Meat Lovers Pizza.
I’m still trying to figure out if I can survive on cookies for the next 27 days.
Since I probably can’t, but am not QUITE sure yet, I figure pizza is the next best bet.
On Thanksgiving morning I looked at Eddie and was like, “do you know what I really want to eat, like desperately want to eat?” He had no clue because I always want to eat everything, except all of the things he suggests of course, and so I said “pizza” and it was terrible because it was Thanksgiving and obviously I wasn’t going to eat pizza. For some reason, this made wanting pizza ten times worse.
I’m in a major pizza mode. This will continue until we go hog wild with the pizza, perhaps eating a version three times one week and then looking at one another and sighing with an “I’m good on pizza for awhile” comment.
It always happens. It’s one of our cyclical, predictable issues.
But.
Words can’t describe how much I adore this pizza, though since I am annoyingly wordy I’m sure I will try. The thing is that my love for this pizza came as a shock. Well, okay, not as a shock – I knew I’d probably LIKE it, I knew it would taste good. But as I’ve said before a million times, I am the most boring pizza eater.
I mean, I like to make cool and unique pizzas. If I’m at a specialty pizza restaurant or something of the sort, I’ll make sure to have something with brussels and fontina and all that jazz. But when we order delivery pizza, it’s a constant battle because I just want to eat it PLAIN.
I want nothing on my pizza, unless it’s maybe bacon and extra cheese. I won’t be a brat about toppings – but I’ll pick everything off and push it to the side of my plate until my slice is plain. I’m the most basic pizza eater and it’s like I become a totally different person when I call to order it.
Wait. That’s a lie.
Because I also hate calling to order it and Eddie usually does it. Because I come from the internet generation where I loathe phones for all things other than texting and instagram stalking to the point where I CAN’T EVEN CALL FOR PIZZA. If someone asks me to call for pizza I practically break out in a cold sweat. Returning phone calls? Ha. Listening to voicemails? Double ha.
I know. I hate me too.
For the last five years, I’ve always said I hope this changes when I have kids. I mean, it has to.
I guess we will find out in a few days. (EEEK.)
We often order our pizzas split down the middle: half plain and half with pepperoni and sausage. But a few weeks ago I become fascinated with the idea of making my own meat lovers pizza, adding allllllll the meats and making it the most delicious thing in the universe.
So that’s what I did.
What we really have is a four meat, three cheese pizza covered in freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano and fresh herbs. The herbs make it. They do. It’s just so… FRESH.
On to the dough went slightly crisped bacon, sweet Italian sausage, pepperoni and sliced prosciutto which I knew would crunch up perfectly in the oven. On top of that went fontina, provolone and parmesan, otherwise known as the holy trinity of cheeses and one killer melty combo.
I COULDN’T STOP EATING PIECES!
This found it’s way out of my oven early in the day, after all it gets dark by like 3PM here now. And by the time Eddie came home, I had gone back and eaten multiple pieces and just kept taking bites out of the perfectly cheesy, crisp squares.
That’s the other thing: sometimes I want slices. Sometimes I want squares. It just depends. I must complicated everything.
It’s worth it.
Meat Lovers Pizza
Ingredients
crust
- 1 1/8 cups warm water
- 3 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
pizza
- 6 slices bacon, chopped
- 1/2 pound sweet italian sausage, removed from the casing
- 1/4 cup pepperoni pieces
- 6 slices prosciutto
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
- 8 ounces fontina cheese, freshly grated
- 8 ounces provolone cheese, freshly grated
- 3 tablespoons freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, plus extra
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 3 tablespoons freshly snipped chives
Instructions
crust
- In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, honey and olive oil. Mix with a spoon, then let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add in 2 1/2 cups flour and salt, stirring with a spoon until the dough comes together but is still sticky. Using your hands, form the dough into a ball and work in the additional 1/2 cup flour, kneading it on a floured surface for a few minutes. Rub the same bowl with olive oil then place the dough inside, turning to coat. Cover with a towel and place in a warm place to rise for about 1-1 1/2 hours.
