Family Bites: Carmelized Onion, Sausage, and Apple Pizza

When my husband was a kid, his mom decided to experiment and see if the family would get sick of pizza if she made it every night for dinner.

Guess who got sick of it first?

I love having pizza for dinner. Sometimes it can be a hassle to make, but I’ve pretty much got the dough recipe down and the result is worth it, because the girl will eat it. I feel way better about pizza I’ve made vs. pizza we’ve bought. Less greasy, less preservative-filled, and good ingredients. I totally believe in fresh mozzarella.

My sis-in-law does pizza and movie night every Friday with the kids, at home. Once a week is doable. And we always make enough for leftovers.

This recipe was born out of the Newman’s Own Foodbuzz Tastemakers program, where I got to try several different products. My mom actually came up with the apple slices. Gorgeous. I knew I had good cooking genes. Sausage was a natural accompaniment with its salty balance.

Here’s a link to my favorite pizza dough recipe. It’s chewy, crusty, and no rolling out necessary (just pulling and stretching). But if you’re short on time, I find refrigerated pizza dough to be acceptable. Hopefully you’re lucky enough to live next to a Trader Joe’s and can get a good one.

Ingredients:

• pizza dough for 1 15x12 cookie sheet pan
• 1 C of Newman’s Own Sockarooni Pasta Sauce (or other red sauce)
• 10 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 green apple, cored and cut into thin slices
• 1 onion sliced thinly
• 2 italian sausages, casings removed.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Unroll the pizza crust over a greased cookie sheet. Press to fit.
2. Blend 1 C of Newman’s Own Sockarooni Pasta sauce in blender for 10 seconds. Pour sauce over the pizza crust, spreading evenly. Leave a 1 inch border around all edges.
3. Sprinkle or place cheese over the pasta sauce.
4. Heat olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Cook apple and onion, stirring constantly, for 12-15 minutes or until caramelized. Set aside.
5. Cook sausages in same pan, breaking up sausage into small crumbles. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
6. Scatter cooked apple, onion, and sausage over cheese. Place pizza in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes (until crust is lightly browned). Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.