CREAM CHEESE PIZZA

Cream Cheese Pizza image

Cream Cheese Pizza? YESSS!! The smoothness of the cream cheese in this homemade pizza softens the spice of the pepperoni, its a fantastic combination!!! I have to give credit to Malinda Coletta for her Perfect Pizza Dough!! We make pizza about twice a month because of her fantastic recipe!!

Provided by Helene Mulvihill

Time 55m

Number Of Ingredients 23

Ingredients

~FOR SAUCE~
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
3 Tbsp minced garlic
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp oregano
3 Tbsp italian seasoning
2 Tbsp pizza seasoning from grinder, unground
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 pinch red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
4 Tbsp sausage drippings
1 can(s) (12 oz) tomato paste
1 can(s) (12 oz) water
2 can(s) (28 oz) crushed tomato
1 bay leaf
~~FOR THE PIZZA~~
1 medium sized prepared pizza dough. i recommend malinda coletta's perfect pizza dough, its the best i've ever had!
pizza sauce (see above)
4 Tbsp cream cheese, crumbled
8 to 10 slice pepperoni
1 medium roma or plum tomato, sliced thinly
mozzerella cheese, thinly sliced or grated
3 or 4 fresh basil leaves

Steps:

1. ~~FOR SAUCE~~
2. in thick-bottomed saucepan sautee onions and garlic in olive oil for 3 to 4 minutes, or until tender. Add spices and sausage drippings. Fry for 1 minute.
3. Add tomato paste and combine. fry this mixture for about a minute (stirring) or until color begins to orange slightly. Add water, crushed tomatoes and bay leaf.
4. bring sauce to gentle boil, then reduce heat and cover for half an hour, stirring occasionaly. chill completely before using on pizza
5. ~~~NOTE~~~for sausage drippings: remove sausage from the casings of about 1/2 lb Italian sausage and fry in a fry pan. Reserve meat for toppings or another recipe. Use pan drippings for this sauce.
6. ~~For Pizza~~
7. if you have a pizza stone, put it in the 2nd from the bottom rack in the oven, and preheat to 550 degrees.
8. sprinkle pizza pan with flour. stretch dough out and lay on pan.
9. beginning in the middle, spoon on sauce and spread in outward circle until you've reached where you want your crust to start. I like less crust so i put the sauce almost to the edge. Be careful to use the sauce sparingly, as too much will make the pizza soggy.
10. next sprinkle a generous amount of oregano and pizza seasonings over the sauce.
11. crumble desired amount of cream cheese onto pizza. arrange pepperoni, then sliced tomato and basil leaves. top with mozzerella.
12. bake on top of pizza stone for 5 to 7 minutes, then turn pizza and bake for 2 more minutes.
13. slide pizza off pan and directly on stone and bake for another 2 to 3 minutes. remove from oven and allow to cool for 3 to 5 minutes before serving.