I first had this pizza at The Lazy Goat here in Greenville, SC. I (sort of) reviewed it here:

Sausage Fennel and Caramelized Onion Pizza at The Lazy Goat

 “It was amazing, I ate almost every bite. Usually caramelized onions are a bit to sweet for me but they nicely balance the heat from the fennel sausage. The crust is rustic, thin and crunch, exactly the way I like it. I have had the pizza many times before so it was not a surprise that I enjoyed it. The picture to the right is half eaten so you can see it is a nice portion for the price.”

I make it a little different than the Lazy Goat does. I add a very thin layer of tomato sauce. I suspect if they used a sauce, it would have been a white sauce. Everything else is spot on to the restaurant. I used hot Italian sausage, some fennel seeds and the Fontina cheese. I’ve actually made this at home several times but for some reason I never blogged it. Well here it is.

Ingredients for a Hot Italian Sausage, Fennel and Caramelized Onion Pizza

• 1 pizza dough, store bought or homemade
• 1-2 cups tomato sauce
• 3-4 hot Italian sausages
• 9-12 ounces Fontina cheese, grated
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 1 small white onion, sliced

How to make a Hot Italian Sausage, Fennel and Caramelized Onion Pizza

1. Place your pizza stone in the oven and heat as high as it will go. Mine goes to 550F.
2. Pull or roll your pizza dough to the shape you prefer. I like it thin and crispy so I pull it to completely cover my pizza stone. I also wet the edges and roll them slightly to create a nice crust.
3. Place the dough on a sheet pan and pre bake until browned. Again, I like it crispy.
4. Heat a large pan to medium high with a coating of olive oil. Remove the sausage casing and cook in the pan until browned and crispy. I like to flatten them with a spatula. Allow to cool on a cutting board, then chop and set aside.
5. In the same pan with the sausage renderings, add sliced onions. Season with salt and pepper and sauté until softened. Reduce heat and continue cooking for 20-30 minutes until onions are caramelized.
6. Remove the dough. Top with a very thin layer of sauce. Evenly distribute the fontina cheese, hot Italian sausage, fennel seeds and caramelized onions.
7. Place the pizza in the oven, on the pizza stone. Cook until the cheese is melted and the crust has desired doneness.
8. Slice the pizza, top with grated Parmigiana cheese and enjoy.