Italian Sausage, Prosciutto, Peperoncini & Smoked Cheddar Pizza
Italian Sausage, Prosciutto, Peperoncini & Smoked Cheddar Pizza highlights the beloved flavors of Italian sausage, crisp prosciutto, and spunky pepperoncini. It might sound more like a deli sandwich than a pizza, but you’ll forget all about sandwiches when you taste it under a smoky blanket of Seaside English cheddar.
English cheddar?
Yes, and not to be confused with smoked cheddar that is soft or gummy—too soft to grate for pizza. Aged English smoked cheddar will be more firm with a drier texture making it easier to grate.
We found Seaside English Smoked Cheddar at Whole Foods with nice smoky notes that didn’t overpower the oak-cheddar flavor. The specialty cheese section of larger grocery stores should carry something similar and there are on-line sources to check as well. A gentle squeeze will let you know if the cheese is too soft for grating; it should be firm to the touch.
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Italian sausage is an anchor to this pizza, complemented beautifully by the salty prosciutto and vinegar bite of peperoncini, but we start with a jar of whole Lucini San Marzano tomatoes
A combination of whole milk mozzarella (part-skim will work too) and smoked cheddar bring it all together, but you could easily use only smoked cheddar or add-in a smoked mozzarella if the cheddar is too dry.
Any way you slice it, this Italian pizza coupled with smoky English cheddar is a beautiful union.
Someone foolishly left a peperoncini behind … I guess they were in a hurry to eat.
Sausage, Prosciutto, Peperoncini & Smoked Cheddar Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 sprouted wheat pizza crust
- 24 ounes San Marzano tomatoes , drained (save juices)
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 cup Romano cheese , grated
- 1 1/2 cup whole milk mozzarella , grated
- 1 1/2 cup English smoked cheddar , grated
- 1/3 pound Italian sausage , browned and crumbled
- 4 ounces prosciutto , sliced into cubes and fried semi-crisp
- 4 whole peperoncinis , stem removed, sliced thin
- Extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Roll out dough or press into an oiled pan creating a slight rolled edge. Pre-bake crust for 5-6 minutes until set but not browned.
- Using your hands, crush the tomatoes between your fingers as you place them on the crust. Sprinkle with oregano and salt. Sprinkle with half the Romano.
- Mix the mozzarella and smoked cheddar together and sprinkle on a little less than half.
- Add the browned sausage, using your hands to break into smaller pieces, if desired. Then add the cooked prosciutto and peperoncinis.
- Add the final layer of the mozzarella and cheddar on top of everything. Finish with Romano and a drizzle of olive oil. Bake for 12-15 minutes of the middle rack until crust is browned and cheese is bubbly.
Joey says
Smoked cheddar on pizza is my new favorite!
Tara says
This looks great!
April @ The 21st Century Housewife says
Your pizza sounds so good! I love the idea of using smoked cheddar. What a wonderful flavour it would give, especially combined with the delicious meats you have used. Your Five Pies in Five Days are making my mouth water!
Caroline says
What a gorgeous pizza!! Somehow it’s making me hungry and I literally just ate lunch. How embarrassing, haha. Love the addition of prosciutto. 🙂
Jed Gray (sportsglutton) says
You know how to make a man happy Judy. I literally looked at the pizza, read to confirm their were peperoncini included and then said out load (to myself) Oh ya!! 🙂
Raymund says
Wow this gets better and better everyday
ChgoJohn says
Now this is my idea of a pizza! What’s not to love about this dish? Absolutley nuttin, that’s what!
Just A Smidgen says
Is it ok to have pizza for breakfast? I would love to try this one, smoked cheddar sounds so unusual!!
Maureen @ Orgasmic Chef says
Beautiful pizzas. I’ve hit the wrong button before too. Drives me nuts when I do that. I would love to say it’s not my fault but hey.. it is what it is. 🙂