Sheet Pan
Cherry Tomato and Caramelized Bacon Pizza
- Makes 1 12 x 8-inch Pizza
Author Notes
A few weeks ago, I made caramelized bacon for the first time; all my family could talk about (besides how the bacon was "too delicious to be legal") was how good it would be on a pizza. I though fresh summer cherry tomatoes would the perfect complement to the sweet, salty bacon.
This recipe is a combination of my own adaptations of two different recipes: Mom Mom Apron's adaptation of Ina Garten's caramelized bacon recipe and Bon Appetit's Cherry Tomato Pizza Margherita.
Also, the caramelized bacon recipe makes more bacon than you’ll probably need for the pizza, which is a good thing because it is pretty much impossible to make it with out sampling it, trust me. —c rogers
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- Caramelized Bacon
-
1/2 cup
light brown sugar
-
2 teaspoons
kosher salt
-
1 teaspoon
black pepper
-
2 tablespoons
maple syrup
-
1/4 cup
shredded Parmesan cheese
-
4 teaspoons
shredded Parmesan cheese
-
1/2 pound
thick cut bacon
- Pizza
-
Pre-made pizza dough (if using frozen, make sure to thaw well before you start the recipe)
-
Tomato sauce, enough to cover the pizza (about 1/2 to 1 cup)
-
8 ounces
cherry tomatoes, cut in half
-
1 handful
basil leaves, roughly torn
Directions
- For the Caramelized Bacon: Preheat oven to 385 degrees. You can use either a wire baking rack on top of a sheet pan lined with foil slotted broiler pan lined with foil with good results.
- In food processor, combine sugar, nuts, salt, pepper, cayenne, and ¼ cup parmesan until finely ground. Add maple syrup and pulse until moistened.
- Cut bacon in half and lay out the pieces on the rack or pan. Then spread the pieces evenly with sugar mixture (this mixture can be a bit hard to spread, but it will spread out more as it sits on the bacon, so don’t worry if its not perfectly even). Sprinkle the remaining 4 teaspoons Parmesan on the bacon slices.
- Bake for about 25 minutes (it won't be completely caramelized since you will be adding it to the pizza and cooking for an additional 5 minutes). Set aside.
- Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Roll out (on a floured surface) or pull dough to about 12 x 8-inch rectangle, pinching any tears to seal. Fold over edge of dough to make border. Place on baking sheet.
- Spread tomato sauce over the dough, leaving about a 1 inch border around the edge of the pizza. Sprinkle the cheese over the pizza and then sprinkle the cherry tomatoes over the pizza.
- Place in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes. Place the caramelized bacon on the pizza and return to the oven for 5 minutes.
- Loosen pizza with metal spatula and slide onto board. Garnish with basil leaves. Cut the pizza into slices. Serve.
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