New Jersey Italian Hot Dogs might give greasy diner vibes but only in the best possible way. There's magic in the sauteed peppers, onions, and potatoes piled onto juicy hot dogs stuffed into homemade pizza bread rolls. If you have spent enough time in the Garden State, you know what I'm talking about.
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If you are in a dinner rut and want something to really change things up, these New Jersey Italian Hot Dogs are guaranteed to surprise and delight your family. It's a spin on classic onions, peppers, and sausages and they are absolutely delicious.
What are Italian Hot Dogs?
I won't say I'm an expert on New Jersey cuisine, but I DID live there for a couple of years during my early 20's and I definitely ate my fair share of the state's famous diner fare. These New Jersey Italian hot dogs are a local favorite from institutions like Jimmy Buffs or Dickie Dees.
Now, these aren't an EXACT copycat, because if you are really from New Jersey these should probably only be made with Best Provisions hot dogs and pizza bread that is pretty much impossible to find outside of New Jersey.
But now that I live on the opposite coast, I'm gonna say that my homemade pizza dough recipe makes a pretty decent pizza bread substitute and my peppers, onions, and potatoes fried in a cast iron pan make a good approximation of the New Jersey Italian hot dogs that I love. Whether they are authentic I will leave up to you, but regardless I think you're going to love them.
These gourmet hot dogs (I mean, I'll call them gourmet since they are beyond your basic hot dog even if this isn't exactly gourmet food) make a fantastic and satisfying dinner when you want something different from the norm.
Do you also unabashedly enjoy a hot dog from time to time? Be sure to try one of our other recipes featuring hot dogs like Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dogs, Coney Island Hot Dogs, Corn Dog Mini Muffins, and Pretzel Dogs.
What You'll Need
- Pizza Bread - Water, sugar, yeast, bread flour, olive oil, and salt are all you need to make my copycat pizza bread recipe, but you could get away with a chewy roll or french bread loaf with some of the middle torn out so it isn't too bready.
- Hot Dogs - I'm partial to the Costco all-beef hot dogs these days. Usually these get deep fried or griddled on a flattop grill, but for most home cooks a cast iron skillet is going to be handy and will work just as well.
- Yukon Gold Potatoes - These waxy potatoes are perfect for pan-frying without getting mealy and falling apart.
- Onion - I like using a yellow onion for its stronger, punchier flavor, but sweet onions can work here too.
- Green Pepper - Remove the bitter seeds and membranes before slicing it into strips.
- Olive Oil - For frying up the potatoes and veggies. Adds flavor but also gives just a hint of that greasy spoon vibe that you expect from this kind of diner fare.
- Herbs & Spices - It's amazing what some salt, pepper, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes can do.
How to Make This Recipe
Make the Pizza Bread
- Make the dough. Combine warm water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. If using active dry yeast, let it proof for 5 minutes until foamy. If using instant yeast, there is no need to wait for the yeast to proof. Add flour, olive oil, and salt and stir well with a wooden spoon or mix in a stand mixer with a dough hook until combined. Knead for 5 minutes using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment or 6-7 minutes by hand until smooth and elastic. The dough will be tacky and slightly sticky, but should still be manageable to work with.
- Rise. Drizzle a clean bowl with a little olive oil, then place the ball of dough in the bowl and turn it to coat in the oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean cloth and let rise for at least 30 minutes (or up to 1 ½ hours) until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 475°F while the dough is rising.
- Shape the pizza bread. Divide the pizza dough in half and roll it out into a roughly 8-inch circle on a piece of parchment paper. It should be about ¾ to 1-inch thick. Use your finger or the handle of a wooden spoon to create a 1-inch hole in the center of the circle of dough, then transfer the parchment paper with the pizza bread dough to a baking sheet.
- Bake. Bake each loaf of pizza bread for 15-20 minutes in the preheated oven until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before cutting into quarters. You should get two large round pizza breads, which makes 8 pizza bread buns for your Italian hot dogs.
PRO TIP: The rest of the recipe is only for 4 servings, so you can either freeze the second pizza bread for up to 2 months for another day or double the hot dogs and fillings to serve 8.
