Pizza is some type of miracle food. It comforts. It celebrates. It’s there for you in a pinch. It can feed your entire family in hardly any time at all with very little money. Yet, it’s so versatile. From flatbread pizza as an appetizer to dessert pizza, this delicious comfort food takes on many different forms. However, almost everybody knows it for it’s typical saucey gooey cheesy pizza goodness. And, this mushroom, sausage, and arugula pizza is no different.
As a spin on your classic meat and cheese pizza, it offers a unique balance of earthiness from the mushrooms, richness from the sausage and cheese, tanginess from the pizza sauce, and a little peppery bite from the arugula. Even better, if you make it with this super simple no knead pizza dough, this gourmet pizza can be whipped up in less than an hour. Plus, cleaning your kitchen afterwards will be a total breeze!
What makes this mushroom, sausage, and arugula pizza so good?!
Whether you need a weekday rush-home-from-work-and-pop-it-in-the-oven type of meal or a weekend stay-at-home-date-night dinner, this pizza is the best for any occasion. This recipe is elegant, yet kid-friendly, has very few steps, and is fully customizable. It’s also easy to make ahead of time and pop in the oven when you’re ready for it, but it’s also just as easy to make right before dinner time. In addition, you can freeze any leftovers and reheat them later on, if needed. It’s like a gift that keeps on giving. 😉
Ingredients
- No Knead Pizza Dough
- Tomato Sauce
- Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
- Fresh Parmesan Cheese
- Italian Sausage, Cooked
- Mushrooms
- Arugula
- Jalapeño
- Olive Oil, Garlic Powder, Dried Oregano, Dried Basil, Salt, and Pepper
A few notes about the ingredients:
- Use your favorite tomato sauce. You do not need to buy a sauce that is specifically labeled “pizza sauce.” I actually use a tomato basil spaghetti sauce from Trader Joe’s for this recipe. It has all recognizable ingredients and very little added sugar. So, any tomato based sauce will do.
- I highly recommend buying fresh mozzarella and parmesan and shredding it yourself. The flavor in fresh cheeses is much better than in the pre-packaged ones. Plus, it has less anti-caking additives because the manufacturers don’t have to worry about it melting and clumping together.
- I personally prefer chicken Italian sausage, but pork or beef would be equally delicious in this. If you don’t like sausage, you can add more vegetables or substitute with pepperoni, shredded chicken, tofu/tempeh, or a protein of your choice.
How do you make mushroom, sausage, and arugula pizza?
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Make the pizza dough and follow the instructions up until parbaking the dough. When the dough comes out of the oven, pour your tomato sauce on top in small increments. Spread it around with the back of a spoon, leaving a sauce-less crust around the edges. Keep adding sauce until you’ve reached your desired amount.
Shred your fresh cheeses and sprinkle them on top of the sauce. Again, adjusting based on your personal taste. Scatter your cooked sausage on top of the cheese, just enough to get a few pieces on each pizza slice. (I took my sausage out of its casing before cooking it. Then, I added it to a skillet and broke it up with a spoon as it cooked through.)
Place the mushrooms, arugula, and jalapeños on the pizza, adding more or less depending on how much you’d want per slice. Then, combine olive oil, garlic powder, dried oregano, dried basil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Brush the oil mixture around the crust of the pizza to give it a delicious herby garlic flavor.
Place the pizza in the oven and allow it to cook for 10-15 minutes until the cheese melts and the crust turns golden brown. My pizza took about 13 minutes. Allow the pizza to cool slightly, then cut it into 12 slices using a pizza cutter or sharp knife.
What is the difference between pan pizza and regular pizza?
The main difference between pan pizza and regular pizza is in the equipment used to make it. Pan pizza is typically made on a sheet pan or rectangular baking pan, whereas “regular” pizza is normally made circular and stretched onto a pizza stone or round metal pan. The pan pizza usually has a crisp but doughy crust and the “regular” style pizza usually has a thinner crispier crust.
I make this pizza as an easy pan pizza because I love the texture of the crust. The warmth of the sides of the pan allow the dough to get golden brown and crispy on all sides, while keeping the inside chewy and delicious. However, you can definitely make this as a round pizza, using a pizza stone or round pan. And, if you want pizza without an oven: this can also be a great grilled pizza recipe, as well.
How can I modify this pizza to use what’s in my pantry?
Feel free to modify this pizza any way you’d like. As long as you have a good foundation with this super simple pizza dough and a flavorful sauce, you can experiment with what you have on hand and make substitutions as you see fit. In no way is pizza one size fits all, so think of this as a blank canvas and add whatever your family likes best.
