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Whether you make it round, crisp, and thin-crusted or on a sheet pan with thick crust and cauliflower, pizza Amatriciana — modeled, if loosely, after the umami-filled pasta sauce — is a dream come true. And it’s ready in under an hour. Here’s how to make it.
Why we love this recipe
Studded with meaty bacon, aromatic onion and garlic, and spicy chili flakes, this flavor-packed pizza Amatriciana ticks so many boxes. It originally came together almost incidentally, based on what we had in the fridge one night in 2017. But it’s so good that I’ve added it to the all-stars list and returned to it many times since.
You’ve got a couple of choices to make. Whatever you decide, you can’t lose:
- We love it with cauliflower as pictured, but you can also make it without
- You can make it on a sheet pan with a big ball of dough, which yields a thicker, softer crust that stands up to the heavy toppings
- Or you can bake a thinner-crust pie directly on a pizza stone and either omit the cauliflower or add it after baking
I first published this recipe here in 2017 and have updated the post and the recipe for clarity.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- Amatriciana sauce is traditionally made with guanciale, but on this pie I like to use thick-cut bacon. I like the smoky flavor, and we usually have some in the fridge. (Learn more here if you like.)
- For the dough, make your own New York-style dough for a thin crust cooked directly on a pizza stone (best without cauliflower), or buy a ball of your favorite dough. The photos show a thicker multi-grain crust, and the video shows our homemade dough.
- When making pizza, I like to use a thick tomato sauce so things don’t get too watery. Our pomodoro sauce fits the bill, or you can use a thinner jarred sauce mixed with some tomato paste.
- I’ve pictured some chopped fresh sage here because it complements cauliflower so well. It’s optional and doesn’t really have anything to do with Amatriciana. I sometimes substitute a bit of chopped fresh rosemary, or a pinch of herbes de Provence, or omit this element entirely.
- Use good old low-moisture mozzarella in the blocks from the supermarket.
- Use pecorino, parmesan or a combination. Pecorino (made with sheep’s milk) is a little bit saltier and tangier, and it’s a traditional component of Amatriciana. Parmesan is a bit sweeter.
- The cauliflower is optional, though truly delicious. I’ve pictured orange cauliflower here, but you can 100% use the white stuff. It weighs a ton, so if you plan to use it, either cook the pie on a sheet pan using a thicker crust, or add it to a thin-crust pie after baking.
How to make it
Here’s what you’ll do to make a fabulous pizza Amatriciana. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- Chop the bacon and cook it to your liking, then remove from the pan along with all but a tablespoon of the fat. Cook the onions, garlic, chili flakes, and sage or other herbs if using, until softened. If using cauliflower, add it along with a bit of water, cover the pan, and cook until tender.
- Sprinkle some cornmeal onto a sheet pan or pizza peel. (Protip: Even after all these years, I use parchment when baking pies “directly” on a pizza stone, sliding it directly from peel to stone.) Stretch the dough to cover the sheet pan or to a 14- to 16-inch round. Top with sauce and mozzarella.
- Distribute cauliflower (if using — see recipe card for details) and onion mixture evenly over pie. Sprinkle with parmesan or pecorino. Bake in the center of a 500°F oven for about 12 minutes, until crust is fully cooked.
- After baking, top pizza Amatriciana with reserved bacon, flaky sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and balsamic glaze. Let cool for a couple of minutes, then slice and serve.
Expert tips and FAQs
Here’s our favorite New York-style crust. It’s super-versatile, and we use it frequently. It ferments slowly in the fridge, so plan ahead if you want to use it. I’m also happy to use good quality store-bought (or local pizza place-bought) dough if I haven’t planned ahead, and I’d encourage you to feel free to do the same.
If you’re using that dough recipe and want to make a sheet pan pie, use the whole thing for one pie. (Don’t be fooled by the video, where I used only half.) Otherwise you can divide it in half to make one 14- to 16- inch pizza Amatriciana and another pie as well.
