Bolognese Pizza

Bolognese Pizza is a super quick and easy way to use up left over bolognese sauce. Or for a short cut on a busy night use store bought bolognese and get dinner sorted ASAP! Thick, meaty and saucy, you will love the idea of using bolognese on pizza for an effortless solution to What's for Dinner?

Recipes like my Basil Artichoke Pizza, Pear Gorgonzola Pizza and Jalapeno Pizza are alternative pizza toppings to Supreme or Meat lovers.

The Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese, Baked Pasta Bolognese and Lamb Bolognese are great places to start if you want to make your own bolognese sauce.

🤍 Recipe Highlights

I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the recipe in the points below:

• Leftover bolognese: you might not always want to have pasta with your bolognese and this homemade pizza recipe gives you the option of having a non pasta pairing for bolognese. This also allows you to make a beef bolognese pizza or a chicken bolognese pizza, whichever takes your fancy when making the sauce!
• Taste and texture: this pizza is loaded with a hearty topping and plenty of texture to keep you interested.
• Budget friendly: ordering in pizza can get expensive very quickly! Making homemade pizza can be a great way to cut the cost of take out style food and still allow you to indulge in this hugely popular easy dinner option 👍😉.
• No additional sauce needed: one of the easiest things about this recipe is that you already have a sauce with the bolognese, so you don't need to debate or consider which pizza sauce to use. The sauciness of the bolognese will tick both the sauce and pizza sauce boxes.
• 5 ingredients: this simple combination of pizza base, bolognese sauce, parsley, parmesan cheese and cracked pepper is all that is needed for the recipe. No need to create a shopping list that goes on forever 👍😉.
• Homemade pizza: is a special treat, popular on Friday nights to kick off the weekend in style. This homemade bolognese pizza will rival your local pizza joint's menu to the point where you may even look for it the next time you step out for Italian.

🥗 Bolognese Pizza Ingredients

The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.

As you can see the recipe calls for:

• Bolognese sauce: you have a wide variety of options to use here. You can use leftover homemade bolognese sauce or store bought bolognese. The bolognese as seen in the photos throughout this post is leftover Lamb Bolognese, you can also use the Turkey Mince Bolognese.
• Pizza base: you have unlimited options when it comes to pizza bases. You can use a store bought pizza base as shown in the photo above. You can use store bought dough that you role into a pizza base yourself. You can use pita bread or naan. My Ciabatta Pizza shows you what using bread as a pizza base looks like and the convenience of it ticks a lot of boxes!!
• Parmesan cheese: this is so that we get cheese on the pizza but not so much that it takes away from the chunky meat sauce. We use a little prior to cooking as well as some once the pizza is cooked for garnish.
• Parsley: freshly chopped is best and you can use curly or flat leaf. Much like when eating spag bowl and garnishing prior to serving we want to top the pizza with some subtle enhancements.
• Cracked black pepper: whilst not a common or typical pizza topping, this helps to season the pizza and you will find that it adds the bolognese dimension of deliciousness!

Tasty Tip: if bread and dough are not your thing, another idea for a pizza base is using mushrooms. You can see how that idea comes together in my Air Fryer Portobello Mushroom Pizza recipe.

🍳 Instructions

Here at the step by step instructions to make the recipe. We start by laying the base out on a pizza stone or baking tray. If rolling your own base, now is the time to do that. A rolling pin and chopping board come in handy for that task 👍.

• Spread bolognese into a layer (Photo 1)
• Top with parmesan cheese (Photo 2)
• Cook for 20 mins (Photo 3)
• Garnish with cheese, parsley and cracked pepper (Photo 4)

👩‍🍳 How to Make Bolognese Pizza

To make the pizza start by rolling your dough into a pizza base or laying it flat on a pizza tray if using a store bought ready rolled based.

Use a spoon and dollop the bolognese sauce onto the pizza base, then flip the spoon over and use the back of it to spread the sauce into a thick layer. Next grate the parmesan cheese over the bolognese sauce to cover.

Place the pizza into the oven and allow the cheese to melt, the sauce to heat through and the base to get crispy. This will take about 20 minutes. Once cooked, use oven mits to remove the pizza tray from the oven and rest on a heat proof surface. Transfer to a serving board, grate more parmesan cheese over the top, then sprinkle finely chopped parsley around as well as a sprinkle of cracked black pepper.