If you don’t like spice, swap the jalapeño for bell peppers. If you don’t like sausage, you can add shredded chicken, bacon, pepperoni, tofu/tempeh, beans, or any protein you have on hand. Add fresh tomatoes or fresh basil, instead of mushrooms and arugula. Or, pile on all your favorites in addition to what I have listed.
Swap out the tomato sauce for pesto, make this a round pizza instead of a rectangular pan pizza, or make it gluten free by swapping the flour in the pizza dough with gluten free flour. The possibilities are truly endless!
For more pizza inspiration, check out these great recipes:
What makes this mushroom, sausage, and arugula pizza healthy?
All of the wonderful fresh ingredients that top this pizza help make it a healthier option than carryout or frozen pizzas. The homemade pizza dough and freshly shredded cheeses allow for far fewer additives. The dough and cheese don’t need to be stabilized to sit on a grocery store or pizza store shelf for days, so they’ll have way less “junk” (i.e. preservatives).
In addition, by choosing tomato sauce and sausage of your choice, you get to determine what extra “ingredients” within the sauce and sausage themselves that you want to include on your pizza. If you want less added sugar and fewer ingredients you can’t even pronounce, then this is a great way to make those choices for yourself.
Also, by having a yummy vessel for vegetables, you can add all different kinds, allowing you to experiment and try new things. (Hopefully) encouraging your kids to enjoy additional veggies in their diet as well.
And lastly, by adding sausage or a protein of your choice, your pizza will be less carb-centric. The added protein will help you get full quicker, keep you fuller longer, and allow you to eat less pizza overall.
Who knew you could actually feel good about eating pizza?! 🙃
One more tip
- This is a great make-ahead recipe. You can prepare the pizza dough ahead of time, parbake it and freeze it for later use. You can also make the entire pizza, freeze the slices individually, and reheat them in the oven, toaster oven, or microwave for a quick grab-and-go lunch or dinner.
Looking for more healthy recipes? Try these:
Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know! Tag @yourhomemadehealthy on Instagram or leave a comment with a rating and some feedback at the bottom of this page!
Mushroom, Sausage, and Arugula Pizza
Equipment
Ingredients
- No Knead Pizza Dough (below)
- 1 - 1 ½ cups tomato sauce to taste
- 1 ½ cups fresh mozzarella cheese
- ¼ - ½ cup fresh parmesan cheese
- 2 Italian sausage links cooked
- 5 mushrooms
- handful of arugula
- 1-2 jalapeños
- a splash of olive oil and pinch of garlic powder, dried oregano, dried basil, salt, and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F.
- Make the pizza dough and follow the instructions up until parbaking the dough. When the dough comes out of the oven, pour your tomato sauce on top in small increments. Spread it around with the back of a spoon, leaving a sauce-less crust around the edges. Keep adding sauce until you’ve reached your desired amount.
- Shred your fresh cheeses and sprinkle them on top of the sauce. Again, adjusting based on your personal taste.
- Scatter your cooked sausage on top of the cheese, just enough to get a few pieces on each pizza slice. (I took my sausage out of its casing before cooking it. Then, I added it to a skillet and broke it up with a spoon as it cooked through.)
- Place the mushrooms, arugula, and jalapeños on the pizza, adding more or less depending on how much you’d want per slice.
- Then, combine olive oil, garlic powder, dried oregano, dried basil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Brush the oil mixture around the crust of the pizza to give it a delicious herby garlic flavor.
- Place the pizza in the oven and allow it to cook for 10-15 minutes until the cheese melts and the crust turns golden brown. My pizza took about 13 minutes.
- Allow the pizza to cool slightly, then cut it into 12 slices using a pizza cutter or sharp knife.
Notes
- This no knead sheet pan pizza dough is highly recommended for this recipe. It is super easy to make, has great flavor, and whips up within minutes with the help of a stand mixer.
- Use your favorite tomato sauce. You do not need to buy a sauce that is specifically labeled “pizza sauce.” I actually use a tomato basil spaghetti sauce from Trader Joe’s for this recipe. It has all recognizable ingredients and very little added sugar. So, any tomato based sauce will do.
- I highly recommend buying fresh mozzarella and parmesan and shredding it yourself. The flavor in fresh cheeses is much better than in the pre-packaged ones. Plus, it has less anti-caking additives because the manufacturers don’t have to worry about it melting and clumping together.
- I personally prefer chicken Italian sausage, but pork or beef would be equally delicious in this. If you don’t like sausage, you can add more vegetables or substitute with pepperoni, shredded chicken, tofu/tempeh, or a protein of your choice.
Nutrition
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Lauren says
Thanks for sharing this pizza recipe! Was a fun change to a weeknight meal. We cheated a bit and used premade crust and followed the rest of the recipe (minus the sausage) and it came out great! Will definitely make it again.
Alana Lieberman says
Cheating is allowed, no worries! Glad you liked it 🙂