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With a carb-filled crust, plus sugary sauce – traditional pizza has no place on keto. Even if you vow to only pick off the cheese and toppings, there’s always the temptation to sneak a few bites of crust from regular pizza. And we all know what happens next…
Thankfully this keto sausage crust pizza fits perfectly into a keto diet! From the savory crust, to the low carb pizza sauce, plus gooey mozzarella cheese and your favorite toppings – this Lou Malnati’s keto pizza copycat recipe is the best thing to happen to you today!
Keep reading to learn how this keto pizza recipe helped me lose 100 pounds with a low carb diet … and how it can help you too!
Can You Eat Pizza on Keto?
Wait – is pizza keto friendly? If you get the pizza that comes with a crispy crust and sugary sauce, absolutely not! But you already knew that, right?
But here’s something you didn’t know: there are some brands who market themselves as a low carb pizza alternative that aren’t as keto-friendly as they say 🤯
Always check the nutrition label when it comes to “keto friendly pizza” made with a cauliflower crust or almond flour crust. While these versions from your local grocery store may contain less carbs than regular pizza, many are still too high in carbs to fit into most keto plans.
The same thing goes for online keto pizza recipes. When you make a homemade recipe with a fancy keto pizza crust, always calculate the macros before you indulge. Or just stick with this Lou Malnati’s sausage crust pizza copycat recipe.
Keto Crustless Pizza Ingredients
While sausage crust pizza technically has a crust (a layer of Italian sausage), it’s not the fathead pizza crust many low carb recipes use. While it’s true those recipes are delicious in their own right, sometimes the net carbs can start to creep up.
With this keto sheet pan pizza recipe, the only ingredient you need for the crust has zero carbs. Score!
Beyond the sausage crust, this recipe also calls for a keto friendly pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and your favorite Italian spices. Plus any toppings you love, like a little bit of green pepper, perhaps some diced onions, or even more meat, like pepperoni slices.
My favorite low carb pizza sauce is made by Rao’s. Since I don’t always have a jar on hand, I often use a low carb marinara sauce with some herbs and spices mixed in.
The spices I add to make my own keto pizza sauce recipe include minced garlic, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, oregano, salt and black pepper.
How to Make Sausage Crust Pizza
Low Carb Pizza Crust
Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F since you want that oven toasty once the crust is ready to go. Then, grab a baking sheet – no parchment paper or nonstick spray required. You will need a few paper towels since this part gets messy.
Use your hands to flatten the sausage onto the baking sheet. Once flat, sprinkle the garlic powder and a tablespoon of Italian seasoning onto the meat crust.
After the crust is seasoned, place it into the preheated oven. Allow the sausage crust to bake for 20 minutes. Watch for the meat to change to a gray color, but not quite fully brown.
Keto Pizza Sauce
While waiting for the crust, mix up the low carb pizza sauce.
To make the sauce, pour the marinara into a bowl. Then mix in the rest of the Italian seasoning (1/2 tsp), minced garlic, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well and set aside.
Toppings
Finish meal prep by chopping or dicing your preferred toppings while you wait for the crust.
My favorite sausage crust pizza Chicago style toppings include onions and green peppers. Of course, you can choose your own faves when it comes to getting your pizza fix.
Love pepperoni? Add it. Craving mushrooms? Chop some up! The best part about keto is there are plenty of low carb veggies you can add to make your favorite kind of pizza.
Layer Your Pizza
Once the sausage pizza crust is partially cooked, remove it from the oven. Then drain any excess grease from the pan and layer on the low carb pizza sauce you mixed up.
Sprinkle on additional toppings like chopped bell pepper, onions, or even pepperoni if you want to add more meat. (The only thing – steer clear of turkey pepperoni since you’re following a high fat diet. More on that in a minute)
Once layered with your favorite pizza toppings, add shredded cheese on top.
Sprinkle a little extra oregano on top of the cheese and add the pizza back into the oven. Allow it to bake until the cheese is nice and melty, which should take 10-12 minutes.
