Pizza Rosa Recipe

preheat

Place a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 500°F (260°C) for at least 30 minutes. If your oven doesn’t go that high, preheat to the maximum temperature.

On a lightly floured surface, stretch or roll the dough into a 12–14-inch round. Keep the edges slightly thicker to form a rim. If dough resists, let rest 5–10 minutes and continue.

Transfer the shaped dough to a piece of parchment or a well-floured pizza peel. Brush the outer 1/2-inch rim lightly with 1 tbs olive oil to promote browning.

Combine the alfredo and marinara sauces in a small bowl and stir until slightly blended but still showing a pinkish streaking (this creates the 'rosa'). Taste and adjust salt/pepper if needed.

Using the back of a spoon, spread about 1 cup total of the combined sauces over the dough, leaving the oiled rim clear (aim for an even, thin layer so crust crisps).

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, crumble and cook the Italian sausage (8 oz) until browned and cooked through, about 6–8 minutes. Break into small bite-size pieces. Transfer to paper towel to drain excess fat.

If you don’t have pre-roasted garlic, roast 4–6 garlic cloves: toss unpeeled cloves in a little oil, wrap in foil, and roast at 400°F (200°C) for 25–30 minutes until soft; cool and squeeze out. Mash or mince to make about 2 tbs. Spread the roasted garlic thinly over the sauce-covered dough, distributing evenly.

Distribute the cooked sausage evenly over the sauced dough, leaving some gaps for tomatoes and cheese.

Arrange the torn or sliced fresh mozzarella across the surface in small clusters so cheese melts uniformly. Scatter the thinly sliced Roma tomatoes between cheese pieces.

Sprinkle the 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper evenly over the pizza. If using, sprinkle 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes for heat.

Slide the pizza (on parchment or directly on a peel) onto the preheated stone or baking sheet. Bake at 500°F (260°C) for 8–12 minutes, until the crust is golden and blistered and the cheese is bubbly and slightly browned. Baking time varies with oven and stone temperature—start checking at 7 minutes.

Remove pizza from oven and immediately scatter torn fresh basil leaves (about 1/4 cup) over the hot pizza. Let rest 2–3 minutes to set.

Finish with a light grating of Parmesan or Pecorino (2 tsp) if desired. Slice and serve hot.