Crustless Pizza Recipe (20 Minutes!) - Wholesome Yum (2024)

I already have a pizza casserole recipe, apizza bowl, and a famous keto pizza, so why do we need a crustless pizza recipe? Because it’s the best of both worlds. This pizza without crust has the same toppings you’d find on a meat lover’s pizza, but it takes away the fuss of making a crust, skips the cauliflower you’d find in my other pizza casserole, has minimal oven time (great for summer), and is ready super fast in just 20 minutes. Skillet pizza is the perfect dish for busy weeknights!

Not only does this keto crustless pizza satisfy even the biggest pizza cravings, but it’s also completely customizable by switching up the “toppings” — make it your own! Try it for the ultimate low carb dinner, or you could even serve it as a pizza dip.

Ingredients & Substitutions

This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for a low carb crustless pizza, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

• Sausage – This makes up the base layer of this pizza skillet. I used ground Italian sausage, but you could use other types of ground meat, such as pork sausage, ground beef, or even ground turkey instead.
• Veggies– For a colorful variety in my skillet pizza, I used half of a red bell pepper, half of a yellow bell pepper, and cremini mushrooms. You could use a green bell pepper, white button mushrooms, or just about any vegetables you like.
• Sauce – You can use sugar free marinara sauce, keto pizza sauce, alfredo sauce, or pesto sauce depending on your preference.
• Mozzarella Cheese– Feel free to substitute it with shredded cheddar, Colby jack, pepper jack, or any cheese you prefer.
• Pepperoni Slices – You can also top your crustless pizza with additional sausage, more veggies, or bacon!

How To Make Crustless Pizza

This section shows how to make a pizza without crust, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.

1. Brown meat. Cook the ground sausage in acast iron skillet, until browned and cooked through.
2. Saute veggies. Lower the heat, and push sausage to pan edges, creating space in the center. Add the mushrooms and peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and dry.

3. Add sauce. Turn off the heat. Pour the marinara sauce over the pan, and smooth evenly with a spatula.
4. Add toppings. Sprinkle with the shredded mozzarella. Arrange the pepperoni slices on top.

5. Bake. Transfer the skillet to the oven. Broil the crustless pizza recipe, until the cheese is melted and browned, and the pepperoni starts to crisp up a little.

Topping Variations

If you want other toppings in your pizza skillet, feel free to customize with your favorite pizza toppings. Here are some ideas:

• Caprese – Use ground beef or sausage for the base layer, without marinara. Replace the pepperoni on top with tomato slices and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar or glaze (make the glaze yourself by reducing the vinegar, so there’s no sugar added). Top with fresh basil.
• Breakfast – Replace the sausage in this crustless pizza recipe with breakfast sausage, scramble some egg into the base layer, skip the marinara, and replace the pepperoni with crumbled bacon.
• BBQ Chicken – Replace the sausage and peppers with shredded chicken breast and red onions, and the marinara with sugar-free BBQ sauce. Skip the pepperoni.
• Hawaiian – Pineapple is not keto friendly, but if you are low carb, you might enjoy some in moderation. Combine chopped Canadian bacon and pineapple chunks for the bottom layer, and just cheese on top. Or keep the sausage underneath, and place the pineapple and Canadian bacon on top.
• Traditional Veggie – Replace the sausage with more veggies (green peppers, mushrooms, black olives, onions, etc.) and top with extra cheese. Omit pepperoni. You can also add other keto vegetables.
• Summer Veggie – Try zucchini, eggplant, or spinach. You’ll need to saute them to evaporate all the moisture, just as we do with the mushrooms and peppers.

Storage Instructions

• Store: Keep leftovers in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. I like storing it right in the (covered) pan to maintain the layers, but an airtight container will keep it fresh for longer.
• Meal prep: Prepare the crustless pizza in advance and reheat when needed, or prep ahead by assembling the pizza without crust, refrigerating, and broiling later.
• Reheat: Warm in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees F until hot. You could also scoop a serving into a bowl and microwave.
• Freeze: You can freeze before or after baking. Wrap the top with plastic wrap and foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. For best results, thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating, but you can also reheat from frozen (it will take longer).

See Also

Healthy Salad Dressing: 13 Delicious Low Calorie RecipesEasy Keto Broccoli Salad Recipe | Low Carb Recipes by That's Low Carb?!25 Handy Keto Almond Flour Recipes for Low Carb Life30 Delicious Diabetes Friendly Dinner Recipes for Diabetic Living - Danny's Delight

What To Serve With Crustless Pizza

Crustless pizza makes a complete meal on it’s own, but a side or two never hurts! Here are some ideas:

• Salad – If you opt for a smaller serving size, try serving it with a Caesar salad (skip the chicken for a side) or a kale salad.
• Wings – For a classic pizza night feast, you can’t go wrong with a side of crispy baked wings, or make air fryer wings which are even faster.
• Breadsticks – I love to serve this crustless pizza with a side of cauliflower breadsticks with additional marinara or keto cheese sauce.

More Low Carb Pizza Recipes

If you like this crustless pizza recipe, you might also like these other keto pizza recipes:

Recipe Card

4.88 from 49 votes☝️ Click stars to rate or click here to leave a review!

Crustless Pizza (20 Minutes!)

This easy crustless pizza recipe is the best 20-minute low carb dinner! It has all your favorite toppings, sauce and cheese, minus the fuss.

Prep: 2 minutes

Cook: 18 minutes

Total: 20 minutes

Author: Maya Krampf from WholesomeYum.com

Servings: 4 (adjust to scale recipe)

See Also

Parmesan Crusted Turkey Cutlets Recipe - Delicious Little Bites

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Recipe Video

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US Customary – Metric

Ingredients

Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them.

• 1lbGround Italian sausage▢
• 1largeBell pepper(cut into thin 1-2-inch strips; I used half red & half yellow)▢
• 8ozCremini mushrooms(sliced)▢
• 1cupMarinara sauce▢
• 1 1/2cupsMozzarella cheese(shredded)▢
• 1 1/2ozPepperoni slices▢

Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.

1. Heat an oven-safe 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground sausage. Cook for 8-10 minutes, breaking apart with a spatula, until browned and cooked through.

2. Toward the end of cooking the sausage, preheat the oven to the Broil setting.

3. Reduce heat to medium. Push the sausage to the edges of the pan, making a space in the center. Add mushrooms and bell peppers to the center. Cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally once they start to soften and moving any less cooked pieces toward the bottom, until vegetables are soft and any excess moisture has evaporated. (Add a little oil if the pan gets too dry.)

4. Turn off heat. Pour the marinara sauce over the pan. Smooth evenly with a spatula.

5. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella. Arrange pepperoni slices on top.

6. Transfer the skillet to the oven under the broiler. Broil for 2-3 minutes, until the cheese is melted and browned, and pepperoni starts to crisp up a little.

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Related Easy Recipes

• Pizza Casserole

• Portobello Mushroom Pizza

• Eggplant Pizza Recipe

• Low Carb Keto Pizza Sauce

Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1/4 crustless pizza

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories571

Fat43.7g

Protein32.8g

Total Carbs11.1g

Net Carbs8.9g

Fiber2.2g

Sugar6.1g

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.

Course:Main Course

Cuisine:American, Italian

Keywords:crustless pizza recipe, keto crustless pizza, low carb crustless pizza, pizza without crust, skillet pizza

Calories: 571 kcal

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Crustless Pizza

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