Grilled Pizza with Mushrooms and Pepperoni
You don’t need a pizza oven—you just need a little imagination.
Grilling might not be the first thing that comes to mind when cooking pizza, but this method turns out a crispy, chewy crust (we’re using our favorite pizza dough recipe from Intero’s Chef Ian Thurwatcher, along with his marinara sauce) and perfectly melty cheese. The trick to preventing it from falling into the grill is to use a Pizza Steel—this will give you a level surface to build your pie, and will make transferring to and from the grill less of an OSHA violation. It’s also what you’ll grill the mushrooms and onions on, as the perforated bottom still allows flame-to-food contact while tempering the heat intensity. The grated pepperoni is a fun way to infuse the whole pie with the spicy sausage flavor—to make grating it easier, chill the pepperoni in your fridge or freezer ahead of time.
Grilled Pizza with Mushrooms and Pepperoni
You don’t need a pizza oven—you just need a little imagination.
Rhoda Boone, Culinary Director
- For the sauce (or use store-bought pizza or strained marinara sauce):
- For the pizza dough:
- For the grilled pizza:
Make the sauce: Place tomatoes in a large bowl and crush by hand until tomatoes are in small pieces. Thinly slice garlic with a Chef Knife.
Add oil and garlic to a 5-QT Saucier or 4-QT Saucepan and heat over medium-high. Season with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until aromatic and light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in basil, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes. Add tomatoes and cook until sauce just starts to simmer, about 2 minutes.
Transfer to a bowl and taste and adjust seasoning. Allow to cool to room temperature before using to make pizza. Sauce can be stored for up to 1 week in fridge and doubles as a great pasta sauce!
Shape the dough: Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and press into a circular shape. Use fingertips to create a defined 1”-thick rim around edge of dough. Using knuckles, gently stretch and turn dough to a diameter of about 12”, or use a floured Rolling Pin to help with shaping, if desired. If dough does not hold its shape, let it relax at room temperature for 5 minutes, then try again. Place dough on floured pizza peel or inverted Sheet Pan. Cover with a clean kitchen towel to prevent dough from drying out (do not leave at room temperature for too long or dough could relax too much).
Cook the pizza: Prepare a grill for medium-high indirect heat and place a Pizza Steel on grill over direct heat. Close lid and preheat at least 10 minutes. If your grill has a temperature gauge, heat grill to 500-550F, watching carefully to make sure temperature does not get too high.
Toss mushrooms and onions in a large bowl with a little oil and season with salt. Add to Pizza Steel and cook, tossing, until softened and browned, 5–7 minutes. Remove and set aside. Close lid to heat Pizza Steel at least 10 minutes.
Use a clean kitchen or paper towel to rub a little oil on Pizza Steel. Drizzle dough with oil and brush to coat. Slide onto Pizza Steel over direct heat. Cover and cook until bubbles appear on surface, about 1 minute.
Uncover and move Pizza Steel to cooler side and, working quickly, spoon about 2 ounces sauce onto dough, leaving outer rim clean. Top with mozzarella, grated pepperoni, sliced pepperoni, grilled mushrooms, grilled onions, and peppers, if using. Cover and cook until dough has dark brown spots on underside and outer rim, and cheese has melted, 5–7 minutes. If not fully cooked, rotate and continue cooking, about 2 minutes more.
Transfer pizza to a Butcher Block and drizzle with a little more oil. Top with basil and/or oregano leaves, crushed red pepper flakes, and flaky salt, if using. Let rest 2 minutes, then slice and serve.
