage. You’ll want to remove the natural casings and discard. The sausage will get broken into smaller pieces as it cooks. If you prefer a sweet Italian sausage, that will of course work too!
If you’re not familiar with fennel, it’s similar in appearance to an onion, but tastes a bit like licorice or anise. When it cooks down, it gets really sweet (again, just like onions!). We absolutely adore fennel and sausage together; it’s a great way to introduce the ingredient to your family if you’ve never tried it before, especially in the form of a fennel sausage pizza!
How To Make The Best Sausage Pizza
- Brown the sausage. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add sausage, then use a wooden spoon to break up into smaller pieces. Cook until mostly cooked through and browned on all sides, about 3-5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a medium bowl.
- Sauté the veggies. To the same skillet, add thinly sliced fennel and onion. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, about 3-5 minutes, or until they begin to brown and caramelize.
- Season the veggies. Add 2 tsp chopped rosemary, 1 tsp lemon zest, and ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, then stir to combine.
- Grate the cheese. Use a food processor to finely grate mozzarella cheese. Pro tip: place cheese in a freezer for 15-20 minutes so it’s easier to grate!
- Preheat the grill. Fire up your grill and preheat over medium heat to a temperature of about 375-400F.
- Roll out the pizza dough. While the grill is preheating, use a rolling pin to roll out the pizza dough. You can make two small pizzas or one large, family-style pizza. For either, go for a thickness of about ½ – ¾”.
- Lightly oil the grill. Make sure the grill grates are clean. Next, use either grill spray to coat the grates lightly or pour some olive oil on a paper towel, then use tongs to gently rub across the grill grates.
How To Grill Pizza Like A Pro!
- Cook the dough on one side. Carefully transfer the pizza dough to the grill. Just lay it flat across the grates. If any edges fold or tuck under, use tongs to quickly unfold them. Cook for 3-5 minutes, then use tongs to transfer the partially cooked pizza dough to a rimmed baking sheet. Turn off half the burners on the grill. When the pizza returns, it will be cooked over indirect heat.
- Assemble the pizza. Turn a rimmed baking sheet over so that it’s upside down. Place partially cooked pizza dough on top, with the grilled side facing up (the uncooked side will have direct contact with the grill during phase 2 of cooking!). Use a spoon to spread ½ cup of marinara sauce evenly on top, leaving the outer 1″ untouched. Sprinkle half of the grated mozzarella cheese, then layer on cooked sausage, caramelized onion and fennel, and roasted red peppers, spreading evenly across the dough. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Return pizza to the grill. Gently slide the pizza (or use flat spatulas / tongs to help transfer) onto the grill, setting the pizza over the burners that have been turned off. Cover and cook until the bottom of the crust is crispy and the cheese has melted, about 5-7 minutes longer. Rotate the pizza halfway through cooking so all sides of the crust cook evenly.
- Finish pizza off the grill. Drizzle the pizza with a high quality extra virgin olive oil, then sprinkle with freshly grated Pecorino Romano. Finish by adding ripped basil on top (you can add whole or thinly sliced basil if you prefer!).
- Cool, then slice. Allow the pizza to rest for 5 minutes before slicing, then enjoy!
Variations And Toppings
There are endless variations to this sausage pizza recipe, and you should feel free to adapt it to your specific tastes. We love the combination of sausage and fennel (it’s a classic!) — hot Italian sausage with caramelized fennel and onions is so delicious. It’s a little sweet and a little spicy. Here are some other toppings that would make a great addition:
- Instead of caramelized onions, try raw, thinly sliced onion (or red onion!).
- Have someone who doesn’t like spice? Use sweet Italian sausage instead!
- Wanting more heat? Up the red pepper flakes to ¾ tsp! You can also use arrabiata sauce in place of traditional marinara or pizza sauce for a bit more kick.
- Add raw cherry or grape tomatoes for a juicy, sweet burst.
- Don’t have rosemary? Use fresh thyme or oregano instead!
- No Pecorino Romano? Finish the pie with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
- Substitute smoked mozzarella cheese for a smoky pizza!
Expert Tips
- Once you’ve added toppings to the partially cooked pizza dough, place it on a baking sheet that’s been inverted (turned upside down). It will be easier to slide the topped pizza onto the grill grates instead of lifting it up off of the rimmed baking sheet!
- Cook the dough first over direct heat, then finish it on the grill over indirect heat. This will help to ensure the bottom of the crust doesn’t burn before the cheese melts!
- If you roll out the dough thinner than ½”, go easy on the toppings. You want the dough to be sturdy enough to stand up to the weight of the pizza toppings.
- Be sure to rotate the pizza halfway through cooking (with toppings) so that both sides cook evenly!
