The Blue & the Bell started with one of our favorite pizzas, The Staple. One night we decided to build on it by adding seasoned ground beef or turkey and finishing it with crumbled blue cheese. The combination was an instant hit. It takes everything we already loved about The Staple and adds a heartier, more savory twist that’s become a favorite with the guys. It’s one of those pizzas that started as an experiment and quickly earned a permanent spot in our pizza night rotation.
Homemade pizza dough
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Mozzarella
White onion
Bell peppers (red, green, yellow, or your favorite combination)
Italian seasoned ground turkey or ground beef
Crumbled blue cheese (add after the initial bake)
Freshly grated parmesian
Light spritz of live oil
Prepare one portion of the Homemade Pizza Dough according to the recipe. Once the dough has completed its rise, roll it out to your desired thickness and transfer it to a lightly oiled pizza pan. Using your fingertips, gently press around the outer edge of the dough to create the crust. Lightly spray or drizzle the dough with olive oil, then season with a pinch of sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper before adding the remaining toppings.
Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the dough. Add the sliced onion, bell peppers (red, green, yellow, or a combination), and the seasoned ground turkey or ground beef.
Bake in a preheated 500°F oven until the crust is nearly done and the cheese is melted and bubbling. We bake ours at 500°F on the convection setting because we love a crispier crust, but bake it however your oven works best.
Remove the pizza from the oven and sprinkle the crumbled blue cheese evenly over the top. Return it to the oven, switch to Broil, and cook for about 1 minute, watching it closely. The blue cheese should just begin to soften without burning the crust.
Remove the pizza from the oven. Lightly sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan and give the crust a light spritz of olive oil. Slice and serve while it’s hot.
