Store-bought dough makes homemade pizza easy for weeknight cooking. Taking inspiration from rectangular Sicilian pizza and Roman pizza al taglio, this recipe from the book “Tuesday Nights Mediterranean” simplifies the process by using a sheet pan instead of shaping the dough and baking it on a stone.
To make this pizza, stretch the dough towards the edges of the pan and top it with crushed tomatoes, cheese, salami, and fresh sage. To prevent sticking, oil the baking sheet with cooking spray and olive oil. While you’re not tossing the dough like a pro, tearing the mozzarella into irregular shapes and crushing the canned tomatoes by hand will add varied textures to your pizza.
You can substitute smoked mozzarella with scamorza cheese or regular mozzarella and genoa salami with pepperoni. Remember to bring the dough to room temperature before starting the recipe to ensure a lighter crust. Let the dough sit for 30 to 60 minutes to lose its chill.
Pizza with salami and smoked mozzarella
Start to finish: 40 minutes
Servings: 4 to 6
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and crushed by hand
Kosher salt
1½ pounds store-bought refrigerated pizza dough, room temperature
6 ounces smoked mozzarella cheese, broken into small pieces by hand or shredded (1½ cups)
2 ounces thinly sliced genoa salami (10 to 12 slices)
10 to 12 fresh sage leaves
Directions:
Heat the oven to 500°F with a rack in the lower-middle position. Mist a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray, then brush with the oil. In a medium bowl, stir together the tomatoes and ¼ teaspoon salt.
Set the dough in the center of the prepared baking sheet, then press and stretch it until it covers the pan and is of an even thickness. If the dough is resistant or shrinks after stretching, wait 5 to 10 minutes before trying again.
When the dough fills the baking sheet, distribute the tomatoes evenly over the dough, leaving a narrow border around the edge, then sprinkle with the cheese. Arrange the salami in a single layer and top with the sage leaves. Bake until the edges of the crust are well browned and the cheese is melted and begins to brown, about 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before cutting into pieces. Serve drizzled with additional olive oil.
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