Make the Fillings
- Prep. This recipe goes much easier when you wash and slice the potatoes, peppers, and onions first before you start to cook everything. The potatoes should be sliced thin, but not paper-thin. Just about ¼ to ½-inch thick or so so that they can cook through and be tender but still get crispy from the pan.
- Fry potatoes. Heat a large cast iron skillet or other heavy bottom pan over medium-high heat. Add 4 Tablespoons of olive oil. Once hot, add the sliced potatoes in an even layer. Let the potatoes cook on the first side for 2-3 minutes, then use a spatula to turn the potatoes. Continue to cook, flipping the potatoes occasionally, until golden brown and crispy on the outsides but soft and tender inside, about 10 minutes total. Season well with salt and pepper. Transfer the cooked potatoes to a separate plate and set aside.
- Saute veggies. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan. Once it is hot, saute the sliced onions and bell pepper until tender crisp, around 8-10 minutes. Season with salt & pepper, oregano, and crushed red pepper. Push the veggies to the side of the pan to make room to cook the hot dogs.
- Cook hot dogs. Add the hot dogs to the same pan that you cooked the potatoes and vegetables in. Cook the hot dogs, turning them occasionally with tongs or a spatula, until hot all the way through and the casing has crisped up slightly on the outside.
Assembling New Jersey Italian Hot Dogs
- Prep the bun. Slice the loaf of pizza bread into quarters, then partially slice open each quarter from the pointed part to the edge without completely separating the two halves. The goal is to make a sort of pocket to hold the hot dog and fillings so they don't spill out quite as much while you eat it.
- Add the hot dog and fixings. If you want mustard, I would add it to the inside of the pizza bread bun before stuffing it with the other fixings. Place one or two of the griddled hot dogs inside the pizza bread bun, then stuff the bun with a healthy amount of the fried peppers, potatoes, and onions. We are talking almost half a potato worth of fried potato slices and filling each bun so full that they look overflowing to get the ratio right of fixings, hot dog, and bun. It's okay if you need a fork to help eat these as toppings fall out.
- Garnish & devour. I like to sprinkle some extra oregano and maybe some crushed red pepper flakes over the veggies for a bit more kick. Or you could add ketchup and/or mustard, if you feel so inclined.
Recipe FAQ's
Pizza bread is a wonderful chewy bread that you can find at some Italian bakeries in New Jersey. It looks sort of like a really big donut with a hole in the center. The hole helps the flattish bread bake through evenly. You probably aren't going to find it outside of New Jersey, but my version is close enough to what I remember. It is firm enough to hold up to the greasy hot dog and veggies without falling apart like your standard soft hot dog buns.
You could get away with ciabatta buns or other chewy but still soft bread or hoagie roll.
This is really personal preference, but I usually leave them both off because I love the flavor of the all-beef hot dogs with all the veggies and crisp potatoes to be the star of the show. Although sometimes I will add a little bit of yellow mustard. Add ketchup only if you absolutely must (but don't do it, lol).
Sure! You could grill or air fry the hot dogs until they are hot all the way through and crisp on the outside.
What to Serve With Italian Hot Dogs
This is diner-style eating so french fries are a natural choice. These would also be great with an Italian Cream Soda and a Homemade Cannoli for dessert. Any kind of barbecue or picnic sides would go well also. Here are some of our favorites:
- Cottage Cheese Jello Salad
- Italian Pasta Salad
- The Best Macaroni Salad
- Classic Bacon Broccoli Salad
- Creamy Grape Salad
- Crisp green salad with Olive Garden Italian Dressing
Storage Instructions
If you have leftovers (or want to make a big batch so you have leftovers for another day), you can store the fried potatoes, onions, and peppers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The pizza bread will keep on the counter in an airtight container for about the same amount of time, although you might want to sprinkle it with a little water, wrap it in foil, and heat in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes to refresh it before using. You can also freeze the pizza bread and thaw before using.
To serve, griddle up the hot dogs and veggies until hot, then fill the pizza bread bun like normal.