Slice and Eat
Once it’s ready, slice the sausage crust pizza Chicago style and devour! And by devour, I mean stick to a few slices.
This is especially important if you’re new to a low carb diet since this keto meal contains a good amount of fat. If you’re just starting out and you end up eating the entire meat crust pizza in one sitting, that might not go so well for you.
If that’s the case, the first thing you should do is take the free Keto Digestion Course. I mean, not that anyone needs to eat an entire keto pizza on their own – but the digestion course will help you tolerate more fat on keto, which is kind of the point!
Remember when I mentioned choosing regular pepperoni vs. the turkey version? If you naturally gravitate to low fat foods, there’s nothing natural about it. That means your digestion needs some work … if you want to actually lose weight with keto, anyway.
Sausage Crust Pizza Wrap Up
If you’ve been looking for a keto pizza crust that’s not fat head dough, you just hit the keto pizza jackpot! This low carb pizza recipe is an amazing way to help you love what you eat while you lose weight.
Looking for a single serve keto pizza bowl recipe instead? You can use the same ingredients, but cook crumbled Italian sausage in a skillet. Once ready, add the low carb pizza sauce and melt the cheese on top!
Want even more pizza recipes your whole family will love? If you’re in the mood for keto breakfast pizza, check out pizza egg muffins.
What about another easy keto crustless pizza recipe that you can whip up for an easy lunch? Salami provolone pizzas are perfect!
Don’t forget to save this delicious comfort food to Pinterest. Please share on social media too!
Keep scrolling for the recipe card and nutritional information.
Make Keto Easy
If you want ALL of the tips and tricks I used to lose 100 pounds with delicious keto recipes like this, check out the Keto Quick Start Course.
This is the same course hundreds of women have used to finally lose weight with a simple keto plan – even when every other diet failed!
Sausage Crust Pizza
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Sausage Crust Pizza
A delicious sausage crust pizza that fits perfectly into a keto meal plan. With a delicious keto pizza sauce recipe, plus gooey cheese and your favorite toppings – sticking to keto has never been so easy!
- Author: Nissa
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: Recipe serves 4 1x
- Category: Keto Lunch / Dinner Recipe
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Keto / Low Carb
- Diet: Diabetic
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage
- 1 cup low carb marinara sauce (like Rao’s)
- 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella (6 oz)
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1–2 tsp garlic powder
- 1–2 tsp minced garlic
- 1.5 tsp oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Preferred pizza toppings
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Flatten sausage onto an un-greased cookie sheet with your hands.
- Sprinkle the crust with garlic powder and 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- Place in oven until the crust is cooked about 3/4 through. It should be gray, not quite brown. This should take approximately 20 minutes.
While You Wait for Crust to Bake:
- Mix low carb marinara and remaining spices in a bowl and set aside.
- Chop preferred toppings and set aside.
Layer Pizza:
- Once the crust is ready, first layer on the sauce. Bring to the edges of the sausage crust with a large spoon.
- Next, layer on the pizza toppings.
- Finally, cover the pizza with mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle extra oregano on top.
- Cook until the cheese is melted, which should take approximately 10-12 minutes.
Notes
- Choose pork Italian sausage since it’s higher in fat than low-fat alternative options.
- Use Rao’s pizza sauce or another low carb marinara to make a low carb pizza sauce.
- If you prefer a single serving pizza, you can crumble enough Italian sausage for 1 and brown in a skillet. Once browned, stir in sauce, toppings, and melt cheese on top. This is the perfect recipe for an easy keto pizza bowl!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: Recipe Serves 4
- Calories: 530.4
- Sugar: 4.1
- Sodium: 1326.7
- Fat: 41.2
- Saturated Fat: 16.9
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: .4
- Carbohydrates: 8.4
- Fiber: 1.6
- Protein: 31
- Cholesterol: 129.7
Keywords: Sausage Crust Pizza, Lou Malnati's Keto Pizza, Keto Sheet Pan Pizza
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