Caramelized Onion, Sausage and Basil Pizza

I saw this on Giada at Home the other day and had to make it. Anything with caramelized onions on it has to be good! It wasn't super expensive either. Celeste's pizza dough recipe would be perfect for this too, just put the cornmeal on the bottom of your cookie sheet to make it kind of crunchy. Also, I used regular pork sausage, not spicy, so it was a little different I'm sure than what it was supposed to taste like, but it was still super yummy! If you aren't a gorgonzola fan, you can totally use blue cheese or something more mild like feta (oooh feta would be so yummy on this!). The gorgonzola was strong but it didn't overpower this pizza at all.

Picture Courtesy Food Network (my pizza had wayyyy more cheese!)

Caramelized Onion, Sausage and Basil Pizza

Giada DeLaurentiis


Cornmeal, for dusting
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 onions (about 1 1/2 pounds), thinly sliced (I used Walla Walla sweet onions)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound spicy turkey or pork sausage, casings removed, crumbled (like I said, I used regular, but spicy would give it lots of flavor too)
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1 (13 to 16-ounce) ball pizza dough
3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled Gorgonzola or blue cheese (you can totally use more since mine came in a 5oz tub)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (please don't skip this!)

Directions
Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Sprinkle a heavy baking sheet (without sides) with cornmeal and set aside. (I actually baked mine at 425 accidentally and it turned out fine)

In a large skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onions, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the sausage. Using a wooden spoon, break up the sausage and cook, stirring constantly, until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 13-inch diameter circle, about 1/4-inch thick. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Spread the onion mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake until the crust is golden and the cheese has melted, about 15 to 17 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with chopped basil. Cut the pizza into wedges and serve.