More Hot Dog Recipes
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
New Jersey Italian Hot Dogs Recipe
Ingredients
Pizza Bread
- 1 ½ cups warm water (about 110°F)
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast or instant yeast
- 3 ½ to 4 cups bread flour (455g to 520g)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
Fillings
- 4-6 Tablespoons olive oil
- 4 beef hot dogs
- 1 pound yukon gold potatoes, washed and sliced about ¼" thick
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 1 green, red, or yellow bell pepper, sliced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 4 Italian bread rolls or pizza rolls to be even more authentic
- Yellow mustard or brown deli mustard (optional)
Instructions
Make the Pizza Bread
- Combine warm water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. If using active dry yeast, let it proof for 5 minutes until foamy. If using instant yeast, there is no need to wait for the yeast to proof. Add flour, olive oil, and salt and stir well with a wooden spoon or mix in a stand mixer with a dough hook until combined. Knead for 5 minutes using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment or 6-7 minutes by hand until smooth and elastic. The dough will be tacky and slightly sticky, but should still be manageable to work with.
- Drizzle a clean bowl with a little olive oil, then place the ball of dough in the bowl and turn it to coat in the oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean cloth and let rise for at least 30 minutes (or up to 1 ½ hours) until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 475°F while the dough is rising.
- Divide the pizza dough in half and roll it out into a roughly 8-inch circle on a piece of parchment paper. It should be about ¾ to 1-inch thick. Use your finger or the handle of a wooden spoon to create a 1-inch hole in the center of the circle of dough, then transfer the parchment paper with the pizza bread dough to a baking sheet.
- Bake each loaf of pizza bread for 15-20 minutes in the preheated oven until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before cutting into quarters. You should get two large round pizza breads, which makes 8 pizza bread buns for your Italian hot dogs. The rest of the recipe is only for 4 servings, so you can either freeze the second pizza bread for up to 2 months for another day or double the hot dogs and fillings to serve 8.
Prep Veggies and Hot Dogs
- This recipe goes much easier when you wash and slice the potatoes, peppers, and onions first before you start to cook everything. The potatoes should be sliced thin, but not paper-thin. Just about ¼ to ½-inch thick or so so that they can cook through and be tender but still get crispy from the pan.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet or other heavy bottom pan over medium-high heat. Add 4 Tablespoons of olive oil. Once hot, add the sliced potatoes in an even layer. Let the potatoes cook on the first side for 2-3 minutes, then use a spatula to turn the potatoes. Continue to cook, flipping the potatoes occasionally, until golden brown and crispy on the outsides but soft and tender inside, about 10 minutes total. Season well with salt and pepper. Transfer the cooked potatoes to a separate plate and set aside.
- Add the remaining olive oil to the pan. Once it is hot, saute the sliced onions and bell pepper until tender crisp, around 8-10 minutes. Season with salt & pepper, oregano, and crushed red pepper. Push the veggies to the side of the pan to make room to cook the hot dogs.
- Add the hot dogs to the same pan that you cooked the potatoes and vegetables in. Cook the hot dogs, turning occasionally with tongs or a spatula, until hot all the way through and the casing has crisped up slightly on the outside.
Assembly
- Slice the loaf of pizza bread into quarters, then partially slice open each quarter from the pointed part to the edge without completely separating the two halves. The goal is to make a sort of pocket to hold the hot dog and fillings so they don't spill out quite as much while you eat it.
- If you want mustard, I would add it to the inside of the pizza bread bun before stuffing it with the other fixings. Place one or two of the griddled hot dogs inside the pizza bread bun, then stuff the bun with a healthy amount of the fried peppers, potatoes, and onions. We are talking almost half a potato worth of fried potato slices and filling each bun so full that they look overflowing to get the ratio right of fixings, hot dog, and bun. It's okay if you need a fork to help eat these as toppings fall out.
- I like to sprinkle some extra oregano and maybe some crushed red pepper flakes over the veggies for a bit more kick. Or you could add ketchup and/or mustard, if you feel so inclined.
Notes
- If you can get pizza bread, that's even more authentic, but it's hard to come by outside of New Jersey.
- If you have leftovers (or want to make a big batch so you have leftovers for another day), you can store the fried potatoes, onions, and peppers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The pizza bread will keep on the counter in an airtight container for about the same amount of time, although you might want to sprinkle it with a little water, wrap it in foil, and heat in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes to refresh it before using. You can also freeze the pizza bread and thaw before using.