It’s totally up to you. The crust won’t get as crispy on a sheet pan as it does directly on a pizza stone, but a slightly softer crust can be a delicious and convenient option some nights.
If you’re including the cauliflower, keep in mind that makes quite a heavy topping. I recommend either baking the pie on a sheet pan or reserving the cooked cauliflower to add to a thin-crust pizza after baking on a pizza stone.
You can cook the bacon and cauliflower up to a few days in advance if you like. Make the pizza right before serving.
Leftovers will keep in the fridge or up to a week. Reheat in a toaster oven or 300°F oven, or eat them cold if you’re into that sort of thing.
More favorite pizza recipes
- Prosciutto and arugula with balsamic drizzle
- Spring vegetable with asparagus and mushrooms
- Watercress pesto
- Naan pizza margherita or with broccoli
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Pizza Amatriciana
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (227 grams) thick-cut bacon, diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves, optional
- 1 small head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets (optional)
- 2 tablespoons cornmeal, for dusting
- 1 ball homemade or store-bought pizza dough, see note for size
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) olive oil
- 1 cup (240 ml) thick tomato sauce
- 6 ounces (170 grams) low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded
- ½ cup (60 grams) grated pecorino or parmesan
- Flaky sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Balsamic glaze
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500°F with a rack in the center. Preheat a pizza stone on the center rack if you have one.
- In a 12-inch skillet, cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and set aside.
- Drain off all but one tablespoon fat from pan.
- Return pan to medium heat and add onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, and sage if using. Cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in cauliflower, if using, along with 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook until tender, 5-10 minutes. Skip this step if not using cauliflower.
- Meanwhile, sprinkle the cornmeal onto a rimmed half sheet pan or pizza peel. rub the olive oil over the pizza dough and stretch dough to cover a half sheet pan.
- Spread sauce over dough and sprinkle with mozzarella.
- Spread cauliflower mixture evenly over pizza and sprinkle with pecorino.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, until crust is done and cauliflower has some nice charred spots.
- Sprinkle pizza with reserved bacon and some flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle with balsamic glaze.
- Cut into slices and serve right away.
Notes
- Amatriciana sauce is traditionally made with guanciale, but on this pizza I like to use thick-cut bacon. I like the smoky flavor, and we usually have some in the fridge.
- For the pizza dough, make your own New York-style dough for a thin crust cooked directly on a pizza stone (best without cauliflower, or with cauliflower added after baking), or buy a ball of your favorite dough. For a sheet pan pizza, use a dough ball weighing about 22 ounces/625 grams, or one whole recipe of our crust. For a thinner-crust pizza cooked right on a pizza stone, use half that amount.
- When making pizza, I like to use a thick tomato sauce so things don’t get too watery. Our pomodoro sauce fits the bill, or you can use a thinner jarred sauce mixed with some tomato paste.
- I’ve called for chopped fresh sage because it complements cauliflower so well. It’s optional and doesn’t really have anything to do with Amatriciana. I sometimes substitute a bit of chopped fresh rosemary, or a pinch of herbes de Provence, or omit this element entirely.
- Use good old low-moisture mozzarella in the blocks from the supermarket.
- Use pecorino, parmesan or a combination. Pecorino (made with sheep’s milk) is a little bit saltier and tangier, and it’s a traditional component of Amatriciana. Parmesan is a bit sweeter.
- The cauliflower is optional, though truly delicious. I’ve pictured orange cauliflower here, but you can 100% use the white stuff. It weighs a ton, so if you plan to use it, either cook the pizza on a sheet pan using a thicker crust, or add it to a thin-crust pie after baking.
- The crust won’t get as crispy on a sheet pan as it does directly on a pizza stone, but a slightly softer crust can be a delicious and convenient option some nights.
- You can cook the bacon and cauliflower up to a few days in advance if you like. Make the pizza right before serving.
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge or up to a week. Reheat in a toaster oven or 300°F oven, or eat them cold if you’re into that sort of thing.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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