Caramelized Onion & Bacon Pizza!
A thin-crust pizza topped with caramelized onions, crispy bacon, spinach, fresh herbs, and plenty of cheese!
Hello, sweet friends!
If you follow along on Instagram, you probably remember me posting a picture of this Caramelized Onion and Bacon Pizza a couple of weeks ago! Michael and I enjoy a movie and pizza night from time to time, and this was a new recipe I’ve been working on for some time.
I promised then that I would be sharing the recipe and today I’m doing just that!
Before I get to the recipe I do want to point out that this pizza does take a little extra time than most. With that said, it is SO worth it and I’ve got plenty of tips so let’s get started!
The first thing I start with is the pizza crust. Mine is homemade and needs about 30 minutes to rise to double in size. So I get that mixed up and set it in a warm spot to do it’s thing while I get the rest of the ingredients prepped. You can definitely use a store-bought pizza crust if your short on time! But I promise this one is SUPER easy!
Next comes the caramelized onion. This batch is just getting started (10 minutes in). They usually take up to 20 minutes to become that sweet, deep golden brown that just makes your mouth water looking at them!
Tip: make your caramelized onions ahead of time. They store well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
While the onions are slowly cooking, I get started on my sauce. You can definitely use store-bought, but this one just uses items you already have in your pantry and it’s so yummy I bet you’ll never buy store-bought again!
Besides, it makes a big batch so you’ll have leftovers for more pizza! (This sauce will last for 1 week in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer).
Last, but certainly not least is the BACON! I just set the strips on a baking rack on top of a baking pan and put it in the oven. It’s SUPER easy and since I’m going to be using the oven to bake my pizza anyway, SUPER efficient too! Oh and then there’s the cleanup. (I’ll get to that in a bit!)
So the dough is double in size. The onions are caramelized. The sauce is done. And the bacon is crispy and crumbled.
Now it’s time to assemble the pizza!
Remember that easy clean up I mentioned about the bacon? Well, since I need a well-greased pan for my pizza dough crust I simple drain off the bacon grease from my baking pan and wipe off the excess with a paper towel. There is still enough to keep the pizza dough from sticking and you get all that extra FLAVOR besides! BONUS!
Oh did I also mention there is cheese? Lots of it in fact!
I put most of it on over the sauce and then sprinkle the rest on after all the other toppings!
Here is where all that EXTRA hard work seems TOTALLY worth it. Your masterpiece is now ready to hit the oven. It’s time for all those caramelized onions and crispy bits of bacon, herbs, cheese, and spinach to meld together. And that crust to puff up! To become the most AMAZING pizza you’ve ever had!
I promise. It will be!
I can also promise that there won’t be any leftovers! But if by chance there are…well, it’s even better the next day!
Here’s the full recipe!
Caramelized Onion & Bacon Pizza
A Thin-Crust Pizza topped with Homemade Sauce, Caramelized Onion, Crispy Bacon, Spinach, Herbs and Cheese!
Ingredients
Pizza Crust
- 2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 pkg active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Pizza Sauce
- 1 24 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 Teaspoon dried basil
- 1 1/2 Teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 1/2 Teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Toppings
- 1 Large yellow onion sliced thinly
- 9 strips bacon fried or baked until crisp then roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup spinach leaves roughly chopped
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon butter
Instructions
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For the Crust: Add the yeast and warm water to a stand mixer bowl (or large mixing bowl). Stir in sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add in flour, salt, and olive oil. If using a stand mixer use dough hook attachment and stir for 5 minutes. If not, remove dough and place on a floured surface. Knead the dough for 5 minutes or until smooth. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover. Place in a warm, dry location until the dough has risen double in size. (About 30 minutes.) Meanwhile, add 2 Tablespoons olive oil and 1 Tablespoon of butter to a large skillet. When butter melts add in the thinly sliced onion. Allow the onion to cook on medium to medium-low heat for 20 minutes or until onions are golden brown and caramelized. (Watch carefully so as not to burn onions.) While onions are cooking, add 1 Tablespoon of Olive oil to another large skillet. Add garlic. Allow garlic to cook for 1 minute then add in dried basil, dried oregano, and dried thyme. Cook for 30 seconds before adding in crushed tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
To assemble pizza: Preheat the oven to 400. Spread dough out onto a greased baking sheet, stone or pizza pan. (See notes for what I use.) Pour 1 cup of the homemade sauce over the pizza dough, spreading to the edges with a spoon. Sprinkle 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese over the sauce. Top with chopped bacon, caramelized onion, and chopped spinach. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly and melted.
Recipe Notes
I bake the bacon on a baking rack over a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 400 for about 20 minutes or until it is crispy. When the bacon is done I remove it from the baking sheet and place it on paper towels. Then I drain the bacon grease and use the baking sheet to bake the pizza.
 
I hope you enjoy today’s recipe for Caramelized Onion & Bacon Pizza!
Looking for more pizza recipes?
Thank you so much for stopping by!
Stay Well!
This sounds really good. Is the pizza baked at 400 degrees like the bacon? Thanks!
Thank you so much, Penny! Yes, the oven temperature is 400 degrees! Sorry, I should have made that more clear. I’ve updated the recipe to clarify. I appreciate you letting me know! 🙂
There would be NO leftovers…
Lol, Linda!! Right??! When it comes to this pizza there are rarely any here either!! ?
You should already know this but I am making a cookbook (the best one by far) of all your recipes. Girl you need to publish a book for real! Love this recipe! Ask my family pizza is my all time favorite foods. My daughter makes me pizza for mother’s day and my birthday. I am going to give her this one for Mother’s day.
Oh my sweet friend you just made my day! You can always put a smile on my face! I promise I’ll get started on a cookbook real soon! As for the pizza, OMG, girlfriend! It’s so good! I hope you all enjoy it!! And thank you always for your amazing support!