Italian Sausage And Three Pepper Pizza

Total Time: 1 hr 14 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 14 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch strips
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch strips
• 1 small yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch strips
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• prepared pizza dough (for 12 inch pizza, new york style pizza dough recommended)
• unbleached bread flour, for dusting
• 1/2 cup pizza sauce (new york-style pizza sauce)
• 2 italian sausages, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices (mild or hot, about 1/2 lb.)
• 2 cups coarsely shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 lb bulk italian sausage, separated into small chunks (mild or hot)
• 1/2 tablespoon freshly grated parmesan cheese

Recipe

• 1 position oven rack on the second lowest level in the oven and place a baking stone on the rack; position another rack in the upper third of the oven; preheat oven to 500°.
• 2 warm the olive oil in a big nonstick skillet over med-high heat; add in the peppers and saute, stirring frequently for 4 minutes or until crisp tender.
• 3 add in the garlic, oregano, cayenne, salt, and black pepper; stir/saute for 1 minute; set aside.
• 4 coat a 12-inch pizza screen or perforated pizza pan with cooking spray; lay pizza dough on prepared screen or pan and gently stretch dough into a 12-inch round.
• 5 spread pizza sauce evenly over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border; evenly distribute peppers over the sauce.
• 6 arrange the sausage slices over the top; scatter the mozzarella over the top.
• 7 arrange the chunks of bulk sausage evenly over the cheese, pressing them into the cheese slightly.
• 8 place the pizza in the oven on the upper rack; bake about 10 minutes or until the pizza crust is crisp and golden brown.
• 9 using a pizza peel, lift the pizza off the screen or pan and place the crust directly on the baking stone.
• 10 using the peel, remove the screen or pan from the oven.
• 11 continue baking the pizza 3-4 minutes or until the bottom of the crust is golden brown.
• 12 using the peel, remove the pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board.
• 13 sprinkle with parmesan; slice pizza into wedges and serve.