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In this post, we look at some of the toppings you should cook before adding to a pizza. After all, pizza is cooked rapidly in a hot oven and you might be wondering if those toppings are safe to eat.
Some foods just aren’t as good as a topping without a bit of preparation first. Let’s look at why you might want to cook these first, and which toppings you definitely should cook first.
Why you should cook them first
Water loss
Vegetables that contain a lot of water will release the water when cooked. This can make your pizza wet and soggy. The dough might not cook through properly and it definitely won’t get crisp.
You should saute these vegetables in a frying pan with a little oil. Cook them long enough so that they release moisture and shrink down slightly.
If you need to drain them at the end then do so, and you can pat them dry with a paper towel.
Better texture
As the pizza is cooked relatively quickly then the toppings only get a short period of cooking as well. Some toppings taste better when cooked a little longer, and that is down to personal preference.
Peppers and onions will stay crunchy on a pizza if added raw. If you saute them beforehand then they take on a softer texture which may suit the style of pizza a little better.
Better taste
Cooking toppings first can improve the flavor by intensifying it. This usually happens when moisture is pushed out and when caramelization happens.
When foods get browned they have a reaction called the Maillard reaction and this creates a deeper flavor. Think of a mushroom that is quite bland when raw. After it is cooked it is strong in taste and is much more popular.
Avoiding raw food
I’m referring to food that should definitely be cooked through before eating, such as meat. As the pizza only cooks for a short time then this might not be long enough to fully cook meat.
You don’t want to be eating half-cooked chicken on your pizza!
There can be a line between cooked and over cooked, so be sure to go lightly on the precooking so that you do not overly dry out the meat.
Thin meats such as bacon don’t have to be cooked first. You should use your judgment to identify if your pizza cooking time will adequately cook your meat through.
1. Mushrooms
Why you should cook first
Mushrooms aren’t regular vegetables because they are fungi. And this means they are full of water.
It takes them a longer time to release the water and start cooking, so when they are placed raw on the pizza they do not have enough time to cook.
This gives a raw mushroom taste which is inferior to cooked mushrooms for most people. At the same time, this water is released to the top of the dough causing too much excess moisture.
This results in a soggy pizza crust and watery toppings. You might have noticed this when you saute mushrooms in a pan.
Instead, you should cook the mushrooms first which will release the water, intensify the flavor and ensure the mushrooms taste better because they are cooked through.
How to prepare
Get a frying pan or saucepan and add the sliced mushrooms with some oil, pepper, and salt. Let them reduce down as you saute them for 5-10 minutes until darker in color. Now you can drain on some paper towels ready for the pizza topping.
2. Thick Meat (Like Chicken)
Why you should cook first
You should use your intuition here and think about how long you would usually cook that piece of meat at that thickness. You want to cook your food, but you don’t want to dry it out.
Most people will be cautious with food like raw chicken as that has some obvious concerns. I tend to avoid chicken as a pizza topping because it is lean and becomes dry quickly in the hot oven.
That is typically why greasy cured meat and bacon go so well on pizza.
How to prepare
If your meat is fatty, then render that fat down by cooking slowly. This allows the meat to cook, the fat to melt and the meat to become crisp.
If you are going for leaner meat like chicken, then roast it whole in the oven wrapped in foil to keep moist. Then you can slice and top on your pizza.
3. Root vegetables
Why you should cook first
These vegetables, like butternut squash, are the toughest and require the most cooking. That’s why they don’t suite well for going on a pizza raw.
If they are cut thick, it can be pretty unpleasant to bite into raw root vegetables. By cooking them first, they become soft the whole way through and become sweeter.
How to prepare
Cut into thin cubes and roast in the oven while you prepare the rest of your pizza ingredients and dough. Wait until they are slightly soft. Then the final cook on top of the pizza can brown them.
4. Broccoli
Why you should cook first
Broccoli can go straight on the pizza or it can be cooked first – the latter works better in my opinion. Raw broccoli takes on a darker, bitter taste which is undesirable on a pizza.
If its had some cooking then it mellows the flavor and is softer in bite.
How to prepare
Blanch the florets in some boiling water for a few minutes. This takes the raw edge off and softens slightly. Then toss in some olive oil so that they don’t dry in the oven when placed on top of the pizza.
5. Leafy Greens and Herbs
Why you should cook first
Leafy green vegetables and herbs need some preparation before going straight on the pizza. This is because they will burn, and then go bitter.
