Sheet Tray Pizzas

3.4

(20)

4 Reviews

The truly genius element of this pizza isn’t its cheesy layers of fresh parmesan and mozzarella. Or the hot Italian sausage that gets baked in bubbling tomato sauce until it’s crispy on top, but still juicy inside. Or even the thin fennel slices that fan out across the top, creating a frond-like pattern and adding a hint of sweetness. No, what sets this mouthwatering grandma-style pizza apart from others is the fact that you can freeze it right in the sheet tray it’s made in, for up to one month. That’s right, DIY frozen pizzas. The recipe makes two full sheet trays, so you might want to bake one off the night you make it—and save the other for a night when you want to put dinner on the table in 10 minutes.

By

Heath Goldman

Updated on April 2, 2019

Hands On Time:

30 mins

Total Time:

1 hrs

Yield:

2 (8-slice) pizzas

Ingredients

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 ½ pounds hot Italian sausage, casings removed
2 pounds frozen pizza dough, at room temperature
12 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
2 cups marinara sauce
1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced
2 serrano peppers, thinly sliced
4 ounces freshly grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Heat ¼ cup of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the sausage and break into small pieces. Cook, undisturbed, until browned, 8 minutes. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile, line two 8-by-13-inch baking sheets with parchment. Stretch 1 ball of the dough until it reaches the edges of a baking sheet. Brush with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Dimple the dough with your fingers. Repeat with the second ball. Bake both crusts for 5 to 7 minutes, until puffy and dry on top. Remove the crusts from the oven. Increase oven temperature to 500°F. Cool the crusts completely.
Divide the mozzarella between the 2 pizzas and dollop each with the marinara. Divide the sausage between the pizzas, along with the fennel, serrano peppers, Parmesan, and black pepper.
Bake on the bottom rack until the crust is brown and the top is bubbly, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and slice each pizza into 8 pieces.

Sheet trays can do more than just roast protein and veggies. They're also the perfect vessel for making party-sized pizzas, complete with marinara, fennel, and hot Italian sausage. Get the Recipe:Sheet Tray Pizzas. Christopher Testani

Chef's Notes

How to freeze and reheat: Tightly wrap each sheet tray with 2 layers of plastic wrap and a layer of foil. Freeze for up to 1 month. Bake the pizzas directly from the freezer according to the recipe, adding 8 to 10 minutes to the cooking time.