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Happy December! I’m so excited it’s finally here: the perfect month to cozy up, listen to Christmas music, and eat pizza. When I was a kid I had an obsession with pepperoni pizza. The thing is, I didn’t eat it all the time – nope, I was obsessed with it because I never got to eat it. My parents’ pizza of choice was always Hawaiian. And while I loved (and still love) the combination of savory ham and sweet pineapple on pizza, I wanted a taste of the unknown. I wanted what I didn’t have.

Because we never deviated from the old standard of ham and pineapple, it wasn’t until I was well into my teens that I discovered other types of pizza. But once I realized the wide wide world of pizza, I never looked back. I loved pepperoni, but I wasn’t satisfied with just those little rounds of meat – not when there was meat-lovers pizza to be had.

Of course, meat lovers pizza – or any pizza for that matter – isn’t pizza without cheese. You’ve got to have an ooey gooey base for all your toppings to meld into. As such, this pizza is loaded with about equal parts Canadian cheese and meats. It’s truly a feast for the meat – and cheese – lover in your life. Hope you’re staying warm and cheesing it up!

PS – I’m in Europe right now, If you want to peek at what I’ve been eating, check out my Instagram!

The Ultimate Meat-Lovers Pizza Recipe
makes 1 pizza
prep time: 15 minutes
cook time: 15 minutes
total time: 30 minutes

• 1 ball of no-knead pizza dough
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup pizza sauce, depending on how saucy you like your pizza
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 – 1 1/2 cups shredded Canadian mozzarella
• 8-10 slices pepperoni
• 1-2 slices of ham, cut into small squares
• 2 slices of crispy bacon, cut into small pieces
• 1 link spicy sausage, removed from casing and browned
• 1/2 cup browned ground beef
• Canadian parmesan cheese, to finish
• red pepper flakes, to serve

Arrange a rack in middle of oven and preheat to its hottest setting, 500°–550°.

Lightly oil a cast iron pan and dust lightly with cornmeal, if desired. Or, lightly oil and dust a baking sheet. Shape dough into a circle, pushing gently until fairly thin. Spread on the sauce almost to the edges and sprinkle on the garlic. Top generously with the shredded mozzarella, followed by all the meats. Grate on parmesan to taste then place in the oven to bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the crust is puffy, crisp and slightly blistered. Enjoy immediately with red pepper flakes.

Notes: I had a lot of these meats in the fridge already – I typically have a bunch of odd bits and pieces of cooked meat so it wasn’t too long or too difficult for me to put this together. It does take a bit more time if you have to cook all of your meats before hand. Feel free to substitute in with whichever meats you have on hand.

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