sausage, spinach, and provolone pizza

friday nights at the nanny house are our italian nights - i either make the kiddies pizza or pasta.

one friday i had to make dinner for the nanny parents also so i whipped up this more grown up version for them. i used provolone cheese instead of mozzarella, giving the pizza a stronger and more pronounced flavor. provolone is a little bit nutty and melts beautifully. this is so so good and takes no time to pull together. i promise.

ingredients:
1 pound pizza dough, thawed if frozen
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 links hot italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 small bunch spinach, thick stems removed (about 3 cups)
kosher salt and black pepper
1/3 pound thinly sliced provolone
1 cup marinara sauce
red pepper flakes

directions:
preheat oven to 425 degrees.

roll out pizza dough on floured surface into any shape you want. transfer to baking sheet, brush with olive oil and cook for 15 minutes.

meanwhile, heat skillet with remaining tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. brown sausage and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. add the spinach to skillet and season with salt and pepper.  cook until spinach has wilted, about 1 minute.

take dough out of oven and top with marinara sauce, cheese, and the sausage/spinach mixture. sprinkle with red pepper flakes and bake until crust is crisp and the cheese has melted, 12 to 15 minutes.