Homemade Italian Sausage & Caramelized Mushroom Pizza

We are huge fans of homemade pizza around here.  I love that we can make restaurant quality pizza that's just as tasty and more affordable than take-out.  The best part about making it at home?  Customizing the toppings!  One of our favorites is my Spinach Artichoke Alfredo Pizza.  Mmmmm...so rich and delicious.

This particular pizza was born after I decided to make my own Homemade Italian Sausage (which is phenomenal, by the way).  I've also started making caramelized mushrooms lately when we have steak, and I knew they'd be perfect paired with the sausage.

I make my own dough, my own pizza sauce and my own sausage.  Pretty cool, right?  You should try making this one with all homemade components.  So gratifying and so so yummy!



Ingredients

• 1 recipe of Pizza Dough
• 1 cup Pizza Sauce
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
• ½ lb bulk Italian Sausage, browned and drained
• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425° if you're using homemade dough.  If you're using the stuff that comes in a tube, follow the cooking instructions on the label.
2. Place a medium skillet over medium-high heat to preheat.  Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and heat the oil.  Add the mushrooms to the pan in a single layer.  Season with salt and pepper. (Hot oil and a hot pan are important here, so the mushrooms will get nice and browned.)  Let cook for about 5 minutes without stirring.  
3. Stir the mushrooms around (they should be starting to get nice and golden by now) and reduce the heat to medium.  Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for an addition 5-7 minutes or until they're as browned as you like them!  (I like mine cooked for a long time until they're almost crispy.)  Add a little more oil to the pan if they're not browning as much as you'd like.  
4. Brush olive oil around the edges of your dough.  Spread the sauce all over the crust and then the cheese.  Top with the ground italian sausage and the caramelized mushrooms.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until you see the cheese start browning.

Notes

• Source: moi.