This Pepperoni and Sausage Pizza Tart with Parmesan Crust is your ultimate game day centerpiece, delivering all your favorite pizza flavors in an irresistible tart format!

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Pepperoni and Sausage Pizza Tart with Parmesan Crust: The Ultimate Game Day Delight

As the roar of the crowd fills the air and the anticipation builds, what’s on your game day menu is often as crucial as the game itself. For many, football season isn’t just about touchdowns and tackles; it’s a cherished ritual of gathering friends and family, sharing laughs, and indulging in delicious, crowd-pleasing fare. Year after year, finding new and exciting dishes to elevate the experience becomes a quest. While pizza and a cold brew remain an undisputed champion in the realm of party foods, why settle for ordinary when you can craft something truly extraordinary? Enter the Pepperoni and Sausage Pizza Tart with Parmesan Crust – a sophisticated, yet utterly comforting, twist on classic pizza that is guaranteed to score big with everyone.

Imagine a rich, savory tart, brimming with the robust flavors of Italian sausage and zesty pepperoni, all encased in a perfectly flaky, golden parmesan crust. This isn’t just a snack; it’s a statement. It’s the kind of dish that disappears quickly from the buffet table, prompting requests for the recipe long after the final whistle blows. Far from being overly complicated, this homemade pizza tart allows you to take control of the quality and flavor, transforming simple ingredients into a gourmet experience that still feels wonderfully familiar. Forget delivery and embrace the joy of creating a memorable dish that celebrates the spirit of game day.

Crafting the Perfect Parmesan Crust: A Foundation of Flavor

The secret to this exceptional pizza tart lies in its foundation: the incredibly savory and tender Parmesan crust. Unlike traditional pizza dough, this crust offers a delicate flakiness reminiscent of a pie, infused with the nutty, salty goodness of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. This addition elevates the entire dish, providing a depth of flavor that complements the hearty filling beautifully. The process begins with staple pie crust ingredients – cold butter, all-purpose flour, a pinch of salt, and ice water – but the Parmesan truly sets it apart.

Using cold butter, cut into small cubes, is paramount. This ensures that when the dough bakes, the butter melts slowly, releasing steam and creating those desirable pockets of air that result in a perfectly flaky texture. Sifting the flour beforehand also contributes to a lighter, more tender crust. As you pulse these ingredients together in a food processor, the mixture transforms into a coarse meal, then gradually comes together with the slow addition of ice water. The key is to add just enough water for the dough to form small clumps – overworking it will develop the gluten too much, leading to a tough crust. Once formed, chilling the dough for at least an hour is a non-negotiable step. This resting period allows the gluten to relax and the butter to firm up again, making the dough easier to roll out and ensuring maximum flakiness. Blind baking the crust before adding the fillings prevents a soggy bottom, ensuring your tart holds its perfect structure and delightful crispness.

Building the Irresistible Pizza Tart Filling

Once your Parmesan crust is perfectly golden and ready, it’s time to layer in the irresistible flavors that make this pizza tart truly special. The filling is a harmonious blend of classic pizza toppings, each contributing to a rich and satisfying experience. We start with browned Italian sausage, which brings a robust, savory depth. Whether you opt for hot Italian sausage to add a spicy kick or sweet Italian sausage for a milder, herb-infused flavor, it’s crucial to cook it until no longer pink and drain off any excess fat. This ensures the tart isn’t greasy and allows the other flavors to shine through.

Next comes a generous layer of your favorite pizza sauce, spread evenly to coat the sausage. A good quality sauce provides the essential tangy and sweet notes that define pizza. Following the sauce, a blanket of shredded mozzarella cheese begins the melting magic, providing that gooey, stretchy texture we all crave. Then, an artful arrangement of pepperoni slices, slightly overlapping, ensures every bite delivers that signature salty, spicy taste. Finally, a sprinkle of fresh julienned basil leaves adds a bright, aromatic contrast, while a touch of crushed red pepper (if desired) can further enhance the heat. The remaining mozzarella goes on top, ready to melt into a golden, bubbly perfection. This thoughtful layering ensures a balanced distribution of flavors and textures, making each slice a mini masterpiece.

