A super tasty and east at home dinner recipe, this Sheet Pan Pizza is fun, flavorful and the perfect recipe for those Pizza Nights instead of having to order takeout or have frozen pizza!
Crush the fennel seeds with a mortar and pestle, pulverize them in a coffee grinder, or place them into a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the ground pork, fennel, garlic, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. I like to do this by hand.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add in the sausage. Break it up into crumbles, stirring occasionally and cook until there is no pink left and it is lightly seared, 8-10 minutes.
Let the sausage drain on a paper-towel-lined plate until you are ready to assemble the pizza.
Brush a 9x13 rimmed baking sheet with the olive oil all over.
Add the pizza dough and stretch it out to fill the whole pan in an even layer. If you are having trouble stretching it, let it sit for 5 minutes, then come back and stretch again.
Add pizza sauce and spread it out all over the dough leaving about ½ inch border.
Top with half of the mozzarella cheese.
Add the crumbled cooked sausage. Top with the remaining mozzarella.
Sprinkle the oregano and garlic on top of everything. Bake for 15-18 minutes until the crust along the edge is golden brown and the cheese is melted and golden.
Let cool for 5 minutes then slice and serve with grated parmesan for topping.
Notes
You can make your own sausage or use store bought.
Use your favorite crust, see some suggestions above.
You can dress this with other toppings, again see some suggestions above.
If you want a hotter sausage add 1 teaspoon of red chili flakes.
Sausage is even better if you prepare it the day before and let it sit in the fridge overnight until using it. The flavors bloom overnight.
This can be frozen, see my tips above how to do that.