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This Sheet Pan Alla Vodka Pizza is the perfect easy winter recipe. Homemade pizza dough, topped with spicy tomato pesto vodka sauce that’s creamy and so delicious! The secret to this pizza? A super hot oven (to get the crust just right), plenty of cheese, plus pepperoni on top. It’s delicious and looks pretty on any table. Not to mention that everyone LOVES a GOOD creamy vodka sauce. Putting it on pizza just makes it that much more exciting. This simple pizza will be your new go-to when serving family and friends over the holidays.
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The week after Thanksgiving can be a little harder to settle into than most. But fun holiday recipes keep the days leading up to Christmas merry and festive. I know that’s so cheesy of me, but I really do believe it. This is the time of year to enjoy every minute, even working Mondays.
Yes, we have to balance the holiday fun with real-life work, but balance is the keyword. A little of this, then a little of that, you know?
So we’re doing Monday up with my favorite pizza yet, alla vodka style pizza. Complete with plenty of pepperonis too.
Around this time last year, I shared my pasta alla vodka recipe. To this day it’s one of the most popular recipes I’ve shared. It’s also one of a handful of recipes I make on repeat. My family LOVES alla vodka sauce (it’s Asher’s favorite pasta dinner).
In the last month alone, I’ve made that alla vodka recipe three times. It’s easy and requested by everyone.
I don’t know when I started using the leftover sauce for pizza, but once I did, I couldn’t stop. I then started making the sauce just for pizza…and now I make alla vodka pizzas all the time. Something about the colors, the flavors, and the love for this pizza makes it feel like the perfect December recipe.
The details – start with the dough
I like to use my homemade pizza dough recipe from the HBH Super Simple cookbook (or my newest recipe…in HBH Every Day). It’s the easiest to make and truly delicious. If you’re not into homemade dough, store-bought pizza dough works great too. Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s both have great options!
For those of you who prefer a thicker crust pizza, I recommend using closer to three-quarters or even one pound of pizza dough. We like our crust thinner, so I only use a half-pound of dough.
You need to cook this pizza at a high heat temp. So start preheating your oven to five hundred degrees as soon as you decide you’re making pizza. Ideally one to two hours ahead of time to get it really HOT.
If you’re in a pinch, thirty minutes works just fine too, so don’t stress!
Finish it up
While the oven is preheating, make the sauce. It’s SIMPLE and takes maybe 15 minutes. Just cook everything together in a skillet, add lots of tomato paste, then cream and pesto, and you’re basically done.
Push the dough out onto a sheet pan. Layer it with alla vodka sauce, mozzarella, and provolone cheese, then pepperonis and parmesan. I like to toss on fresh oregano just before baking, basil is great as well.
Bake this pizza in the upper position of the oven. In less than fifteen minutes you’ll have amazing pizza and your kitchen will smell incredible. As soon as the pizza comes out of the oven. Add extra parmesan, slice, and eat.
It’s not fancy at all, but that’s what makes this pizza good. It’s just that delicious cheesy pizza we’re all really craving most.
This satisfies everyone, and as I said, the red and green feel very festive for December.
Looking for other simple winter dishes? Here are my favorites:
One Pot Spicy Pesto Cheese Baked Rigatoni
Sheet Pan Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Lastly, if you make this Sheet Pan Alla Vodka Pizza, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Sheet Pan Alla Vodka Pizza
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound pizza dough, homemade or store-bought
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 1/4 cup vodka
- 3/4 cup basil pesto, homemade or store-bought
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream or canned coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 cup shredded provolone
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 ounces thinly sliced pepperoni
- oregano or basil, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Position the oven rack in the upper 1/3 portion of your oven. Preheat the oven to 500° F. for at least 30 minutes before baking, preferably 1-2 hours ahead. If you have a baking stone, start preheating it.2. Place the pizza dough on a lightly oiled quarter sheet pan. Gently press the dough until it covers most of the sheet pan. Cover and let sit while you make the sauce.3. Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallot, garlic, and oregano. Cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the tomato paste and red pepper flakes, cook 4-5 minutes, until thickened. Stir in the vodka, cook another 2 minutes. Stir in the pesto, cream, and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat. 4. To assemble. Grab the dough and spread on the alla vodka sauce, you should only need 1/2 of the sauce for 1 pizza. Add the provolone and mozzarella, then the pepperoni and parmesan. 5. Slide into the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes, rotate the pizza, and bake another 3-5 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese has melted. Top the pizza with fresh oregano or basil. enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
This vodka sauce is amazing!
