Trader Joe's Homemade Pizza
Life can get hectic, and we all have those days when the thought of cooking an elaborate meal is just too daunting. That's where Trader Joe's comes to the rescue with their homemade pizza. Whether you're a seasoned home chef or a novice in the kitchen, this homemade pizza recipe is designed to make your pizza-making experience not only delicious but also stress-free.
Ingredients
- 1 bag *Trader Joe's Garlic and Herb pizza dough
- ¾ cup marinara sauce
- ½ lb **Italian sausage
- ¾ cup ***bell peppers
- 2 cups shredded mozzerella cheese
- 1 tbsp butter, softened
- ¼ tsp garlic salt
- Fresh basil, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475℉. Brush a large cookie sheet with olive oil. Take the dough out of the bag, roll into a ball, and place in the center of the cookie sheet. Let rest while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
- Heat a medium skillet to medium heat. Add the sausage to the pan. Using kitchen scissors, cut up the bacon into bits, and add to the pan with the sausage. Stir and cook together until the sausage is cooked through and the bacon is crispy. Add the bell peppers and cook until softened.
- Using your hands, spread out the rested pizza dough until it is about as thin as you can make it into a rectangle shape. Ensure it is spread as evenly as possible to ensure it cooks evenly.The dough is fairly elastic, so this step may take a little time and patience to work the dough into a the desired shape and thin-ness.
- Spread the sauce over the dough, leaving about a 1/2-1 inch border around the pizza.
- Add the sausage/bacon/pepper mixture and spread evenly on top of the sauce.
- Add the pepperoni.
- Sprinkle the cheese on top.
- Cook at 475℉ for 15 minutes. The top should barely be starting to brown, and when lifted up with a spatula, the crust should seem cooked through (the middle will not be crispy, but the edges should be starting to brown).
- This step is optional but yummy. Using a pastry brush, brush the edges of the hot crust with the softened butter. Sprinkle with garlic salt.
- Top the pizza with roughly chopped fresh basil. Cut into rectangle slices with a pizza cutter, and enjoy!
Notes
*Trader Joe's also had a plain dough option that will work, as well. I prefer the garlic and herb flavor because it adds a lot of flavor to the pizza without any extra effort.
**2-3 sausage links if using Trader Joe's Italian sausage.
***I always keep a bag of Trader Joe's frozen bell peppers in the freezer for this pizza recipe, and to add to eggs/omelettes/burritos. Fresh bell peppers will work just fine if that's all you have.