Get Lit Recipe

Preheat and ready pan

Place a pizza stone or an inverted heavy baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven. Preheat oven to 500°F (260°C) for at least 45 minutes so the stone is thoroughly hot. If using a home pizza oven, follow manufacturer instructions.

Cook and season sausage

In a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat, add the crumbled Italian sausage and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until no pink remains and edges are lightly browned, about 6–8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer cooked sausage to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Reserve skillet for quick sauté of vegetables if desired.

If using raw dough from refrigerator, let it sit at room temperature for 30–60 minutes before stretching so it relaxes.

While oven preheats and sausage cooks, thinly slice the red onion, green bell pepper, and mushrooms. Pat mushrooms lightly with paper towel if very moist. Measure out mozzarella and set sauce nearby.

If you prefer slightly softened vegetables, heat the reserved skillet over medium-high, add 1 teaspoon olive oil, quickly sauté the sliced peppers and onions for 1–2 minutes until just beginning to soften, then remove and cool. Mushrooms can be left raw or briefly sautéed the same way for 1 minute to reduce moisture.

Lightly dust a pizza peel or work surface with the all-purpose flour (2 tbs). Stretch or roll the dough ball into a 12–14-inch round (or desired size) leaving a slightly thicker edge for the crust. Transfer the stretched dough to the dusted pizza peel or an inverted baking sheet if you don’t have a peel.

Brush the outer 1/2-inch of the dough lightly with 1 teaspoon olive oil to promote browning.

Spread the 1 cup LIT red sauce evenly over the dough, leaving the oiled edge bare. Sprinkle the 2 cups shredded mozzarella evenly over the sauce.

Distribute the cooked Italian sausage evenly over the cheese, then scatter the pepperoni slices across the pizza so most slices lay flat. Arrange the sliced red onion, green bell pepper and mushrooms in an even layer over the meats.

Sprinkle the dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes (if using), kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper evenly over the top.

Slide the assembled pizza onto the preheated pizza stone or inverted sheet. Bake at 500°F (260°C) for 8–12 minutes, until the crust is golden and blistered in spots and the cheese is melted and bubbling. Baking time will vary with oven and stone temperature—start checking at 8 minutes.

If you prefer extra browning, finish with 30–60 seconds under a broiler, watching closely to avoid burning.

Remove pizza from oven and let rest for 2–3 minutes. Slice into 8 portions with a pizza cutter or sharp knife.

Serve hot. Optionally offer extra crushed red pepper and grated Parmesan at the table.