Meat Combo Pizza and Rudy

Hello and welcome to Pizza and a Movie! Today’s pie would be a great game day pizza: a classic Meat Combo. Whenever we have ordered pizza for a group, there is always one classic meat combo pizza in the mix, it’s always a favorite. Choose whichever three meats you like the best. I have linguica, pepperoni, and smoked sweet Italian sausage. The green bell peppers and onions are what give this pie its classic “Combination” flavor.

This is a big pie, with big bold meat flavor so I wanted to give it a nice thick crust. For that reason, I decided to do this one in the cast iron skillet. I let my dough sit out for about 45 minutes and it made for a beautifully proofed dough, nice, puffy and thick.

Meat Combo Pizza

I lightly pan fried the linguica slices to give them a little color, but this is optional. I have a nice range of textures and flavors in my meat toppings, so consider that when you choose your meats so that they all don’t just blend together. Get the oven preheating to 450 degrees and place the rack to the middle bottom position.

Assembly

I didn’t make a red sauce for this pie, opting instead to use crushed San Marzano tomatoes, my go-to tomato “sauce” for pizza. You can use your favorite store-bought tomato sauce if you like. As usual, when I am making a skillet pizza, I add a layer of cheese to act as a barrier to keep the tomato sauce from sogging up the crust. So that will be our first layer, mozzarella cheese.

I want to layer this pizza with the wettest toppings on top. It’s easy to blot the moisture off the top when it comes out, but if the bottom is too wet, the dough won’t bake and it will be soggy. So pepperoni goes next. Then the smoked sweet Italian sausage; the onions, a little more cheese, the green peppers and the linguica to top.

Bake the Meat Combo Pizza for about 12-15 minutes, or until the top is bubbling and the crust is puffy and golden.

Blot any excess moisture with a paper towel and let it cool for a couple minutes. Then use a fish spatula or other sturdy long spatula to lift one side of the pizza and gently ease it out onto a cutting board.

Movie Night: Rudy

Let’s get to the movie! Since it’s the Friday before the Super Bowl, I thought it would be a fun night to watch one of our favorite football movies: Rudy. Even if you don’t like sports, it’s hard not to love a sports movie. They almost all have the same premise: hard work, perseverance and heart make dreams come true. What’s not to love about that message?!

With the odds stacked against him, Rudy Ruettiger (Sean Astin) dreams of going to college and playing football for Notre Dame. He has neither the money, nor the grades but he doubles his efforts and overcomes his dyslexia to earn a spot at the university. Then he has to get on the team… Based on the real life story of Rudy Ruettiger, Sean Astin gives his character, Rudy so much heart and soul, you are rooting for Rudy right from the start.

Well friends, I hope you make this Meat Combo Pizza; it’s rich and flavorful from the combination of sausages, it’s bright and punchy thanks to the crushed San Marzano tomatoes, onions and green peppers, and don’t forget the ooey gooey cheese! And that crust just puts it over the top. If you want to try something unexpected, try the You Say Potato Pie, it’s divine!

Thank you all so much for joining me today for Pizza and a Movie. I will see you all here again on Super Bowl Sunday! We will have a last minute game day recipe that is a definite crowd pleaser, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, check out my facebook and Instagram, and pin the recipes on Pinterest for later! Take care and be well everyone, xo Kelly

Print Recipe

Meat Combo Pizza

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Dinner, Main Course – American

By Kelly Djalali – Serves: 2-4

Prep Time: 15 Minutes – Cooking Time: 15 Minutes – Total Time: 30 Minutes

This Meat Combo Pizza is rich and flavorful from the combination of sausages; bright and punchy thanks to the crushed San Marzano tomatoes, onions and green peppers: and don't forget the ooey gooey mozzarella cheese!

Ingredients

• 1 Prepared Pizza Dough, at room temperature (let it sit out for 45 minutes)
• 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded, divided
• 4-5 San Marzano Tomatoes, crushed (about half of a 28-oz. can)
• 10-15 Pepperoni Slices
• 1 Linguica Link, sliced and lightly pan fried
• 1 Sweet Italian Sausage Link, sliced
• 1/2 - 1 Green Pepper, sliced in rounds
• 1/4 White Onion, sliced

Instructions

1

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2

On a lightly floured surface, coat dough ball in a light coating of flour. Flatten to a disc and create a crust by pressing indentations into the dough about 1/2" in from the edge all the way around the dough. Then, flatten the center and spread in opposite directions with your hands as you press the dough down.

3

Lay dough in a 12" cast iron skillet and let the crust come up the sides of the pan.

4

Sprinkle 1/3 of the mozzarella on the dough.

5

Follow with the crushed tomatoes, then more cheese.

6

Pepperoni, then Italian Sausage and onions, sprinkling more cheese between each layer.

7

Then green pepper and Linguica. Top with remaining cheese.

8

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is golden.

9

Once out, blot extra moisture with a paper towel and let sit for 3 minutes before cutting.