This grilled sausage pizza is seriously the BEST ever, and we can’t wait for you to dig in! Have other ingredient combinations that you love adding to sausage pizza? Shout ’em out below, we want to hear your favorite types of pie!!
If you make this Italian Sausage Pizza recipe, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below! Love pizza as much as we do? Be sure to check out our burrata pizza — it’s perfect during the summer if you’ve got extra pesto lying around!
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For more grilling recipes, check out the following:
- Crispy grilled chicken wings
- Smoked St Louis ribs
- Grilled lobster tails and clams
- Blackened salmon with pineapple-avocado salsa
- Grilled potato salad with snap peas and burrata
Italian Sausage Pizza with Onions & Fennel
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (16 oz) homemade or store bought pizza dough
- 2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil plus more for serving
- 8 oz hot Italian sausage casings removed
- 1 head of fennel thinly sliced
- 1 sweet onion thinly sliced
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 1 lemon zested, about 1 tsp
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes or ½ tsp for more heat
- ⅓ – ½ cup marinara sauce or pizza sauce
- 12 oz fresh mozzarella grated or shredded
- ½ cup roasted red peppers cut into strips
- Pecorino Romano grated, for serving
- Fresh basil for serving
Instructions
- Brown the sausage. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add sausage, then use a wooden spoon to break up into smaller pieces. Cook until mostly cooked through and browned on all sides, about 3-5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a medium bowl.
- Sauté the veggies. To the same skillet, add thinly sliced fennel and onion. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, about 3-5 minutes, or until they begin to brown and caramelize.
- Season the veggies. Add 2 tsp chopped rosemary, 1 tsp lemon zest, and ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, then stir to combine.
- Grate the cheese. Use a food processor to finely grate mozzarella cheese.
- Preheat the grill. Fire up your grill and preheat over medium heat to a temperature of about 375-400F. For the first phase of cooking, we will use direct heat.
- Roll out the pizza dough. While the grill is preheating, use a rolling pin to roll out the pizza dough (or use your hands to press it out into a circle). You can make two small pizzas or one large, family-style pizza. For either, go for a thickness of about ½ – ¾".
- Lightly oil the grill. Make sure the grill grates are clean. Next, use either grill spray to coat the grates lightly or pour some olive oil on a paper towel, then use tongs to gently rub the oil across the grill grates.
- Cook the dough on one side. Carefully transfer the pizza dough to the grill. Lay it flat across the grates. If any edges fold or tuck under, use tongs to quickly unfold them. Cook for 3-5 minutes, then use tongs to transfer the partially cooked pizza dough to a rimmed baking sheet. Turn off half the burners on the grill. When the pizza returns, it will be cooked over indirect heat.
- Assemble the pizza. Turn a rimmed baking sheet over so that it's upside down. Place partially cooked pizza dough on top, with the grilled side facing up (the uncooked side will have direct contact with the grill during phase 2 of cooking!). Use a spoon to spread ⅓ cup of marinara sauce evenly on top, leaving the outer 1" untouched. Use remaining marinara, if needed. Sprinkle half of the grated mozzarella cheese, then layer on cooked sausage, caramelized onion and fennel, and ½ cup roasted red peppers strips, spreading evenly across the dough. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Return pizza to the grill. Gently slide the pizza (or use flat spatulas / tongs to help transfer) onto the grill, setting the pizza over the burners that have been turned off. Cover and cook until the bottom of the crust is crispy and the cheese has melted, about 5-7 minutes longer. Rotate the pizza halfway through cooking so all sides of the crust cook evenly.
- Finish pizza off the grill. Drizzle the pizza with a high quality extra virgin olive oil, then sprinkle with freshly grated Pecorino Romano. Finish by adding ripped basil on top (you can add whole or thinly sliced basil if you prefer!).
- Cool, then slice. Allow the pizza to rest for 5 minutes before slicing, then enjoy!
Notes
- Pro tip: place mozzarella in a freezer for 15-20 minutes so it’s easier to grate!
- Once you’ve added toppings to the partially cooked pizza dough, place it on a baking sheet that’s been inverted (turned upside down). It will be easier to slide the topped pizza onto the grill grates instead of lifting it up off of the rimmed baking sheet!
- Cook the dough first over direct heat, then finish it on the grill over indirect heat. This will help to ensure the bottom of the crust doesn’t burn before the cheese melts!
- If you roll out the dough thinner than ½”, go easy on the toppings. You want the dough to be sturdy enough to stand up to the weight of the pizza toppings.
- Be sure to rotate the pizza halfway through cooking (with toppings) so that both sides cook evenly!
Nutrition
*This post was sponsored by Kings Food Market. All opinions are my own. I only support and promote brands that I believe in and use in my own kitchen – I hope you’ll check them out! Thank you for supporting the brands that make Well Seasoned possible.
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