Calabrian Chili Roasted Red Pepper Pizza.

Calabrian Chili Roasted Red Pepper Pizza. Fresh pizza dough topped with sauce, spicy Calabrian peppers in oil, sweet roasted red peppers, and lots of melty Italian cheese. This pizza has just the right amounts of spice, saltiness, and cheese! Every last bite of this pizza is delicious. And the sesame-topped crust adds a special touch. There never seem to be enough slices to go around! 

It’s been a while since our last pizza – and this is our first pizza of the year too! To be honest, this pizza has already made its way to the top of my favorite-pizzas-to-make list.

Growing up my dad would make pizza on either Friday or Saturday nights. But the way he made his pizzas was different from the way I make my pizzas. He’d top his pizza pretty simply. Well, thinking back, he’d also make a “white” pizza, yum. But he would use those pre-baked packaged whole wheat crusts from the store. I think they were called Boboli, my mom would know (copy editor’s note, yes, they were Boboli).

Just the pre-baked crust, olive oil, maybe some dried herbs, so much cheese, and then red bell peppers and pepperoni on top. The whole thing went into the oven until the peppers were charred and the crust was crisp. 

Nothing like the pizzas I bake today, but regardless, I loved them. Of course, none of us really knew what we were missing. 

When I started cooking and mixing up fresh pizza dough our pizzas changed a lot. Even though I wouldn’t want to go back to the cardboard crusts, I loved my dad’s toppings of roasted red peppers, and he’d also add a ton of chili flakes. His pizzas were so delicious!

This pizza is kind of like my dad’s, only (I think) a little better. 

Details

I do make my own dough, but feel free to pick up your favorite store-bought dough. I love the options from Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.

If you want to make your own dough, I use the pizza dough recipe from the HBH Every Day cookbook. Just make sure your dough is at room temperature. This will make shaping your pizzas much easier. 

Push the dough out, then spread on your favorite pizza sauce. I love to use Rao’s Marinara. Then, add a couple spoonfuls of Calabrian chilies in oil. I order mine on Amazon. If you don’t have fresh chilies, just use chili flakes. Then, add sliced roasted red peppers and dried oregano. 

Now the secret – fish sauce. Fish sauce is literally just sardines, which sounds disgusting, yes, but the sauce adds a salty umami flavor that’s DELICIOUS. You do not detect any fishiness, promise. 

Don’t skip it. Please! 

Finish with cheese. Throw the pizza back in the oven and cook until the cheese is bubbling up and the peppers are crisp on the edges. 

And that’s it. Top with dried oregano and honey, then slice, eat, and enjoy!! Pepperoni would be awesome on top too. I’ve made this pizza a few times recently and it’s always a hit! 

Looking for other pizza recipes? Here are some favorites

Pull Apart Roasted Garlic Pizza Dip Sliders

Pesto Pizza with Feta Stuffed Crust

Sheet Pan Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Easy Sheet Pan Tomato Herb Pizza

Pesto Potato Burrata Pizza with Spicy Arugula

Lastly, if you make this Calabrian Chili Roasted Red Pepper Pizza, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

@halfbakedharvest

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♬ Mambo Italiano – Dean Martin