Sausage combos never go out of style

A staple of your pizza protein offerings, sausage is one of the undisputed customer topping favorites. Second only to pepperoni on a national scale, it’s a flavorful option you simply cannot go without. A historically favorite combination — sausage and mushroom — will never go out of style. Building on the classic as inspiration, here are some other sausage combos we  really love (and think your customers will, too).

Pearl Onions — A mixture of white, yellow and red pearl onions sautéed simply with olive oil and salt make a great partner to sausage-based pizzas. You can also add a balsamic glaze and bacon (or guanciale) to these beauties for a nice twist that doesn’t stray too far from the mainstream.

Peppers — It goes without saying that green, red and/or yellow bell peppers are ideal for pairing with sausage. For those who love heat, jalapeños, serranos and habañero peppers fit like a charm as well.

Cream Sauce — While red pizzas are king, sausage lends itself well to cream-based sauces. These sauces can incorporate dill and fennel for added flavor, or offer a cool/spicy counterpunch by mixing a base of cream cheese with jalepeño, for example.

Be sure to use a variety of sausages and don’t just limit your offerings. While a crumbled base is great for most pizzas and items like Stromboli or calzones, link sausage has its place, as does chorizo, andouille, salami, etc.

Try these two recipes:

Pig Pearls

Jalapeño & Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms with Sausage

Jeremy WHite  is Editor-in-Chief of Pizza Today.