If there’s one thing my kids love, it’s a pizza night. But I do wish that I had a little more control over their vegetable intake. Getting them to eat salad is like pulling teeth sometimes. So homemade pizza is a great compromise – I can add veggies to my heart’s content, and they still get pizza. This recipe is perfect for customizing to your tastes. Add more veggies, change the meat or leave it off, or try out some fancy new cheeses. The crock pot is a forgiving cooking tool that will let you experiment till you find the right pizza combo for your family.

 

Ingredients

 

1 pound frozen pizza dough, thawed

2 tablespoon cornmeal

3 tablespoons butter

1 shallot, peeled and diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

2 teaspoons dried Italian Seasoning

1 1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese

1/2 pound Italian pork sausage, cooked

Garnishes: Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley

 

Instructions

Roll the pizza dough out onto a large piece of parchment paper. Make sure to roll and stretch to dough into an oval 2 inches longer and 2 inches wider than the crock of the slow cooker. Sprinkle with cornmeal and press into both sides of the crust. Then use the edges of the paper to lower the crust into the crock.

Place the butter and onions in a sauté pan. Sauté for 1-2 minutes, then add the garlic and sauté another 2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, Italian Seasoning, sugar and salt. Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from heat.

Meanwhile, cook the pork sausage in a separate skillet, breaking apart with a wooden spoon.

Spread the cheese over the bottom of the pizza crust. Lift and stretch the sides of the dough so they stand up past the cheese. Sprinkle the crumbled sausage over the cheese. Then spread the tomato sauce over the sausage. Lift and stretch the sides of the crust again so it is above the edge of the sauce.

Cover the slow cooker with a long piece of paper towel. Then place the lid over the paper towel and pull it tight. This helps catch excess moisture.

Slow cook the pizza for 2-4 hours on high, or 4-6 hours on low. When you are ready to serve, lift the pizza out of the crock by the edges of the parchment paper and sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese and parsley. Cut into 4 pieces.

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Quick tip: This recipe calls for frozen pizza dough, thawed, but you can also use a freshly made batch of homemade pizza dough if you prefer!

Recipe and image courtesy of A Spicy Perspective