- After the dough has risen, punch it down and place it back on the floured surface. Using a rolling pin or your hands, form it into your desired shape (in this case I did a rectangular baking sheet) and place on a baking sheet or pizza peel that’s covered with a little bit of cornmeal. Place the towel back over the dough and let sit in the warm place for 10 minutes.
pizza
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add bacon. Cook until the fat is just rendered and the bacon is slightly crisp, but not fully cooked. Remove pieces with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain. Remove the bacon grease from the skillet (I keep mine in a mason jar in the fridge….) and heat it over medium heat again. Add the sausage (without the casing) and cook until it’s cooked through, breaking it apart in to tiny pieces with a wooden spoon. Once fully cooked, remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Brush the dough, especially the outside crust, with olive oil and spread the sauce all over the pizza. Add half of the fontina and provolone cheese. Place the pepperoni, sausage, prosciutto slices and bacon all over the pizza. Cover with the remaining cheese and parmigiano-reggiano. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pizza crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly. Remove and cover with the extra grated parmesan, cilantro and chives. Slice into squares and serve!
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
As a side note, doesn’t this look eerily similar to my BBQ chicken French breads? Yes. You should probably make both.
70 Comments on “Meat Lovers Pizza.”
Stop it. I’m hungry and I’ve been craving pizza for 4 days. The pizza craving started promptly after my taco craving ended which began on thanksgiving Eve. It was inconvenient because I was about to begin a 3 day thanksgiving dinner binge. I still haven’t had my tacos. Or pizza.
Meat hater’s cooking video
http://y2u.be/tOW5eljyjms
Officially going into the kitchen in two seconds to make a pizza bagel for breakfast–because it is the next best (and easiest) alternative to this pizza at 7:30 in the morning. Ugh. I’m on a major pizza kick as well, can’t get enough of the stuff.
I’ll skip the cookies and see for how long I can live off pizza, mkay? :)
I want to bite my screen right now! YUM!
Crap. Now I want taco pizza.
That looks delicious! Also, I’m with you on minimalist pizza toppings – the cheese gets browned much better without pesky toppings in the way! ;) At least with delivery pizza!
Stop it. I’m hungry, and have been craving pizza for 4 days. My pizza craving started promptly after my taco craving ended, which began on Thanksgiving eve, which was extremely inconvenient because I was heading into a 3 day Thanksgiving dinner binge. I still haven’t had tacos. Or pizza.
Thought I was the only one who hates the phone for phone reasons. I make my husband call in all the takeout orders because I hate it so much. Even when he’s driving… I hold the phone and make him talk on speaker. Lol
I’m also weirdly anxious when making phone calls to unknown people. I will pretty much refuse to make a reservation at a restaurant that doesn’t have Open Table. Because who doesn’t have Open Table, anyways?
I think a steady diet of pizza and cookies is definitely in order for the next 27 days!
Now I need pizza too! While I’m not usually a lover of meats on my Pizza, I love prosciutto and bacon, so I’m totally into this one. Plus…those herbs!
You just made my husband’s day.
Maybe you have mentioned it before and I missed it, but do you make your own pizza sauce, or purchase one from the store? I have a hard time finding a good pizza sauce from the store – and I love to make homemade pizza.
i don’t make my own and usually just use jarred! mostly because i don’t care for tomato sauce. i have used marcella hazan’s butter and onion tomato sauce on pizza before for a lighter marinara (it’s so good), but otherwise i tend to use delallo’s pizza sauce (their store is in my neighborhood but i think they sell the pizza sauce all over the country) or my local store’s organic brand!
Looks amazing! Just curious do you do anything special with the pizza sauce? or do you just use any tomato sauce?
i usually just use a jarred pizza sauce – i don’t love tomato sauce so i’ve never made my own pizza version!
you’re killing me woman — that’s one good looking pizza!
this would be gone in five seconds flat in my house!!! we get a pizza from the local parlor called the t-rex, which is every kind of meat piled all gloriously on top of cheese. this one puts the t-rex to shame though because PROSCIUTTO AND CHIVES. yes.
This looks so amazing and delicious! I’m going to have to make this for dinner tonight. Honey in pizza dough is such a great little trick, it gives it the perfect flavor.
My secret wish in life is to eat an entire 16 inch plain pizza pie, all by myself. It can easily be done. I will happily show you if given the opportunity (please give me the opportunity!)
I can’t believe baby is due to arrive soon, how exciting! I think I can speak for everyone when I say we are all eagerly and happily awaiting the arrival :)
Please don’t call pizza..pie. Pizza is pizza. Only douchebags and hipsters call it pie.
