Shrimp and Mushroom Pizza With Vodka Sauce

Alex is a marine biologist, aquarist, lover of animals, and an experienced veterinary assistant. She loves to write about cooking.

The Sauce

So, want to know something funny about my vodka sauce? I very rarely put vodka in it. You see, I don't really think a lot. And when I do, it is much more likely that I am drinking wine or beer than hard liquor. Putting vodka in my vodka sauce would require a trip to the ABC store, and more importantly, me spending money that I don't need to spend.

The sauce is just as good without the vodka. But, if you want to add a little vodka, I don't think it will change the flavor that much.

The Idea

So, this isn't your average pizza. Shrimp, mushrooms, and vodka sauce? What was I thinking? Well, its simple. My boyfriend had gotten me a bread machine for Christmas last year and I just love finding a reason to use it. I bought a pizza stone from pampered chef and I have been making pizza for a few months. And by that I mean that I have been making the dough and piling on whatever we feel like having on our pizza. Its fantastic! It costs me less than $10 to make a pizza, assuming I put more than just cheese on it. And that is using fresh mozzarella and not the pre-shredded bag stuff.

My boyfriend and I were enjoying a day at the beach and decided we should grab lunch. Now, I feel that it is important to note that I was able to completely hook Nic with my homemade vodka sauce. So, when he saw that there was a pizza with vodka sauce he wanted to try it. It was amazing!

But, I knew that if they could do it then I could too. After all, why not? So we gave it a try. I made the dough and the vodka sauce. I will admit that I did put too much sauce on the pizza, but it was amazing. It was so much more filling that what we had been making. It was a success.

Sometime later we were craving vodka sauce pizza again. But, this time I wanted to make it a little bit more 'fancy'. We were siting there brainstorming and I suddenly had a lightbulb moment. Shrimp are cheap, easy to cook, and are packed with protein. And of course they go fantastic with vodka sauce. I wanted to pair them with spinach, but Nic is not a fan. So we compromised on mushrooms.

What Do You Think?

How Much and How Long?

What You'll Need

• 1 Can Tomato Paste, Small is great
• 1 1/2 Cup Cream
• 1 Cup Parmesan Cheese, Freshly grated
• 1/2 Pound Shrimp, Small is perfect
• 1/2 Carton Mushrooms, Use your favorite
• 1 Ball Mozzarella

The finished sauce!

1 / 3

Making the Pizza

1. I like to make my own dough using my bread machine. This is where the majority of the pre-time comes from. It takes 90 minutes for my bread machine to prepare the dough. If you would rather use a pre-formed pizza crust that is fine. When the dough is done go ahead and shape it onto the pizza stone.
2. Pour the cream into a pan that is set to low. As the cream heats up add a couple of spoonfuls of the tomato paste. As the cream warms the tomato paste will blend in and the color will start to change. You are looking for a light pink color that is uniform. I typically use a little more than half of the smallest can I can find at the grocery store.
3. Once all of the tomato paste has been incorporated into the cream add the cheese. Slowly stir the sauce until all of the cheese has been melted. You will notice that the sauce is now much thicker. If you want to add a little vodka this would be the time to do it. Just a splash or two.
4. If you would like to add any seasonings do it now. Since this sauce was meant for pizza I used a little pizza seasoning. Pour the sauce over the dough and spread as needed.
5. Top with freshly cut mozzarella, the smaller the pieces the better, raw shrimp that have been peeled and deveined, and mushrooms. If you would like to add any more seasonings now is the time to do it.
6. Pop the pie in oven, that has been pre-heated to 400. Let the oven do its thing for 15-20 minutes. Then take the pizza out for a few minutes to cool.
7. Use a pizza cutter to cut the pizza and serve!

So, How Was It?

I will admit. I was a little nervous that the shrimp wouldn't cook all the way through. But, I was just as nervous that if I had cooked them before putting them on the pizza that they would be rubbery when the pizza was done. The shrimp came out perfectly cooked and tasted amazing!

My boyfriend said it was the best pizza I have made yet. I was very pleased that it turned out so well. And it was so easy to make. Honestly, it was way better than ordering out. And, if you don't count the time it takes to make the dough it was faster than delivery too.

We had enough for both of us to have lunch, and it was just as good the next day. I know that I will make it again.

In Closing

I hope that you feel inspired to give this recipe a try. If you are a fan of shrimp you will want to taste this pizza. I would love to hear of any changes or modifications you try and how they turn out.

Enjoy!