Pizza on a Stick

Pizza on a stick is the ultimate family-friendly snack, perfect for movie nights and after-school munching. These pizza kabobs capture all the flavors and textures of a meat and veggie pizza, with Italian turkey sausage, crunchy bell peppers, earthy mushrooms, tomatoes, onion and pepperoni. Everything is wrapped up in a strip of pillowy pizza dough and baked until golden and crisp. A sprinkle of shredded mozzarella right out of the oven finishes them with cheesy, melty goodness.

Besides being fun to eat, food on a stick recipes are easy to customize with your favorite ingredients. This pizza-inspired recipe makes the perfect cooking activity for kids—set out a variety of pizza toppings and let them thread their favorites onto skewers.

Ingredients for Pizza on a Stick

• Sausage: Use Italian sausage links (not ground sausage) for easy skewering. The recipe calls for turkey sausage has less fat, but feel free to use regular or hot pork sausage if you prefer.
• Mushrooms: Small button mushrooms are ideal for kabob recipes. If yours are on the larger side, slice them in half to ensure they cook quickly and evenly.
• Tomatoes: Whole cherry tomatoes add juicy bursts of sweetness, and the acidity balances the rich meats.
• Onion: Sweet yellow or red onions work well here. Be sure to cut them into 1-inch pieces and separate the layers to avoid biting into large pieces of raw onion.
• Bell pepper: Crisp bell pepper adds color, crunch and classic veggie pizza flavor and aroma. This recipe calls for green bell pepper, but you can use red or yellow if you prefer their sweeter flavor. Make sure to remove the seeds when cutting a bell pepper.
• Pepperoni: Turkey pepperoni keeps things light, but you can swap in regular or spicy pepperoni for extra kick.
• Pizza dough: A tube of refrigerated pizza dough keeps things quick and convenient, but you can use homemade pizza dough or a fresh ball from your favorite pizzeria. Keep in mind that homemade dough tends to be more elastic, which can make it trickier to cut and take slightly longer to bake.
• Mozzarella: It’s not pizza without melty mozzarella! We sprinkle shredded cheese over the pizza sticks after baking—the residual heat melts it without the risk of it sliding off in the oven.
• Pizza sauce: Serve pizza kabobs with your favorite store-bought or homemade pizza sauce. Warm it on the stovetop or microwave, then dunk or drizzle it over the baked skewers for tangy tomato flavor.

Directions

Step 1: Cook the sausage

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cook the sausage links in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned and no longer pink in the center. Drain any excess fat. When they’re cool enough to handle, slice each link into coins—you’ll want about 20 pieces total, enough for two pieces per skewer.

Editor’s Tip: To check for doneness, insert an instant-read thermometer into the sausage links. Once they reach an internal temperature of 165°, remove them from the heat.

Step 2: Skewer the sausage and veggies

Grab 10 metal or soaked wooden skewers. Thread the sausage slices, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, onion pieces, bell pepper chunks and turkey pepperoni onto each skewer, alternating ingredients for a mix of colors and flavors.

Editor’s Tip: Soaking wooden skewers prevents them from burning or catching on fire in the oven or on a grill. Simply pop them in a baking dish, fill it with water and soak them for at least 30 minutes before assembling your kabobs.

Step 3: Add pizza dough to the skewers

Unroll the pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface and cut it widthwise into 1-inch-wide strips. Starting at the pointed end of a skewer, pierce it through one end of a dough strip. Then, wrap the dough in a spiral around the skewer, allowing the veggies and meats to peek through. Finish by wrapping the end of the dough strip around the skewer, just above the last piece of meat or veggie. Repeat with the rest of the dough strips and skewers.

Editor’s Tip: A pizza cutter is the easiest way to slice clean, even strips, but a sharp chef’s knife works just as well.

Step 4: Bake the pizza kabobs

Place the pizza kabobs on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray or lined with parchment paper. Bake them until the vegetables are tender and the crust is golden and cooked through, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Step 5: Add cheese, then serve

Once the pizza kabobs come out of the oven, immediately sprinkle them with the shredded mozzarella cheese. Serve the pizza on a stick warm with pizza sauce.

Pizza on a Stick Variations

• Sprinkle them with herbs: Before baking, lightly brush the dough spirals with olive oil or melted butter, then sprinkle them with dried basil, oregano or Italian seasoning for that classic pizza flavor. Add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes for some heat.
• Add Parmesan: Sprinkle the pizza kabobs with grated Parmesan when they come out of the oven for a nutty, salty finish.
• Swap meats: Mix things up by substituting the Italian sausage and pepperoni with mini cooked meatballs, grilled chicken strips, cubed ham or crispy bacon pieces.
• Mix up the pizza toppings: Customize your pizza on a stick with extras like black olives, thinly sliced zucchini, small broccoli florets or even pineapple chunks for a Hawaiian pizza twist.
• Make vegetarian pizza sticks: Skip the sausage and pepperoni and load up on veggies for a meat-free version. Flavor boosters like olives, roasted red peppers or marinated artichoke hearts are a great way to add extra punch.
• Try other sauces: Pizza sauce is classic, but why stop there? Offer a variety of dips like pesto, creamy Alfredo sauce, Buffalo sauce or ranch dressing so everyone can choose their favorite.

How to Store Pizza on a Stick

Let the pizza on a stick cool completely, then transfer any leftovers to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for three to four days. To reheat, pop the kabobs in a 350° oven for about 10 minutes or until they’re warmed through. You can also microwave them, but the pizza crust will lose its crispness.

Can you freeze pizza on a stick?

Pizza on a stick is best enjoyed warm from the oven, but you can freeze leftovers for future snacking. After baking, arrange the kabobs in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze them until they’re firm, then transfer them to a freezer-safe container or resealable bag. They’ll keep in the freezer for two to three months. To reheat the sticks, bake them from frozen in a 350° oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

Can you make pizza kabobs ahead of time?

To save time, you can prep the veggies and skewer everything (except for the pizza dough) up to one day in advance. Store the assembled skewers in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake them. When it’s pizza time, add the dough strips and bake the kabobs as directed.

Pizza on a Stick Tips

Do I need to cook the sausage before baking pizza on a stick?

Yes, you need to precook the sausage before baking pizza on a stick. The pizza kabobs don’t bake for long enough to fully cook the raw meat. The same applies if you swap in other raw meats, like meatballs or chicken pieces: Cook them to a safe internal temperature before building the skewers.

Can I grill pizza kabobs instead of baking them?

Sure! You can grill the kabobs over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, turning them occasionally, until the dough is cooked and the veggies are tender. Be sure to watch them closely to prevent them from burning. If your grill runs hot, cook them over indirect heat to avoid charring the dough before the center cooks through.

How do you make vegetarian pizza on a stick?

To make vegetarian pizza on a stick, simply skip the sausage and pepperoni. Load your skewers with a colorful mix of veggies, like mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, olives, zucchini and broccoli florets. Be sure to cut the vegetables into bite-sized pieces so they cook evenly and are easy to eat. Wrap the veggies with pizza dough, bake the pizza sticks as directed and sprinkle them with cheese while they’re still hot from the oven.