Sausage French Bread Pizza
Made with a loaf of easy French bread, this recipe is the perfect at-home dinner to bake in a pinch. The great thing about French bread pizza is that it can be easily customized to whatever you and your family prefer. So bake or buy a loaf of bread, prepare the sauce, and sprinkle on whatever you love to eat, and you have a meal in minutes!
Servings 12 slices
Calories 518kcal
Ingredients
For the pizza
- 1 large loaf French bread sliced in half lengthwise
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese shredded
- ½ cup shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
For the sauce
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- ½ medium onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 lb Italian sausage
- 1 15-oz can tomato sauce
Instructions
For the pizza
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Place the two halves of French bread cut side up on a parchment-lined baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and Italian seasoning. Place the bread in the preheated oven and until it is toasted, 6-8 minutes. Once toasted, remove the bread from the oven.1 large loaf French bread, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, ½ tsp kosher salt
- Sprinkle half of the shredded mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese on the two halves of the bread. Return the bread to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted, 4-6 minutes. Once the cheese is melted, remove the bread from the oven.8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, ½ cup shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
- Spread half of the prepared sauce (recipe below) on each half of the bread. Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese.8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, ½ cup shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
- Place the pizzas in the oven. Bake until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown, 8-12 minutes. Once the pizzas are baked, remove them from the oven and cool them for 10 minutes. Slice the pizzas into pieces and serve.
For the sauce
- In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the onion and bell pepper. Sprinkle with salt and sauté until the onion is softened and translucent, 4-6 minutes. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning to the onion and peppers and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the sausage and break it into small pieces until it is browned, 6-8 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and bring the mixture to a simmer. Simmer on low to combine the flavors, 4-6 minutes.1 tbsp unsalted butter, ½ medium onion, 1 red bell pepper, ¼ tsp kosher salt, 2 cloves garlic, 1 ½ tsp Italian seasoning, 1 lb Italian sausage, 1 15-oz can tomato sauce
Notes
- After cooking the sausage, if there is a lot of residual liquid (or oil) in the saucepan, make sure to pour it off before adding the tomato sauce. This extra liquid comes from varying fat levels and can make the sauce a bit too thin once finished.
- While pre-baking the French bread before and after adding the cheeses may seem like extra work, these steps ensure that the bread will hold up to the sausage sauce that’s spread on top. Without the steps of baking the crust before and after the cheese, the bread may end up soggy, with the sauce sinking into the interior of the bread.
- To shred the mozzarella cheese easily, place the block of cheese in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Once slightly frozen, the mozzarella will shred and will still bake at the same rate in the oven.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 518kcal