Chef notes
When I think of sheet pan pizza, I’m excited for its simplicity, crowd-friendly nature and well, the fact that it’s pizza! This recipe makes enough for a family of four to enjoy leftovers. Plus, I love that everything happens on the sheet pan, from resting the dough to serving the pie.
The combination of sausage, squash and sage hits all the fall flavor notes we crave as soon as there's a hint of chill in the air. The creamy, savory sauce is a simplified mornay sauce (aka creamy cheese sauce) that comes together in just a few minutes on the stovetop. Store-bought pizza dough works well here and is a great time-saver. Delicata squash adds sweetness to the pie that pairs nicely with the sausage and red onion, resulting in a perfectly balanced bite. Serve this alongside a simply dressed arugula salad for a weeknight dinner that feels like a treat.
Since this recipe calls for store-bought pizza dough, you’ll need to bring it to room temperature before topping and baking. To speed up this process, place the dough on a sheet pan and rest on top of the preheating oven. While the dough is warming, prepare and cool the sauce, and measure and cut your toppings. This way, you can assemble and cook the pizza as soon as the dough is ready.
Technique Tip: To serve quickly and without making a mess, use kitchen shears to cut the pizza into squares directly from the sheet pan.
Swap Option: Swap peeled and thinly sliced butternut squash in place of delicata if that’s what you have on hand. If spicy is more your style, use hot Italian sausage instead of sweet or add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes for some added heat.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 32 ounces store-bought pizza dough
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 sprigs fresh sage, divided
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 1 small delicata squash, thinly sliced into 1/8-inch half moons
- 1/2 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, crumbled
- 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta
Preparation
1.Preheat the oven to 450 F.
2.Grease a 13-by-18-inch sheet pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place the pizza dough in the center of the sheet pan, coat the dough with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and cover the sheet pan with plastic wrap. Rest in a warm place for 30 minutes. Use your fingertips gently stretch the dough to fit the size of the baking sheet, pressing from the center outward. Cover the dough and rest for another 15 to 30 minutes until the dough has risen and bubbles have formed.
3.Make the sauce: In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat until bubbling, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the flour and stir continuously until no lumps remain. Add in one sprig of sage and cook for about 2 minutes, until the roux smells nutty and is light blonde in color. Pour in the heavy cream and whisk continuously until thickened and smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and discard the sprig of sage. Stir in ½ cup Parmesan until smooth. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Set aside to cool.
4.Assemble the pizza: Spread the sauce evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch thick border around the edge. Arrange the squash and red onion evenly over the sauce and season with the remaining salt. Dot the pizza with the sausage, ricotta and 8 sage leaves. Finish with the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
5.Bake for 25 to 30 until the crust is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling. Cool for about 5 minutes before cutting into squares.
