There are many recipes handily available online for slow-cooker or skillet style sausage dishes, but what if you are feeling pizza? For this recipe, we will take the traditional sausage skillet one more step and top a pizza with it!
You could really make this as gourmet as you want to, and there are many options for personalization. You could make or buy fresh pizza dough at your local grocer; you could make your own marinara sauce; you could use different toppings such as fresh mozzarella, homemade pesto, or add some chili oil for some heat. Or, for a week-night friendly version, you can use frozen crusts and a bag the pre-shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
The beauty of pizza night is it is what you want it to be, and it’s made all the tastier with fresh sausages from 1915 Farm.
Serves 4
- 1 package of 1915 Farm Fresh Italian Sausage
- 2 red or yellow bell peppers, sliced
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ c. chicken broth or red wine
- 4 pizza crusts
- 1 cup good quality pizza or tomato sauce, or more to taste (I used Rao’s Marinara)
- 4 cup shredded Italian cheese (mozzarella, parmesan, pecorino, etc.)
- Olive oil or butter
- Basil, oregano, or other Italian seasoning herb blend (fresh or dried)
- Basil pesto or calabrian chili oil (optional)
- Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet, over medium-high heat. DO NOT pierce the sausages with a fork. Add the sausage links and brown on each side, about 2-3 minutes per side. (The sausages will not be cooked through.)
Remove sausage from skillet and slice them. Set aside. Add the onions and bell peppers to the skillet, adding more olive oil or butter if needed. Cook for two minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add garlic, and season with salt, pepper, and/or red pepper flakes. Cook for 3-5 more minutes, or until the onions are soft and translucent.
Add the chicken broth or red wine to the skillet with the peppers and onions, and scrape skillet to get brown bits. Add the sausage back to skillet and reduce heat to medium. Cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
Remove lid, increase heat to medium-high, and cook for 2-3 more minutes, or until the liquid is evaporated and the sausage is cooked through. Remove skillet from heat.
While the skillet is simmering, preheat oven for the pizza and prepare crust, according to instructions.
Spread ¼ c. of sauce evenly on each crust. Lightly season pasta sauce with dried Italian seasonings, if using. Sprinkle ¼ c. of shredded cheese on each pizza.
Spoon sausage and peppers onto pizza, spreading evenly over the crust. (you may want to crumble sausage more with a wooden spoon.) Top each pizza with remaining ¼ c. of cheese.
Place pizzas in oven and bake according to instructions. Remove from oven and add any remaining toppings, such as pesto, fresh herbs, or chili oil.
Serve with a salad, and a bottle of Shiner Brewer’s Pride beer or a red blend wine, such as Kuhlman Cellars’ Alluve or Driftwood Cellars’ Alamo Red.
If you like food in Houston, you will like the Dinner Club. Monthly gatherings at different Houston eateries, plus a bit of everything in between. http://houstondinnerclub.com/
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