The Best Italian Beef Sausage and Veggie Pizza

We are big pizza eaters in our house! I mean, who doesn’t love pizza?! As a family, we eat most meals around our kitchen table. However, when it is pizza night, the boys know we have a picnic in front of the TV. And y’all, this the BEST version of Italian Beef Sausage and Veggie Pizza we have ever made!

Ingredients

1 pizza crust

1 lb. Italian beef sausage (recipe below)

1/2 red bell pepper roasted

10 brussel sprouts roasted

1/2 red onion

1 8-oz. can tomato sauce

2 tbsp. pesto

1 16-oz. block mozzarella

Italian Beef Sausage

2 tsp. thyme

1/4 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper

Instructions

Make the Italian beef sausage by seasoning the beef with the Italian spices and brown in skillet. While cooking, break the meat up gently and leave in bigger crumbles.

While the meat is browning, preheat the oven to 550 degrees. Then prepare the veggies by placing the red peppers and brussel sprouts on a sheet pan and drizzling with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Slice the red onion and place in a skillet on low with olive oil to caramelize.

Place the can of tomato sauce in a small saucepan and add pesto. Let simmer.

Grate the mozzarella cheese.

Once all toppings are prepped, start rolling out the pizza dough. If using a homemade crust, do this by placing cornmeal on your pizza pan so it will not stick.

Once the dough is ready to go, it is time to build your pizza. First, place the sauce on the dough and then top with a layer of cheese. Next, add the veggies and meat evenly over the entire pizza. Lastly, add another layer of cheese to keep all your toppings in place.

Place your pizza in the oven, and bake for 30 minutes.

Thank you to Arturo and Wrenn Pacheco for sharing your recipe and pictures. Arturo and Wrenn are custom grazers located in the Flint Hills of Kansas. Their grazing operation consists of grazing double stock steers and custom heifer development for their clients. Arturo has his PhD in ruminant nutrition and owns and operates his own nutrition consulting business, Pacheco Cattle Services. Wrenn is a professional photographer and operates Wrenn Bird Photography. Together they have two little cowboys, Leo and Ross. You can find more of their recipes at cookingwiththecowboy.com.