If you are ever in doubt of what to do with leftover Bolognese sauce, the answer should always be pizza. I discovered that Bolognese pizza makes a super easy meat lovers pizza because my recipe already has three different kinds of meat in it.
Plus —we are adding one more…crispy prosciutto. Talk about the ultimate meat lovers pizza!
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Choose your Bolognese sauce
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I have two different Bolognese sauce recipes on the blog. One is a nod to the city of Bologna’s most recent declaration (April 2023) that ragu alla Bolognese doesn’t have to have milk. And the other is a creamy Bolognese sauce with heavy cream.
Either works as a thick, meaty base for pizza Bolognese. It’s like which diamond do you want, right?
Tips for the best Bolognese pizza
Let’s dig into all things crust, sauce, and toppings.
For a hearty, crispy crust
Bolognese sauce is heavy and dense so you need to use a pizza dough that can support the weight of the sauce without ending up with a sagging or soggy crusty.
To avoid pizza crust problems, I’ve got some tips:
- Use a 1/2 lb of pizza dough per pizza. My homemade pizza crust recipe makes 1 lb of dough which is enough for 2 pizzas. Make sure that your dough (whether from scratch or store bought) is hefty to create a thicker crust pizza vs. a thin crust or Neapolitan style pizza dough.
- Rest the dough. Elastic, soft pillowy pizza dough is the goal. Give yourself ample time for the dough to relax and if it was chilled to come to room temperature.
- Use a pizza stone or pizza steel. Preheating a pizza stone in your oven creates a super crispy pizza crust all the way through to the center which is needed to support the sauce.
- Employ a pizza peel to transfer your pizza. This is one of a pizza maker’s most important and necessary tools. I have three pizza peels (super helpful when it’s pizza night and I’m making pizza for a crowd).
- Sprinkle the pizza peel heavily with cornmeal. Don’t be shy…cornmeal acts as rollers on the pizza peel to transfer the pizza crust to the hot stone/peel already in the oven.
⬇Scroll down below for more suggested pizza making tools ⬇
Sauce tips
Bring the sauce to room temperature before spreading on the pizza. Or if time is limited, gently heat it in a saucepan just to take the chill off. You don’t want to spread hot pizza sauce on the pizza dough or it’ll get wet and soggy.
Cheese suggestions
This isn’t the pizza where a pound of cheese is needed. A more than generous sprinkle of whole-fat, hand shredded mozzarella and sprinkle of fresh grated parmesan adds the right amount of creamy cheese pull and salty flavor.
Main components you’ll need
What I love about this pizza is that most of the ingredients are already in the sauce which is already made because it’s leftover.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Essential pizza-making tools
Here’s everything you’ll need to make pizza dough at home:
Large mixing bowls. One of my favorite kitchen tools from my days working at Williams-Sonoma is this 10 piece set of glass mixing bowls. Great for rising pizza dough. (Talk about a great bridal or wedding gift too!)
Pizza peel. When it comes to pizza peels, one is great and 2 is better, especially when making multiple pizzas like you will for breakfast pizza. I use both this wooden pizza peel (similar to the one linked) and this Epicurean pizza peel in tandem. So good!
Stone or steel. I use these Emile Henry ceramic pizza stones and they help make the BEST crispy pizza crust ever! You preheat them at 500˚ for 20 minutes or so and pop your pizza on them using a peel. Crispy pizza (even in the center) in 10 minutes!
Pizza cutter. I have a Cutco pizza cutter that is a gem but also love these long rocker pizza cutters that come in different versions.
Nice to have
Stand mixer. A stand mixer is a pizza maker’s dream helping with mixing and kneading leaving you time to work on the toppings. My 7qt. KitchenAid Mixer is my go-to but I’m also a fan of any size!
How to make Bolognese pizza
- In a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, place 3-4 slices of prosciutto. Bake until crisped up. Allow to cool.
- Raise the heat of your oven to 500˚. Heat a pizza stone in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Sprinkle a pizza peel generously with cornmeal. On a floured counter, roll out the pizza crust to 1″ less in diameter than the width of your pizza stone. The pizza stone I use is a little more than 14″ in diameter so I aim for approximately 13″ or so wide.
Pizza rolling tip
When you start to roll the dough, if it “springs back”, allow it to rest for another 20 minutes or so. This will make it easier to shape and work with.
- If chilled, bring your Bolognese sauce to room temperature.
- Transfer the dough to the pizza peel. Ladle on about 1 cup of sauce leaving about a 1″ wide perimeter.
- Sprinkle over cheeses and bake pizza for 10 minutes until crispy. Top with crumbled prosciutto and sprinkle with fresh basil.
Pro tip
It’s ok if some oil/fat might work its way to the crust as it bakes. That creates great color, adds to the crispness and produces an even more flavorful crust!
-Josie + Nina
Pairing suggestions for Bolognese pizza
- Arugula salad with lemon and parmesan dressing
- White pizza with ricotta for the ultimate in pizza parties!
- If you love ranch dressing and pizza, mix up a batch of mascarpone ranch for a great pizza dip.
Storage, reheating and freezing
Storage. Place individual slices of leftover pizza between sheets of parchment paper and stack. Store in a resealable container or resealable bag for up to 3 days.
Reheating. Place slices on a baking sheet and place in a 350˚ oven until browned.
Freeze. Bolognese pizza can be frozen in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Pizza can be baked in a 425˚ oven for 20 minutes or until browned.
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Ultimate Meat Lovers Bolognese Pizza with Crispy Prosciutto
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Equipment
- pizza steel
Ingredients
- ½ recipe classic bolognese sauce
- ½ lb part skim mozzarella cheese, grated
- parmesan cheese
- olive oil drizzle
- fresh basil
- crushed red pepper
- 1 lb recipe homemade pizza dough, can use store bought as well
- 5-6 slices prosciutto
- Cornmeal, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Sprinkle a 14” pizza pan or stone with cornmeal and set aside
- Preheat oven to 425˚.
- Lay prosciutto slices on a baking sheet leaving room between. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes until crispy. Allow to cool completely.
- Raise the oven to 500˚ and preheat the baking stone/steel for 20 minutes.
- Roll out store bought pizza or homemade pizza dough to a 14” round pizza stone or pan.
- Spread on 1 cup of bolognese sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese followed by a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkling of parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper.
- Scatter prosciutto on top.
- Bake in a 500˚ oven for 10 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and allow to sit for a couple of minutes before topping with freshly chopped basil leaves.
Notes
- Keep an eye on the prosciutto because it can go from looking “not done” to burnt very quickly!
- The prosciutto will crisp up even more as it cools.
