Some recipes, like this one for Italian Sausage Bread, are so easy and yet are oh so satisfying. My mother-in-law seems to have an endless supply of sausage bread prepared at her house, so I never really thought to make it myself until this past year. Now that I have, I know it is the perfect make-ahead option to keep in your freezer!
This sausage bread can be made with either hot Italian sausage or sweet Italian sausage. I suggest changing the color of the pepper you use inside so that when you have it out for snacking, everyone knows what they are about to bite into. (I used red in these photos because I was making one with hot Italian sausage; I use green in my sweet Italian sausage breads.)
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 or 2 bell peppers, chopped
- 1 lb hot or sweet Italian sausage
- 1 (13.8 oz) tube of refrigerated pizza crust
- 1 (8 oz bag) shredded mozzarella
- 1 egg, beaten
Prepare a baking sheet with either cooking spray or a silicone mat (paid link). Set aside.
Heat the tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add in the onion and peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
Transfer the onions and peppers to a bowl and return the skillet to the stovetop.
Remove the sausage from its casing and add to the skillet.
Cook, stirring to break up the sausage, until it is cooked through and no longer pink, about 5-10 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir back in the onion and pepper mixture.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Open the tube of pizza dough and roll it out on your prepared baking sheet to form a rectangle.
Spoon the sausage mixture onto the dough, keeping about 1 inch uncovered around the edges.
Top with 8 oz mozzarella.
Carefully roll the dough over the sausage and cheese mixture jelly-roll style, making sure the loaf is seam-side down on the baking sheet. The dough gets spread pretty thin, so some holes may appear. If you can push them back together, great. If not, that’s ok too. (You can see a few holes in my photos) We are going for delicious flavor here, not perfection!
Brush the top of the loaf with the beaten egg.
Add to your oven and bake at 400 degrees F for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes, then slice.
If making ahead of time, do not slice and let cool completely before wrapping in aluminum foil and plastic wrap and adding to your freezer. When ready to reheat, let thaw overnight in the fridge and place in the oven at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until warmed through.
This is the perfect easy make ahead dish to have ready in your freezer for future snacking opportunities. It’s great as a party appetizer or as a snack to watch the game!
Italian Sausage Bread
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 or 2 bell peppers chopped
- 1 lb hot or sweet Italian sausage
- 1 13.8 oz tube of refrigerated pizza crust
- 1 8 oz bag shredded mozzarella
- 1 egg beaten
Instructions
- Prepare a baking sheet with either cooking spray or a silicone mat. Set aside.
- Heat the tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add in the onion and peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the onions and peppers to a bowl and return the skillet to the stovetop.
- Remove the sausage from its casing and add to the skillet.
- Cook, stirring to break up the sausage, until it is cooked through and no longer pink, about 5-10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir back in the onion and pepper mixture.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Open the tube of pizza dough and roll it out on your prepared baking sheet to form a rectangle.
- Spoon the sausage mixture onto the dough, keeping about 1 inch uncovered around the edges.
- Top with 8 oz mozzarella.
- Carefully roll the dough over the sausage and cheese mixture jelly-roll style, making sure the loaf is seam-side down on the baking sheet. The dough gets spread pretty thin, so some holes may appear. If you can push them back together, great. If not, that’s ok too. (You can see a few holes in my photos) We are going for delicious flavor here, not perfection!
- Brush the top of the loaf with the beaten egg.
- Add to your oven and bake at 400 degrees F for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes, then slice.
- If making ahead of time, do not slice and let cool completely before wrapping in aluminum foil and plastic wrap and adding to your freezer. When ready to reheat, let thaw overnight in the fridge and place in the oven at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until warmed through.
