Pesto Pepperoni and Sausage Grilled Pizza

Grilled pizza that is both crispy and chewy and topped with plenty of Tillamook cheese, pepperoni, sausage and bright pesto sauce!

It has been quite the summer. Or maybe it’s that I feel we missed out on a lot of summer. We braved a total kitchen renovation and after a few setbacks and nightmares we really needed some fun. Our family busted out some pizza dough and took ourselves outside to the grill. We taught the kids how to grill pizzas and the winner ended up being a quick and easy 5 minute pesto pepperoni grilled pizza. 

I totally wanted to add olives to mine, Cade totally did not, haha. You either want them on your pizza or you don’t and we definitely differ. 

We have been obsessed with Tillamook for years and years (don’t miss this post too), and the Tillamook Farmstyle Thick Cut Shredded Cheese totally delivers in this recipe.  We especially love the mozzarella because it melts down perfectly.

All the different flavor options that Tillamook has allow you to create a variety of pizzas. The possibilities are endless. We will be posting some of our other creations soon so stay tuned for those!

Whether you are doing a complete kitchen renovation or it’s just a hundred million degrees outside, sometimes turning on your oven is just not an option. Thank our lucky stars for the grill! It has saved us this summer! And there’s something so unique and scrumptious about a grilled pizza!

The dough takes on a little of the smokiness from the grill and gets crispy. The cheese gets perfectly melty. You have to try it!

Homemade Grilled Pizza

We love to do everything homemade when it comes to this pesto pepperoni pizza. The pesto, easy pizza sauce and pizza crust are all made in house. I actually usually have the pizza sauce and pesto made way ahead of time, so it’s not as much work as it sounds. Let’s walk through making the crust step-by-step:

Pizza Crust

1. Mix warm water, sugar and yeast and let sit 5 minutes until yeast proofs.
2. Add 2 ½ cups flour to the proofed yeast mix in a stand mixer with a dough hook.
3. Add an additional 2 ½ cups flour and the salt and knead until smooth.
4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest in a ball for 10 to 20 minutes. I like to prep the other toppings while I wait for the dough.
5. Remove the dough from bowl and add more flour as needed (a little at a time) so it’s not as sticky but only add as needed.
6. Press the dough into a circle and brush one side with olive oil. We like to put it on foil so it is easy to transfer to the grill.

The below is our thin crust pizza, and do you know how to make it thin crust?

Thin Crust Pizza

To make a thin crust pizza just chill the dough for an hour or up to two days before pressing it out to make your pizza. That’s it! 

Tips for Grilling Pizza

We have been grilling pizza for a while now and have figured out a few things along the way. Here are our tips for making the best grilled pizza:

• Make sure your grill is clean. Give it a good scrub before starting. You don’t want little chunks of last week’s burgers stuck to your pizza crust.
• Heat your grill to 500 degrees. You want the grill to be super hot to cook the crust. The dough will cook quickly.
• Make sure all your ingredients are prepped and ready to go before you start grilling. Everything happens quickly once you get started so have everything (sauce, cheese, toppings, etc.) close.
• Take your prepared dough on the foil and place it oil side down on the heated grill and then brush the opposite side with oil.
• Flip the crust when grill marks appear (it only takes 3 or 4 minutes), spread the sauce on the grilled side, and then cover with Tillamook Farmstyle Thick Cut Mozzarella Shredded Cheese, cooked sausage and pepperoni (or whatever toppings you want) and then close the lid for a minute or two to melt the cheese. You can turn the flames down if needed.
• Drizzle with fresh pesto and booyah! Best grilled pizza ever!

How to Grill Pizza on a Pizza Stone

We actually didn’t use a pizza stone with these pizzas, but I know a lot of people love them. If you want to use a pizza stone, put the stone into the grill before you start the grill. Allow the stone to heat up with the grill. Then place your oiled crust onto the stone and follow the instruction as written.

Restaurant Style Pizza Crust

Looking for a restaurant style pizza crust? We’ve got a couple of tips:

1. This time DO NOT chill the dough first. Whip up that pizza dough, let it rest in the mixer or bowl and once it has risen bust out your pizza crust. 
2. Sprinkle a little cornmeal on the counter when you’re ready to take the pizza to the grill so you get that fantastic crunch on the pizza. 
3. Leave an edge! Don’t press out the dough evenly, instead leave a nice crust around the outside edge of the pizza. 

A restaurant style pizza is a little thicker in the crust which is why a good cheese like Tillamook is needed. Its nice, fat shreds melt down much better and offer up the best flavor so it’s not overpowered by the crust at all. 

But I can’t lie, I’m a sucker for that thin crust lately, so let’s get back to that. 

Will Pesto Go Bad In The Refrigerator

Let’s talk a little about the toppings we are using. First up is the pesto. We mentioned that we make our own pesto. Homemade pesto will only keep for about a week in the refrigerator. If you buy a jar of pesto, it will have some extra preservatives added to help it last longer. Once the jar is opened, it will last about two weeks.

Can You Freeze Pesto?

Pesto freezes very well. Since it doesn’t last super long in the refrigerator, we like to freeze the extras to use later. We  freeze it in ice cube trays so we can just grab the amount of pesto we need. Once it is frozen in the ice cube tray, pop them out and store them in a ziploc bag or another airtight container. It will last in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Can Pesto Cause Food Poisoning?

Any food that has gone bad can cause food poisoning and pesto is no exception. Pesto will start to turn brown when it begins to go bad. The olive oil in the pesto will keep the basil from going brown for a few days, but once it starts to go brown, it shouldn’t be eaten.

Can Pepperoni Be Left Out?

Once a package of pepperoni has been opened, it should not be left out. If kept in the refrigerator properly, pepperoni will last for up to 3 weeks. Eating leftover pizza is one of my favorite things, but it should not be left out overnight at room temperature. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, any food that has been cooked should not be eaten if it has set out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Is Pepperoni Safe During Pregnancy?

Yes, cold cured meats, like pepperoni, are perfectly safe to eat while pregnant as long as it has been stored properly.

How Do You Reheat Grilled Pizza?

Do you like your leftover pizza hot or cold? The answer is HOT for me every time! If you like it hot like me, it can be reheated quickly in the microwave for a minute or two, but it will lose all its crispiness and be sort of soggy. I always opt for reheating on a pan in the oven or in the broiler.

If you use the oven, preheat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and let it bake for 3-4 minutes depending on how thick the pizza is. If you use the broiler, it will only need a minute or two.

Can You Eat Grilled Pizza Cold?

The short answer is yes, but the real answer is whhhhhyyyyy?!?! Pizza is meant to be hot and melty, but if you are a weirdo, yes, you can eat it cold! JK…you aren’t a weirdo…to each his own! Deep breaths, Carrian, deep breaths! Lol!

Grilled pizza is where it is at, friends! The toppings can be anything you like and whatever is in season! If you have garden tomatoes coming out of your ears, make a huge batch of pizza sauce and get grilling! And don’t forget to use Tillamook Farmstyle Thick Cut Shredded Cheese because it tastes the best, melts the best, and is just the most bomb diggity delicious!!

More Grilled Pizza and Dessert Recipes:

• Grilled Vegetable Flatbread Pizza
• Grilled Garlic Naan Pizza
• All our PIZZA recipes!
• Grilled S’mores Dessert Quesadilla
• Grilled Chocolate Strawberry Croissants
• Brown Sugar Grilled Pineapple Sundaes

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