Sausage and Red Bell Pepper Breakfast Pizza
By Cecelia JenkinsPublished on February 3, 2015
Time
1¼ hours
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling6 ounces bulk breakfast sausage 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped1 onion, choppedSalt and pepper 8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (½ cup)4 ounces (½ cup) small-curd cottage cheese ¼ teaspoon dried oregano Pinch cayenne pepper 1 pound store-bought pizza dough, room temperature6 large eggs 2 scallions, sliced thin2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
Before You Begin
Small-curd cottage cheese is sometimes labeled “country-style.” Room-temperature dough is much easier to shape than cold, so pull the dough from the fridge about 1 hour before you start cooking.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Grease rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon oil.
- Combine sausage, bell pepper, onion, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in 12-inch skillet. Cook over medium heat, breaking up sausage with spoon, until sausage begins to brown and bell pepper and onion are translucent, about 6 minutes. Transfer to paper towel–lined plate. Let mixture cool completely.
- Combine cheddar and Parmesan in bowl; set aside. Combine cottage cheese, oregano, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, cayenne, and 1 tablespoon oil in separate bowl; set aside.
- Press and roll dough into 15 by 11-inch rectangle on lightly floured counter, pulling on corners to help make distinct rectangle. Transfer dough to prepared sheet and press to edges of sheet. Brush edges of dough with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Bake dough until top appears dry and bottom is just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Remove crust from oven and, using spatula, press down on any air bubbles. Spread cottage cheese mixture evenly over top, leaving 1-inch border around edges. Sprinkle sausage mixture evenly over cottage cheese mixture.
- Sprinkle cheddar mixture evenly over pizza, leaving 1/2-inch border. Create 2 rows of 3 evenly spaced small wells in cheese, each about 3 inches in diameter (6 wells total). Crack 1 egg into each well, then season each with salt and pepper.
- Return pizza to oven and bake until crust is light golden around edges and eggs are just set, 9 to 10 minutes for slightly runny yolks or 11 to 12 minutes for soft-cooked yolks, rotating sheet halfway through baking.
- Transfer pizza to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer pizza to cutting board. Sprinkle with scallions and chives and drizzle with extra oil. Slice and serve.
Time
1¼ hoursYield
Serves 6Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
6 ounces bulk breakfast sausage
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 onion, chopped
Salt and pepper
8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (½ cup)
4 ounces (½ cup) small-curd cottage cheese
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 pound store-bought pizza dough, room temperature
6 large eggs
2 scallions, sliced thin
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
6 ounces bulk breakfast sausage
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 onion, chopped
Salt and pepper
8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (½ cup)
4 ounces (½ cup) small-curd cottage cheese
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 pound store-bought pizza dough, room temperature
6 large eggs
2 scallions, sliced thin
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
6 ounces bulk breakfast sausage
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 onion, chopped
Salt and pepper
8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (½ cup)
4 ounces (½ cup) small-curd cottage cheese
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 pound store-bought pizza dough, room temperature
6 large eggs
2 scallions, sliced thin
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Sausage and Red Bell Pepper Breakfast Pizza is an easy, unexpected crowd favorite for a Sunday brunch, but it comes with a challenge: achieving a crisp, golden-brown crust without overcooking the eggs. To get there, we press room-temperature dough into a lightly oiled sheet pan and parbake it for 5 minutes to give the crust a head start before we add the toppings. Precooking classic breakfast ingredients—sausage, red bell pepper, and onion—and then draining them on paper towels to remove excess moisture prevents a gummy crust. Extra-sharp cheddar cheese completes this tasty combination, and the surprising addition of cottage cheese tethers all the ingredients together with a silky creaminess.
Before You Begin
Small-curd cottage cheese is sometimes labeled “country-style.” Room-temperature dough is much easier to shape than cold, so pull the dough from the fridge about 1 hour before you start cooking.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Grease rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon oil.
- Combine sausage, bell pepper, onion, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in 12-inch skillet. Cook over medium heat, breaking up sausage with spoon, until sausage begins to brown and bell pepper and onion are translucent, about 6 minutes. Transfer to paper towel–lined plate. Let mixture cool completely.
- Combine cheddar and Parmesan in bowl; set aside. Combine cottage cheese, oregano, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, cayenne, and 1 tablespoon oil in separate bowl; set aside.
- Press and roll dough into 15 by 11-inch rectangle on lightly floured counter, pulling on corners to help make distinct rectangle. Transfer dough to prepared sheet and press to edges of sheet. Brush edges of dough with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Bake dough until top appears dry and bottom is just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Remove crust from oven and, using spatula, press down on any air bubbles. Spread cottage cheese mixture evenly over top, leaving 1-inch border around edges. Sprinkle sausage mixture evenly over cottage cheese mixture.
- Sprinkle cheddar mixture evenly over pizza, leaving 1/2-inch border. Create 2 rows of 3 evenly spaced small wells in cheese, each about 3 inches in diameter (6 wells total). Crack 1 egg into each well, then season each with salt and pepper.
- Return pizza to oven and bake until crust is light golden around edges and eggs are just set, 9 to 10 minutes for slightly runny yolks or 11 to 12 minutes for soft-cooked yolks, rotating sheet halfway through baking.
- Transfer pizza to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer pizza to cutting board. Sprinkle with scallions and chives and drizzle with extra oil. Slice and serve.
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