Expert Tips for a Perfect Pizza Tart

Achieving pizza tart perfection is simple with a few key insights:

Pepperoni Placement: For the pepperoni layer, you might not need an entire bag. Aim for an even layer, overlapping the slices slightly, to ensure every bite gets that savory, crisp edge. Approximately 30 slices usually suffice for a 9-inch tart, but feel free to adjust to your preference.
Sausage Selection: We recommend using a high-quality ground Italian sausage. Half a pound is usually plenty. If you love a little heat, opt for hot Italian sausage. For a milder flavor profile, sweet Italian sausage is an excellent choice. Brown it thoroughly in a skillet before adding to the crust.
Crust Chilling is Key: Don’t skip the chilling step for the dough. An hour in the refrigerator allows the butter to firm up and the gluten to relax, resulting in a more manageable dough that’s easier to roll and bakes up wonderfully flaky.
Blind Baking: This step is crucial. Covering the dough with foil and filling it with pie weights or dried beans prevents the crust from puffing up and helps it bake evenly and prevent a soggy bottom once the wet filling is added.
Even Baking: Keep an eye on your tart as it bakes. You want the cheese to be fully melted and just lightly browned, creating a beautiful golden top.

This Pepperoni and Sausage Pizza Tart is truly a total winner, hands down, for any gathering, especially game day! It combines the beloved flavors of pizza with the elegant presentation of a tart, making it a dish that’s both fun and impressive. Enjoy!

Looking for other fantastic game day ideas to complete your spread? Don’t miss these tried-and-true favorites: my Baked Spicy Dry Rub Wings with White BBQ Sauce, my unique Bacon and Fig Guacamole, or my incredibly cheesy Cheesy Bacon Jalapeno Taquitos. Each one is designed to bring flavor and excitement to your next party!

Pepperoni and Sausage Pizza Tart with Parmesan Crust

This Pepperoni and Sausage Pizza Tart with Parmesan Crust is a game day winner!

Pepperoni and Sausage Pizza Tart with Parmesan Crust

Author: MaryAnn Dwyer

Servings: 8 slices

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 45 mins

Chilling Time: 1 hr

Total Time: 1 hr

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Ingredients

Parmesan Crust

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 cup butter, cold, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling
1/3 cup ice cold water, approximately

Pizza Tart

1/2 lb. sweet or hot ground Italian sausage
3/4 cup pizza sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
30 slices pepperoni, approximate, use more or less to make a nice even layer
8-10 fresh basil leaves, julienned (cut into thin strips)
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, if desired
1/2 tsp. garlic salt, if desired

Instructions

Parmesan Crust

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, cold butter cubes, salt, and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Pulse a few times, about 8-10 short pulses, until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with pea-sized butter pieces. Slowly add one tablespoon of ice water at a time to the mixture, pulsing after each addition, until the dough just starts to come together and you can form small clumps of dough easily in your fingers. Be careful not to overmix.
Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it slightly into a disc, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for at least one hour to chill. This crucial step helps the butter firm up and prevents the crust from shrinking too much during baking. While the dough is chilling, lightly spray a 9-inch tart pan with nonstick cooking spray and set it aside.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius). Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll it out into a circle large enough to fit into your prepared 9-inch tart pan with some overhang. Carefully transfer the rolled dough into the tart pan, gently pressing it into the bottom and up the sides. Trim any excess dough from the edges. Prick the bottom and sides of the crust thoroughly with the tines of a fork to prevent it from puffing up. Cover the dough with a piece of aluminum foil and fill it with pie weights, dried beans, or uncooked rice to weigh it down. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Carefully remove the foil and weights/beans. Keep the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Assembling the Pizza Tart

In a medium skillet, over medium heat, cook the ground Italian sausage (hot or sweet, depending on your preference) until it is no longer pink and is fully browned. Break it up with a spoon as it cooks. Once cooked, remove the sausage from the skillet using a slotted spoon to allow any excess grease to drain, then evenly distribute it over the blind-baked pie crust.
Next, pour the pizza sauce over the sausage layer, spreading it into an even layer with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle one cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese over the pizza sauce. Arrange the pepperoni slices in an even layer on top of the mozzarella, overlapping them slightly to ensure good coverage. Scatter the julienned fresh basil leaves over the pepperoni. Finally, top the tart with the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese.
Carefully place the assembled pizza tart back into the preheated 375-degree F oven. Bake for an additional 30-35 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted, bubbly, and lightly browned on top. The crust edges should also be a deep golden brown.
Once baked, remove the tart from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes before slicing. If desired, sprinkle with red pepper flakes, a dash of garlic salt, and some additional freshly grated Parmesan cheese for an extra flavor boost. Cut the tart into wedges and serve warm.

Nutrition

Cuisine: Italian

Course: Main Course

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