Think of spinach and kale, which are thin and not ready to go raw in a hot pizza oven. A sprig of rosemary will just burn and become very unpleasant – but when covered in oil it works much better.
How to prepare
Food like spinach is easiest giving a saute in a pan with some oil before cooking. This allows it to wilt down, lose some moisture and be more manageable – rather than putting a big clump on the pizza and letting it shrink there.
Woody herbs like rosemary need to be well-oiled before going on. Some grab a sprig and rub it with a little olive oil before adding it on top.
6. Bell Peppers
Why you should cook first
Similar to onions and mushrooms, peppers get better with some prior cooking because they can’t cook fast enough on top of the pizza. By cooking first they become softer, and full of flavor as the water escapes as the sugars caramelize.
How to prepare
I don’t think you can beat whole roasted red peppers for flavor. These are soft and sweet and cut up easily for pizza toppings.
Check out this recipe to see how to properly roast bell peppers to get a charred surface.
7. Onion
Why you should cook first
You get more flavor out of an onion when it has been cooked down rather than straight-up raw. This is because it starts to caramelize when the sugars are released, and the flavor is intensified as moisture escapes.
As with peppers, they can be too crunchy when used raw.
How to prepare
Slice thinly and saute in some oil until soft. They take them a little further until they start going golden and they start to sweeten – delicious!
Toppings You Don’t Need To Cook First
Note: Any raw meat should be the last thing you add to a pizza topping so that it gets the full cooking that it needs. As with cooking any raw meat, ensure it is fully cooked through before eating.
1. Sausage
Providing this isn’t in too larger chunks, I think this is fine. A nice trick I like to do is to take the sausage meat out of their skins and add blobs of meat to the top of the pizza.
This lets the meat brown and crisp up and taste great. Remember to keep the balls an inch or less wide so that they cook through thoroughly, and pinch them thin between your fingers so they aren’t too thick. Always place it above the cheese.
2. Bacon Or Pancetta
Because it is nice and thin, bacon should cook fine when placed on the top of the pizza above the cheese. Here it gets the cooking it needs, and the fat melts into the pizza.
In my opinion that makes the pizza taste great, and is a better option than crisping the bacon up first.
You generally don’t have to cook pancetta first because it is thin and will cook adequately in the oven. Ensure your oven is very hot so that the pancetta renders its fat and it crisps up. Place above the cheese so it gets direct heat.
3. Pepperoni
Again, if it’s sliced thinly then pepperoni is fine when placed above the cheese and should not need any prior cooking.
4. Pizza Sauce
You don’t need to cook pizza sauce before topping your pizza, but you can for a stronger flavor.
Both ways have different outcomes. If you choose to not cook the sauce then you preserve a more raw tomato taste which works well for pizzas that are cooked fast like a wood-fired Neapolitan pizza.
If you cook it first then you get a more concentrated tomato flavor which usually is accompanied by garlic, tomatoes, and herbs. This stands up well to pizzas with more toppings like the American varieties.
How To Be Sure Everything Cooks Through
My best tip for making pizza in a home oven is to use a pizza “steel”. It adds intense heat from below for amazing crusts – I have this size steel from Amazon which is lower priced than other brands but works perfectly. Steel conducts heat better than stone, they don’t shatter and are easier to clean.
If it’s out of your price range then the 2nd best option is a pizza stone made from cordierite. To see a round-up of the most important pizza equipment check out my essential pizza equipment list.
Thanks, learned alot. Building a dome oven in the spring, and researching. This was a great site.✌
Thanks for your lovely suggestions and ideas, I really loved it and it helped in few ways …. Thanks once again 👍
Very helpful indeed, thank you. 🙂
Thank you this was very helpful!
The idea of putting cooked mushrooms on a pizza is always a must and better. If you get the bottle mushrooms at the store you will have ready mushrooms that will taste better after its done like pizza place, domino’s where they put raw mushrooms its supposed to be fresh, so it may sound good but it’s not especially the finish pizza have this dried out mushrooms that doesn’t taste good and have a burnt look to it,as I see peppers (green,tri color) most of the pizza I ever had,they left the peppers uncooked, but it didn’t sog out the crust of the pizza either but if you make a frozen pizza and add peppers to it, you should cook the peppers first because the crust will get soggy from uncooked peppers.
What about pineapple? I know, I know…it’s a bitter debate. Some people love it and some people are wrong!