Ditch turning on the oven, instead make this simple and delicious Slow Cooker Pizza. Add your favorite toppings to make this your favorite for all your family pizza nights!
I bet you haven’t thought about making a Slow Cooker Pizza before? This is one of our favorite ways to make our pizza, and utilize our slow cooker.
You know my family and I love pizza and I’m not a super huge fan of making my own dough, so I like to use store bought dough to make this Pizza.
I love easy dinner time meals, especially ones that use simple pantry staple ingredients. I also love when I can pretty much fix it and forget it and that is exactly what this Slow Cooker Pizza is.
This recipe is great for any night of the week, especially if you are a Friday night pizza kind of person. I know we are, and we make pizza at least once a week.
But if you are looking to save on time and have a recipe that is super versatile, then you absolutely have to make my Slow Cooker Pizza!
Some of our other favorite slow cooker recipes we have on our site include: Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos, Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches and Sweet & Spicy Slow Cooker Meatballs.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- A new fun way to make a pizza that’s easily customizable.
- Comes together with minimal ingredients, mostly stuff you already have on hand.
- Loved by kids and adults alike!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT BOTTOM)
Ground pork
Garlic cloves
Fennel seeds
Dried basil
Dried oregano
Kosher salt
Pepper
Crushed tomatoes
Grated parmesan cheese
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Pizza dough
Sliced mozzarella cheese
Fresh chopped parsley
HOW TO MAKE SLOW COOKER PIZZA, STEP BY STEP:
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the ground pork, garlic, fennel, dried basil, dried oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Place a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the sausage and break it up into crumbles, cooking it until cooked through and there is no pink left. Let it drain on paper towels.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the crushed tomatoes, parmesan, dried basil, dried oregano, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Place a large piece of parchment paper on your work surface. Place the pizza dough in the center. Stretch it out to an oval shape or the shape of your 8-quart slow cooker.
- Lift the pizza dough up using the parchment paper to help and place it in the slow cooker. If you have to adjust it more in the slow cooker, do so now.
- Press the mozzarella into the dough, leaving a ½-inch border. Add the cooked sausage on top, followed by the pizza sauce. Add the 2 tablespoons of parmesan and finally a drizzle of olive oil.
- Carefully lift the edges of the crust, so it sits above the fillings.
- Place a large piece of paper towel over the slow cooker and put the lid on. Place on high for 2-3 hours or low 4-5 hours.
- Lift the pizza out by the parchment once it is done and let it sit for 15 minutes. Slice and serve with more parmesan and fresh chopped parsley if desired.
DO I HAVE TO USE SLICED CHEESE?
No, that’s one of the things I love about this pizza recipe is that it’s so easy to customize. I used sliced cheese because I like it and like how it covers the sauce and dough nicely. But you can use whatever shredded cheese that you prefer and have on hand.
If you want to use shredded cheese, try to get a block of cheese and freshly grate it, it melts easier that way and really brings a creamy cheese flavor.
CAN I DOUBLE THIS?
You can. This recipe only yields about 2 servings. If you need to make another pizza, you’ll need to have another Slow Cooker to work with.
CAN I ADD ANY ADDITIONS?
Absolutely! Customize and add anything you want – you can add any of your favorite pizza toppings, some of our favorites include:
- Pepperoni
- Mushrooms
- Peppers
- Olives
- Ham
- Bacon
The options are endless on this pizza, and there would be no extra time involved!
HOW TO STORE:
Any leftover pizza slices should be placed in an airtight container or wrapped with plastic wrap and kept in the refrigerator where it will keep for up to 3 days.
This can also be frozen to freeze leftovers, place wrapped slices in plastic wrap in a freezer container or bag where they will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To defrost, remove to the refrigerator overnight until defrosted. You can reheat leftovers by warming them up on a sheet tray in the oven for a few minutes. Do not use the microwave or the crust will become soggy.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- You only need half of the standard 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes to make the sauce, so I suggest saving the other half of the can to make another pizza tomorrow.
- Feel free to use store bought dough, or make your own if you have a great homemade pizza dough recipe.
- You can use whatever toppings and cheese you prefer.
- Always line your slow cooker insert with the parchment paper so the dough doesn’t stick and it’s easier to take the pizza out to cut it.
- Want to add more meat? Try using a 1/2 pound of your favorite Italian ground sausage.
- If you want some heat in your sausage – use a half teaspoon or more of some crushed red pepper flakes to give it a little kick.
Ready for a super simple pizza recipe that the whole family will enjoy? Then you have to make this tasty Slow Cooker Pizza and watch how easily it comes together.
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried this SLOW COOKER PIZZA or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!
Slow Cooker Pizza
Ingredients
For the sausage:
- ½ pound ground pork
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons fennel seeds crushed
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the sauce:
- 14 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried basil
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
For assembly:
- 1 pound pizza dough thawed
- 8 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan plus more for serving
- Drizzle of olive oil
- Fresh chopped parsley optional
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the ground pork, garlic, fennel, dried basil, dried oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Place a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the sausage and break it up into crumbles, cooking it until cooked through and there is no pink left. Let it drain on paper towels.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the crushed tomatoes, parmesan, dried basil, dried oregano, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Place a large piece of parchment paper on your work surface. Place the pizza dough in the center. Stretch it out to an oval shape or the shape of your 8-quart slow cooker.
- Lift the pizza dough up using the parchment paper to help and place it in the slow cooker. If you have to adjust it more in the slow cooker, do so now.
- Press the mozzarella into the dough, leaving a ½-inch border. Add the cooked sausage on top, followed by the pizza sauce. Add the 2 tablespoons of parmesan and finally a drizzle of olive oil.
- Carefully lift the edges of the crust, so it sits above the fillings.
- Place a large piece of paper towel over the slow cooker and put the lid on. Place on high for 2-3 hours or low 4-5 hours.
- Lift the pizza out by the parchment once it is done and let it sit for 15 minutes. Slice and serve with more parmesan and fresh chopped parsley if desired.
Notes
- You only need half of the standard 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes to make the sauce, so I suggest saving the other half of the can to make another pizza tomorrow.
- Feel free to use store bought dough, or make your own if you have a great homemade pizza dough recipe.
- You can use whatever toppings and cheese you prefer.
- Always line your slow cooker insert with the parchment paper so the dough doesn't stick and it's easier to take the pizza out to cut it.
- Want to add more meat? Try using a 1/2 pound of your favorite Italian ground sausage.
- If you want some heat in your sausage - use a half teaspoon or more of some crushed red pepper flakes to give it a little kick.
Nutrition
Tornadough Alli is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and values can vary depending on which brands were used.
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