Hearty Sausage and Kale Pesto Pizza

Try a healthier take on pizza with this delicious and hearty sausage pizza that uses a kale pesto sauce topped with onions and cheese.

Pizza has always been one of my favorites foods. I can’t tell you how much pizza I ate while I was pregnant with my boys. But when Justin found this recipe for a sausage and kale pesto pizza from the Southern Living magazine he wanted to try, I was hesitant. I like my pizza with red sauce, a whole lot of cheese, and nothing else.

We weren’t sure we would be able to make the recipe at first. It requires a skillet that can be cooked in the oven, and I don’t have any cast iron skillets yet. I looked up the non-stick pans that I have. They are oven safe up to 450F. The original recipe says to cook at 500F but since the pans can’t go that high we did 450F and it worked out fine. Now that I have cast-iron skillets, I have no problem with meals like this.

A few weeks ago I told a story about Justin getting some fresh home-made sausage from a friend. There was still a bit of it left, so we used that up in this recipe. We had also bought some kale for another recipe so we had a bunch of extras.

The original recipe says to purchase a pre-made pizza dough, but I used our homemade pizza recipe to make my own dough. By substituting whole-wheat flour for the all-purpose flour I was able to make a whole-wheat crust as suggested.

Sausage and Kale Pesto Pizza Step by Step

Ingredients

• 1 pizza crust (whole-wheat)
• 1 lb sausage
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 1 sweet onion (sliced)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup kale
• 1 tbsp basil
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (shredded)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp cornmeal
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Preparation

When the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 450F. Brown the sausage in a large skillet. This one won’t go in the oven, so you can use any skillet. Crumble the sausage and cook until it is no longer pink in the middle. Then remove from the skillet and place on a plate lined with towels.

Don’t wipe the pan out, and add two tablespoons of oil with the sliced onions. Sprinkle with a bit of salt, and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they are brown and softened. This usually takes about 10 minutes, then remove from the heat.

In a food processor, combine the kale, basil, parmesan cheese, garlic, two tablespoons of oil, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Process this until it is smooth and makes a pesto.

Heat an oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add one tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat the pan. Then sprinkle with the cornmeal so that it coats the pan as well. The cornmeal gives the crust a slightly sweet flavor that went really well with this meal.

Stretch the dough out so that it covers the pan, including the sides, to create a deep-dish crust for the pizza. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook the crust for about 2-3 minutes, until it starts to bubble up.

Quickly spread the kale pesto over the crust then top with the sausage and onions.

Cover with cheese. The original recipe called for feta cheese, but I don’t like feta, so I used only the mozzarella. Sprinkle some crushed red pepper over the pizza, and brush the exposed edges of the crust with more olive oil.

Place the entire skillet in the oven and bake for about 12-15 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the cheese has melted.

Recipe

Hearty Sausage and Kale Pesto Pizza

Try a healthier take on pizza with this delicious and hearty sausage pizza that uses a kale pesto sauce topped with onions and cheese.

Prep Time 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Course:

Main Dish

Cuisine:

American

Keyword:

kale

|

pesto

|

pizza

|

sausage

Servings: 8 servings

5 from 8 votes

Ingredients

• 1 pizza crust (whole-wheat)
• 1 lb sausage
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 1 sweet onion (sliced)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup kale
• 1 tbsp basil
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (shredded)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp cornmeal
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Recommended Equipment

• Cast Iron Skillet
• Chef Knife
• Cutting Board
• Box Grater
• Food Processor
• Pastry Brush

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 450F or 500F (whichever your skillet can handle)
• Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink
• Meanwhile, cut the onion into thin slices
• Remove the sausage from the pan and place on a towel-lined plate
• Without cleaning the pan, add two tablespoons of oil, the sliced onions, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• Cook the onions for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until brown and softened then remove from the heat
• In a food processor, combine the kale, basil, parmesan, garlic, 2 tablespoons of oil, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt until smooth
• Heat an oven-safe 12-inch skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes
• Add 1 tablespoon of oil and cornmeal and swirl to coat the pan
• Stretch the dough over the pan to cover the bottom and sides of the pan
• Cook dough over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes until the dough starts to bubble
• Quickly spread the pesto on the dough, then top with the cooked sausage, onions, mozzarella cheese, and crushed red pepper
• Brush any exposed crust edges with oil
• Place the entire skillet in the oven and bake for about 12-15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the cheese has melted

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Nutrition Facts

Hearty Sausage and Kale Pesto Pizza

Amount Per Serving (1 piece)

Calories 527 Calories from Fat 315

% Daily Value*

Fat 35g54%

Saturated Fat 12g60%

Cholesterol 68mg23%

Sodium 1193mg50%

Potassium 256mg7%

Carbohydrates 30g10%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 21g42%

Vitamin A 1120IU22%

Vitamin C 12.7mg15%

Calcium 286mg29%

Iron 2.5mg14%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

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