Beef and Cheddar on Pumpkin Pizza Dough

A hearty pizza of roast beef, mixed with barbecue sauce and topped with cheddar, on a roasted pumpkin pizza crust

I realized that despite the large amount of cow in the freezer, I rarely share very meaty pizzas.

I think it stems from a desire to Use All The Vegetables from the farm share, plus a desire to decrease the amount of meat per serving, but regardless of the desire, the end result is that we rarely eat a (homemade, at least) very meaty pizza.

This is a very meaty pizza.  I had leftover shredded beef (Sarah at Imperfect Kitchen's Perfect Pot Roast sounds like a good way to have some leftover shredded beef) as well as a pumpkin pizza crust, and I wanted the opposite of the Pumpkin and Black Bean pizza I shared last week.

It worked--this is nothing like that pizza, though if you gave me a slice of each I'd eat them both real fast.  I'd finish with this one, though, because the BBQ beef and cheddar flavors want to linger on my tongue.  [I like my last bites of a plate of food to be my favorite ones.  Strange, I know.]

BBQ Beef and Cheddar on Roasted Pumpkin Pizza Dough

1 pound Roasted Pumpkin Pizza Dough
olive oil for brushing onto the crust (about 1-2 Tablespoons)
1 to 2 cups shredded cooked beef (please use a leftover, don't make anything special for this)
1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce (Annemarie at Real Food Real Deals has a good-looking one)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (we prefer sharp cheddar because we're prickly or aged)
freshly ground pepper (you know, if you've got the shaker use that instead, I don't have a shaker so I always say 'freshly ground', but don't trouble yourself, it's just pepper)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  If you have a pizza stone, or baking stone, please preheat it while the oven is preheating (and then some, I usually have my oven on a good 45 minutes before I slide the first pizza in, but you may not also be photographing steps).  If you don't have a pizza stone, please feel free to use a cookie sheet which requires no preheating.
On an oiled piece of parchment paper, which saves my sanity and the tender ears of my offspring, stretch out the dough into the shape that rocks your world today.  Brush with olive oil.  In a small bowl mix the beef and barbecue sauce, then spread on top of the pizza.  Top with shredded cheese and a couple of grinds of fresh pepper.

Slide the parchment paper + pizza onto the preheated stone or a cookie sheet, and bake for 5 to 8 minutes.  Shimmy the crust off of the paper, and bake the crust directly on the stone or cookie sheet for another 3 to 5 minutes until the cheese is bubbly.

Cool on a rack a few minutes, then slice (Amazon affiliate link to my favorite pizza wheel) and serve.

I realized that I'm not doing a very good job of sharing photos of the new wiener dogs.  While at work at the thrift shop the other day, putting on tags for other people to pop, I picked up a sweater for Vincent.  There was nothing in Oliver's size, so I picked up some other woven items in the clearance area to see what I could do.  Simon was feeling left out, so he got the blue 'neck sweater' while Oliver is looking like an English Judge in the cream cape.  When it's tied onto him, that is.  My daughter will work on making coats for the wee little dogs, which is a good thing since it's currently sleeting.  I just harvested celery this morning and it's sleeting.

Simon in the back, with wee Oliver and stylish Vincent in front.  Yes, Oliver has a wonky eye.  No, I don't think he can see out of it.  We've had them for a month, and they are around 6-8 yrs old, picked up as strays, and adopted by my deployed spouse who fell in love with their photos at the animal shelter website.  He'll meet them when he returns.

This post is featured on the From The Farm Blog Hop, the Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Tasty Tuesdays, Wednesday Fresh Foods Link Up, What's Cookin' Wednesday,