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Pizza Without a Crust

Pizza Without a Crust

By Hisham Ali HassanSeptember 8, 2025

  • Makes
    4-6 servings
  • Cook Time
    1 hour

The notion of pizza senza crosta, or “pizza without a crust,” comes from cookbook author Rolando Beramendi. We loved the idea of marrying two crowd-pleasers, namely pizza and dip, to create a family-style dish served directly from the skillet. Our version incorporates sausage for savoriness and heft, and fontina cheese for a creamy, melty element. Crunchy crostini proved the perfect vehicle for scooping up sauce. This is a great canvas for sprinkling on your favorite salty, briny ingredients, whether pickled peppers, capers or chopped olives.

Tip

Don’t forget to let the sauce rest off heat before serving. It’s molten hot when finished. A brief rest allows it to thicken slightly as it cools, simultaneously melting the cheese topping.

Ingredients
  • 1

    teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

  • 8

    ounces sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed

  • 4

    medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced

  • ¼

    teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more to serve

  • 28

    ounce can whole-peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand

  • ½

    teaspoon dried oregano, plus more to serve

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • 10-12

    ounces rustic baguette, sliced about ½ inch thick (about 20 slices)

  • 8

    ounces fontina cheese or smoked mozzarella cheese, cut into ¾-inch cubes, divided

  • 1

    ounce Parmesan cheese, finely grated (½ cup), divided, plus more to serve

  • Fresh basil, torn, to serve

Step 1

In a 10-inch skillet over medium, combine the oil and sausage. Cook, breaking up the sausage and stirring, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a small plate; set aside.

Step 2

To the fat remaining in the pan, add the garlic and pepper flakes. Cook over medium, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes with juices, oregano and ½ teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium, then cook, uncovered and stirring, until a spoon drawn through leaves a trail, 15 to 17 minutes.

Step 3

Meanwhile, heat the broiler with a rack 6 inches from the element. Generously brush both sides of each bread slice with oil and place in a single layer on a broiler-safe rimmed baking sheet. Broil until golden brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes, flipping halfway through and rotating the baking sheet for even toasting. Remove from the oven and transfer to a platter.

Step 4

Add the sausage and any accumulated juices to the tomato mixture, then add about half of the fontina and half of the Parmesan. Return to a simmer over medium and cook, stirring, until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining cheeses over the sauce, then remove from heat. Let stand until melted, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and serve with the toasts and additional pepper flakes, oregano and Parmesan on the side.