BBQ Smoked Sausage Pizza with Opa's Jalapeño Cheddar

BBQ Smoked Sausage Pizza with Opa's Jalapeño Cheddar

Pizza night doesn't need to be complicated to be good — it just needs the right sausage on top. Opa's Jalapeño Cheddar Smoked Sausage, our #1 seller, sliced thin on an angle. Tangy barbecue sauce in place of marinara. A pile of mozzarella and whatever vegetables are in the drawer. The jalapeño heat from the sausage plays off the sweetness of the barbecue sauce in a way that makes every slice taste more considered than it has any right to be.

Author

Opa's Smoked Meats

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

Servings

8

Category

Main Course

Cuisine

American

Ingredients

• 1 package Opa's Jalapeño Cheddar Smoked Sausage, sliced on an angle into 1/4-inch pieces
• 2 prepared 12-inch pizza crusts (store-bought or homemade)
• 2/3 cup barbecue sauce
• 3/4 cup chopped plum tomatoes
• 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• Fresh cilantro or basil, for finishing (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven. 425°F. Pull the crusts out of the fridge while the oven heats — cold dough straight into a hot oven doesn't crisp properly.
2. Slice the sausage on an angle. Cut the Opa's Jalapeño Cheddar Smoked Sausage on a bias into 1/4-inch pieces. The angle cut is the move. A straight round sits flat and steams under the cheese. An angled cut exposes more surface to the oven heat, which means the edges crisp slightly and the sausage develops real flavor on the pizza instead of just warming through.
3. Build the pizzas. Place the crusts on baking sheets. Spread the barbecue sauce evenly over each — to within an inch of the rim. Scatter the sausage, tomatoes, red onion, and bell pepper evenly across both pies. Finish with the mozzarella and a light dusting of Parmesan.
4. Bake. 18-20 minutes, until the crust is crisp at the edges and the cheese is golden and bubbling in the center.
5. Rest, then slice. Let the pizzas sit 2-3 minutes before slicing. The cheese needs that minute to set — cut too early and it slides off the first slice. Finish with fresh cilantro or basil for a little brightness on top.