My husband will love this pizza! It looks so delicious and bacon is the best pizza topping. The chives look amazing also!
my favorite pizza combination except I usually throw some ham on there too, I haven’t ever added cilantro, although I always have it so thanks for the inspiration!
My husband would flip for this pizza (and me too of course), the more meat the better!
I am the exact opposite, I like any and everything on a pizza! I don’t even care I just want pizza. I even love anchovies, but don’t really like them cooked so I just ask for a side with the pizza. I want to scratch my dinner plans and make this!
Baby in a few days? Yeah! I’m so excited for you and Eddie, Jessica! There couldn’t be a better Christmas present! I love pizza and this meat lover’s version looks so delicious. My husband will love this!
My default favorite pizza is pepperoni and onion….and after making Thanksgiving food for the blog for the two weeks before Thanksgiving? I definitely would have been happy with pizza on the actual day!
And now i need to eat pizza as soon as possible. This looks amazing!
Mmmmmh!
yes, that looks delicious So funny you wanted pizza on Thanksgiving!
Great. Now I’m craving pizza! My husband will love this!
Cravings when you know you can’t have said item, i.e. pizza on TG, just makes them wayyy worse! The holy trinity of melting cheeses, loved that. And darkby 3pm so cooking dinnertime foods at like 9am, so weird, I hate winter lighting! Pinned! :)
This sounds AMAZING! Chef tends to get irritated with me when pizza ordering, too. I’m a black olive-only kinda girl. He likes everything. We compromise with a half black olive- half pepperoni and pineapple, extra ranch. But this, this is making me drool.
This looks incredible. Pizza’s (almost) always better when you make it at home!
I’m never not on a pizza kick. And I have gotten food poisoning from eating pizza not once, but TWICE. I don’t care because this looks too good!! TOO GOOD.
This looks amazing! You are inspiring me to make my own pizza soon!
Cracking up at you breaking cold sweat at having to use your phone for anything other than stalking people. Sometimes I’m hooked on my phone and someone calls and I ignore it until I’m done. Horrible. Person. Anyway, I can’t get into the whole meat-lover thing because I’m one of those weird non-meat people but homemade pizza I can respect! Seriously nothing beats homemade pizza and homemade dough!
As I was reading this I kept thinking to myself–ahh, finally, someone who gets crazy pizza cravings (like all the time) AND hates talking on the phone just as much as I do. This pizza looks absolutely incredible!
delicious! boyfriend is going to love this one.
xo, cheyenne
I’ve been on a serious pizza binge lately too! Like I’ve straight up just wanted to eat pizza nightly even if I’ve already had a full on gigantic meal. Aaand now I want this pizza too because it looks insane. So good! Pinned :-)
This looks so yummy! I’ve sworn off bread for a while since TG got the best of me, but I think this would work well with a nice thin cauliflower crust. Will put this on my to do/eat list. :)
Jenn
http://www.thecremebuleeblog.com
Love this, but cilantro?! I do love it in asian and mexican food…but pizza! Hmmmmmm. Maybe just on one square for starters!!!
This is the most gorgeous pizza in the whole world!!! Also, you aren’t alone in your pizza craziness (cause that’s what it is). I insist on ordering pizza online and my husband is all “but Jen maybe there are deals over the phone” to which I’m all “but I’d rather pay more than even get on the phone”. And if a place makes their pizza into squares, I’m automatically in love with them because sometimes you don’t want crust, amiright?!
Plainer the better for reals! Unless its your four cheese white pizza. Then I die.
This bite-size pieces look delicious. But you know what – it’s been researched that these bite-sizes will lead to eventually eating more of the good stuff than necessarily were good for one’s waist line … Which is why I have returned to chopping off piece by piece with knife and fork … ;-)
This pizza looks so yummy! i’m also terrified of calling the pizza place to order food so i generally relinquish my toping choices to the person who’s doing the ordering. I almost always pick everything off the pizza haha
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I love pizza but I am a one kind of meat kind of gal. It is my one rule. My husband on the other hand is constantly on the meat lover’s version. He would be gaga over this one.
this looks so beyond amazing, i may have to try my hands at it asap.
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I want to eat the wholeeeeeeeeeeeeee thing.
Made this for football Sunday (go Seahawks!) and loved it! The only downside was that it was too big for our pizza stone, but that could be because I took FOREVER to put it in the oven and the dough became a monster and almost doubled in size while waiting! Whoops! Luckily that means more pizza :)