The classic vodka sauce isn’t just for pasta anymore! Make a homemade version or use store-bought but either way, make this pizza alla vodka – it’s a Friday pizza night game-changer!
There’s no doubt in my mind what my favorite food is. And in my mind, the only thing that makes pizza better is when it’s homemade. Take this pizza alla vodka, for example.
My favorite homemade dough, topped with a quick and simple vodka sauce (adapted from one of my all-time favorite pasta recipes), mozz and Parm cheeses, hot Italian sausage, and roasted tomatoes.
Hello! How amazing does that sound?! We had pizza alla vodka years ago but it was actually a stuffed pizza with penne alla vodka pasta and while it was soooo good, it was also waaay over the top and isn’t something we would really ever consider making at home.
This pizza is the perfect reason to make pizza at home and as soon as we get home this weekend, we’ll be busting out the leftover vodka sauce from the freezer and cranking up the oven. The post-vacay diets start Monday.
Pizza alla Vodka
- Prep Time: 10min
- Cook Time: 15-20min (roasted tomatoes) | 20min (vodka sauce) | 12-13min (pizza)
- Yield: One 12- to 14-inch pizza
Notes
The recipe for this sauce will make about twice as much as you’ll need for this pizza. We froze the extra sauce for a future pizza or a quick penne alla vodka dinner but you can also dip your pizza in it which is another an excellent idea.
To note about the sausage: We don’t precook the raw sausage we add to our pizzas. The broken up pieces of sausage will cook in the super hot oven and if it’s lean enough sausage (like you’ll find with fresh chicken or turkey sausage), there won’t a lot of grease on the pizza. We used hot Italian pork sausage for this pizza and it was actually quite lean so the grease was minimized.
Ingredients
For the roasted tomatoes:
2 medium tomatoes, sliced OR 1 heaping cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of sugar
Kosher salt
For the vodka sauce:
1 tbsp butter
½ small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp tomato paste
1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
½ cup vodka
½ cup heavy cream
For the pizza:
½ recipe of homemade pizza dough
Olive oil, for brushing
1 cup freshly shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 links spicy fresh sausage (pork, chicken, or turkey), casings removed (about 8 oz)
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil (optional)
Instructions
-
01
Preheat oven with a pizza stone inside to 500° F for at least 45 minutes. Lay the tomato slices out on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle the oil over the tomatoes and sprinkle them with a little sugar and salt. Roast them in the same oven as the pizza stone for 15 to 20 minutes, until they just start to shrivel and char. Don’t let them overcook because you’ll cook them again on top of the pizza. Remove the pan from the oven and set aside.
-
02
While the tomatoes roast, make the sauce. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, red pepper flakes, and tomato paste, stirring for about 30 seconds, until the garlic is fragrant and the tomato paste coats the onions. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the tomatoes. Return the sauce to the pan, bring the sauce to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir the vodka into the sauce and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes then stir in the cream and allow the cream to just warm through in the sauce then remove the pan from the heat.
-
03
Roll out the dough, transfer it to a piece of parchment paper, and brush the edges with the olive oil. Top the dough with about ¾ cup of the sauce, spreading it out to the edges. Sprinkle both of the cheeses over the top. Lay the tomatoes carefully (they will be fragile) over the cheese then break up the sausage into small pieces and toss it randomly over the top of the pizza. The raw sausage will cook fully in the oven on top of the pizza.
-
04
Once the oven has fully preheated, slide the pizza on top of the parchment paper onto the pizza stone.
Bake for 12 to 13 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is browned in spots. Remove the stone from the oven and let the pizza rest for 5 minutes and sprinkle the basil over the pizza (if using) before slicing and serving.
adapted from Pink Parsley
That sauce rocks!! Love this pizza!
I’ve made so many kinds of pizza but it’s never occurred to me to put vodka sauce on one. Love!
I know, right? Sort of genius and I wish I could take credit for the idea. ha!
mmmm mmmmm mmmmmmmmmmm homemade pizza + vodka sauce!!!
Oooh, I have to make this! I love vodka sauce – what an awesome idea to put it on pizza!!
Recently I was really, really low on cash and debts were eating me from all sides! That was UNTIL I decided to make money on the internet! I went to surveymoneymaker dot net, and started filling in surveys for cash, and surely I’ve been far more able to pay my bills! I’m so glad, I did this!! – xgjW