In A Timeless Christmas, Charles Whitley—a man who’s traveled forward in time from 1902—has never heard of pizza. Megan has to explain to him that it’s okay to eat it with his hands. After the first bite, he declares it’s the best thing he’s ever tasted. Charles would’ve been even more impressed by our Stuffed Crust Italian Pizza. It’s a few steps up from delivery pizza, and perfect any time.
Yield: 1 12-inch pizza (4 servings)
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 (16 oz.) ball refrigerated pizza dough, at room temperature
8 mozzarella string cheese sticks, at room temperature
½ cup pizza sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
12 slices pepperoni
½ medium-size red bell pepper, seeded and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
8 oz. bulk Italian pork sausage, cooked, drained, crumbled
½ cup cooked bacon, 1-inch dice
2 tablespoons sliced, drained black olives
as needed, grated Parmesan cheese
as needed, chopped fresh parsley
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 475°F. Coat a large pizza pan lightly with olive oil or cooking spray.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a 14-inch round. Transfer to pizza pan.
- Arrange string cheese sticks evenly in a 12-inch wide circle over dough, leaving a 1-inch border around outer edge of dough. Fold outer edges of dough over string cheese and press to seal, forming a cheese stuffed pizza crust.
- Spoon pizza sauce evenly over pizza dough; top with shredded cheese, pepperoni slices, bell pepper rings, crumbled sausage, diced bacon and black olives.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven.
- Garnish pizza with grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. Cut into 8 slices.