With only four ingredients, make a sweet and spicy Italian pizza. The secret ingredient is 'Nduja, a spicy pork sausage made in the Italian region of Calabria.
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After going to culinary school in Southern Italy, I learned about my new favorite ingredient: 'Nduja.
'Nduja is a spicy pork sausage that's well known in the Calabria region of Italy. It's made with peperoncino (or Calabrian chili peppers as we know them in the U.S.) that's mixed with pork.
Not only did we learn about this delicious ingredient in culinary school, but we also got to make it from scratch during charcuterie week.
Today, I want to show you how to use the 'Nduja on a pizza. It's magical, especially when paired with honey to help balance out the spice.
Before you begin this recipe, be sure to prep some homemade Neapolitan pizza dough.
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What You'll Learn In This Recipe
- Helpful tips for making the best Italian pizza such as how to stretch the dough.
- The best type of mozzarella cheese to buy.
- Cooking instructions for both a home oven and a pizza oven.
Want to make the best Italian pizza? Grab a list of 85+ Italian pizza topping ideas.
Ingredients You Need
Authentic Italian food is usually very simple with high-quality ingredients. Even though this 'Nduja pizza has minimal ingredients, it is packed with flavor!
- Pizza dough: I always prefer to make my own pizza dough at home (it has so much more flavor). However, a store-bought pizza dough will also work and help save you time.
- 'Nduja sausage: This is a spicy sausage made with Calabrian chili pepper.
- Low moisture mozzarella cheese: Make sure you purchase low moisture mozzarella and shred it yourself. This will ensure the cheese melts nicely on the pizza.
- Honey: Don't skip this ingredient. It gives the pizza the best spicy + sweet combo.
How To Make This Recipe
Before you begin making this pizza, be sure your pizza dough has come to room temperature so it's easy to stretch.
1. Once the dough is stretched, ensure that there is sufficient flour underneath the pizza dough, then build the pizza directly on a pizza peel or the hot pizza stone dusted with cornmeal.
Place small pieces of 'Nduja around the pizza followed by mozzarella.
2. Bake for 10 - 14 minutes until the crust is golden brown. If you are using a pizza oven, bake for 60 - 90 seconds, rotating as needed, until the crust is golden brown and the bottom of the dough is fully cooked.
Once the pizza comes out of the oven, garnish with honey.
Expert Tips
- Want to check that your pizza is fully cooked? You should be able to hold up the entire pizza with only 3 fingers to show that the crust is perfectly baked.
- Always make sure the pizza crust has come to room temperature before stretching.
- Less is more when it comes to making Italian style pizza. Even though there are only 3 ingredients in this pizza, it's still bursting with flavor!
Recipe FAQs
You'll typically find 'Nduja sausage at a local Italian market (in the refrigerated section). If you don't see it stocked, as the staff if they can special order it.
I personally love using my Ooni pizza oven. It gives the pizza that leopard print browning and perfectly cooks the crust.
However, you can also use a home oven and cook the pizza at a high temperature on a pizza stone (see instructions below).
No! There's too much water in fresh mozzarella and it will cause water to pool on the pizza crust.
Sure! If you prefer pizza with sauce (like this Neapolitan tomato sauce), you can definitely add it to the pizza before the 'Nduja sausage and cheese.
Round pizzas come with practice. If you notice your pizza isn't perfectly circular, don't worry, it will still taste delicious. Keep working on your technique for stretching pizza. You have to allow gravity to help you stretch the dough.
More Pizza Recipes
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'Nduja Honey Pizza
Equipment
- pizza stone or pizza oven
- Pizza Peel (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 (9.9 ounce) pizza dough
- flour for dusting
- ⅛ cup 'Nduja sausage
- 2.5 ounces low moisture mozzarella cheese
- honey for garnish
Instructions
- Remove the pizza dough from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature. Arrange the oven rack to the center of the oven. Place a pizza stone on the rack, then heat oven to 450°F (230°C). Allow the oven and pizza stone to preheat for at least 30 minutes. Alternatively, heat a pizza oven to 810°F (432°C).
- Lightly flour a clean work surface. Grab pizza dough and cover both sides in flour. Flatten dough ball slightly with your hands, then use your fingers to make an indent for the crust. Once the dough is circular, use the outer palm of your hand to continue stretching the dough until it reaches a 13 inch (33 cm) circle with even thickness. To help stretch the dough, hang it on your knuckles and allow gravity to pull it downwards.
- Ensure that there is sufficient flour underneath the pizza dough, then build the pizza directly on a pizza peel or the hot pizza stone dusted with cornmeal.
- Place small pieces of 'Nduja sausage around the pizza followed by mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 10 - 14 minutes until the crust is golden brown. If you are using a pizza oven, bake for 60 - 90 seconds, rotating as needed, until the crust is golden brown and the bottom of the dough is fully cooked. Once the pizza comes out of the oven, garnish with honey.
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