Use a pizza wheel to slice into individual pieces, serve and enjoy! 👍😁🥰.

Tasty Tip: if your bolognese sauce is very wet avoid going all the way to the edges of the pizza base as to have it not over flow and leave the crusts soggy.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

If you are looking for a side or starter the Garlic Pizza Bread works well or the Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad for a lighter style side salad.

A glass of red is a great way to enjoy the pizza or a white like a Pinot Gris also works well.

👍 How to Guide

How to Store

Store leftovers of the pizza on a plate in the fridge with cling wrap or in a sealed air tight container. They will last 2 days. Reheat prior to consuming.

How to Reheat

To reheat leftovers of the pizza, you can use the oven, microwave or air fryer. The microwave will be the fastest option taking only 1 to 2 mins, but the oven and air fryer will deliver the best results with a crispier reheated base.

😉 Substitutions and Variations

Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:

• For the pizza base you can use store bought dough, a store bought pizza base, pita bread, naan bread, ciabatta bread or Turkish bread. Whichever is your favourite.
• Also mushrooms can be used as a low carb alternative to a bread or dough base.
• For additional cheese options you can use pizza cheese, mozzarella cheese, ricotta or crumbled feta.
• You don't have to stick to a traditional beef bolognese sauce. You can use any that you have. Some options are pork bolognese, chicken, bolognese or chorizo bolognese.
• If you have leftover combined spaghetti bolognese, you can use that as well and make it a spaghetti bolognese pizza! (Also known as carbing it up!! 😂).
• You can add some sliced black olives or pitted kalamata olives if you want to add some traditional pizza toppings.
• Add some arugula leaves on top of the pizza prior to serving for a vegetable tick of the box.
• Sliced mushrooms are another great vegetable that work well on pizzas. Slice thinly then spread out on top of the bolognese sauce.
• Add some sliced cherry tomatoes on top of the sauce before the cheese if you want a tomato bolognese flavour to the pizza.

💡 Tasty Tips

Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:

• Ensure that the oven is preheated before adding the pizza in to cook as this will give you the best way of following the specified cook time accurately. If it doubt, open the door and give the pizza a peak, you should be able to see that the cheese has melted and the base is a little crispy and browned on the edges.
• When you remove the cooked pizza from the oven, allow it to rest for 1 to 2 minutes before slicing. This is the best way to ensure that the toppings don't slide off the pizza. Cooling it 'sets' it.
• A pizza wheel is a very handy utensil to use to slice the pizza, but you can use a regular knife if you don't have one.
• You can add fresh basil leaves for serving if you want to.
• For a spicy bolognese pizza, sprinkle some red chilli flakes over the bolognese sauce layer before adding the cheese.
• You can use quorn mince to make the bolognese and have it as a go to for Meatless Mondays!

🤓 Frequently Asked Questions

Is bolognese good on pizza?

Bolognese is so good on a pizza. It is not only a super quick homemade pizza recipe, but also a great way to use up leftover bolognese sauce with an alternative option to pairing with pasta, namely spaghetti.

Which meat is best for bolognese?

Ground or minced meats are best for bolognese. Some popular choices are beef, pork, chicken or turkey mince.

What is the best cheese for bolognese?

Parmesan is the best cheese for bolognese. Either store bought grated cheese or parmesan that you grate yourself. It is known for its sharp and bold taste and firm texture.

Can I use bolognese sauce for pizza?

Yes bolognese sauce or leftover bolognese is a great pizza topping! Saving time and providing an option for extra sauce, it is a winning combination.

😍 More Easy Takeout Recipes

If you love eating in and not heading out, then I have some more recipes that you might like to try. Any of the following tick the 'Friday night home vibes' from the comfort of the kitchen and then couch:

• Ciabatta Pizza
• Pork Bolognese
• Asian Chicken Pizza
• Chicken Yaki Udon
• Beef Yakisoba
• Bruschetta Pizza
• Beef Noodle Stir Fry
• Cumin Lamb Noodles
• Chilli Garlic Noodles
• Soy Sauce Noodles

You can also find all of my homemade takeout recipes in the one spot! Order from the kitchen tonight my friend 😉👍.

Adrianne xx

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