Hi Jennifer,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! Happy Holidays!?? xTieghan
Was a little leery when I put in oven, but oh my word! Best pizza I’ve had in ages. The sauce was amazing! Thank you
Hi Mark,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xT
Another hit by HBH! We make pizza often and wanted to mix things up so we have this recipe a try. We are now adding this to our rotation. The sauce is fire and I’d eat it on anything! I did tweak it just a tad because I’m not a huge lover of pesto. We did 1/2 cup instead and it was perfect for me. Maybe I’ll try the 3/4 cup pesto next round
Hey Cassie,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! Happy Holidays!?? xTieghan
Made this for some friends alongside your Bolognese sauce the other night.
Best pizza we’ve ever had! I love some vodka sauce, why did I never think to put it on pizza? Truly, an incredible addicting recipe, we could not stop eating this pizza and are already looking forward to making it again this week.
I asked for your cookbooks for Christmas, I figured since I save / pin everything you share, it was time! ?
Hey Corrinne,
Thank you so very much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays!??
Hi! Do we really need to pre heat an oven for 1-2 hours at 500? My house would be a furnace!
Hi Andrea,
If you have a pizza stone, yes I would recommend doing so. It will heat the pizza stone which helps to provide a crispy crust. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Oh my oh my was this delicious. SO MUCH flavor. I just wanted to eat it all in one sitting. I have bee making a new recipe weekly since January. Most are your recipes and they are always a success. Now, even my husband is looking forward to the delivery of your new cookbook. We didn’t realize we both preordered!
Hey Deb,
Fantastic! Thank you so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays!? xx
Ahhhhmazing! I used Bobby Flay’s pizza dough recipe and a cast iron with cornmeal. That sauce was so tasty and easy to make. I love that it makes enough to freeze. It will make Friday night pizza even easier!
Hi Katie,
Fantastic! Thank you so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays!? xx
Made this today, the sauce is fabulous! Will definitely make again! Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Kristin,
Happy Friday! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks so much for making it and happy holidays!❄️ xTieghan
I have been making a lot of your recipes lately and this one will definitely be in my rotation. I have several pizza recipes (french bread, chicken artichoke pesto, roasted garlic white chicken, etc..) but didn’t have a good, traditional red sauce pizza because I couldn’t find a really good one that didn’t give me heartburn…the search is over! I loved this pizza sauce and dipped some french bread in the leftover sauce I kept in the fridge it was sooo yummy. Thank you!
Hey Leslee,
Happy Friday! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks so much for making it and happy holidays!❄️ xTieghan
If you have a pizza stone should you put the pizza directly on that or still use the sheet pan for
This recipe?
Hi Jen,
I like to use both the stone and baking sheet, I find it gives the crispiest crust. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
SO SO SO good. Ended up making 2 pizzas because we had the extra sauce and why not? I substituted Sweet Earth pepperoni (it’s a meat substitute) and it was just unbelievably good.
The key is to stretch/roll out the dough and to check on the pizza in 5 minute intervals to make sure it doesn’t burn. My pizza cooked in 10 minutes to utter perfection.
Make this pizza!!!
Hey there,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
This recipe was incredible. Can you freeze the leftover sauce?
Hey Jess,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Yes, you can definitely freeze the sauce. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
If we use the full lb of dough how much longer should we cook it?
Hi Tricia,
I would probably double the cooking time. Let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
Made this yesterday for “Sunday football” — wow! Didn’t have any provolone handy, subbed some Spanish manchego … mmm. When the sauce came together my wife and I were licking it up like two little kids with momma’s bowl of cookie dough … ?. Having the rest of the sauce tonite with penne and meatballs. Thanx for providing for a second dose!
One note: Super-heated the oven as instructed, worked great, but baked pretty fast, so keep an eye on it. Another huge hit, Tieghan, thanx much!
Hey Dave,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Y’all. If you’re considering making this pizza, stop right now and make a grocery list. This pizza is ??! So delicious and honestly not that difficult. The hardest part for me was stretching the dough, but I am notoriously bad at stretching dough. I did, however, make it work and it fit perfectly. Cooking instructions were perfect for our oven. I wish I could post a picture because for once what I made actually looks like the recipe picture!
Hey Rachel,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe out, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan –
We made this tonight for dinner, and it was perfection! The sauce was so full of flavor – and the star of the show, and the choice of cheese really complimented it.
Thank you!
And before I forget – definitely 5 stars 🙂
Thanks again!
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe out, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed. Happy Holidays! xTieghan