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.

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shrimp pesto pizza

i turned the leftover shrimp from my toaster oven meal and into a gourmet pizza with very little effort and boy was it amazing. something about goat cheese and pesto really make my tastebuds happy.  i didn't really write down a recipe for this one, it's more of a throw-whatever-you-like on there type of thing. i've included measurements but use however much {or little} you want depending on your tastes!

ingredients:
16 oz package store-bought pizza dough
1/2 pound cooked shrimp, cut into small bites
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, cut into thin strips
1/3 goat cheese crumbles
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup pesto

directions:
preheat oven according to pizza dough directions - should be somewhere around 400-425 degrees.

on a floured surface, roll out pizza dough into whatever shape you like. transfer to a large baking sheet. smother dough with generous amount of pesto. top with mozzarella cheese and roasted red pepper strips. bake for about 10 minutes (cook time depends on the brand of pizza dough you buy...basically cook for about 5 minutes less time than what the package says). take pizza out of oven and top with cooked shrimp and goat cheese crumbles.  cook for additional 5 minutes until cheese is melted and shrimps are warmed through. 

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grilled pizza with fresh mozzarella and prosciutto

grilling pizza is much simpler than you might imagine. i even think it's easier than making pizza in the oven. sometimes when i cook pizza in the oven i have a hard time getting the crust to cook all the way through. but by using a grill, you ensure you'll get that wonderful charred taste on both sides that pairs so nicely with the melted, fresh mozzarella. add whatever pizza toppings you love most; i just went for the basics.

ingredients:
fresh pizza dough
roma tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch
fresh mozzarella, sliced 1/4 inch
fresh basil, cut into small strips
proscuitto, cut into small strips
wegman's basting oil (if you can't find this, just use evoo)

directions:

preheat outdoor grill to medium high heat. (make sure you grease the grill!)

using a floured surface, shape pizza dough into desired shape - square, rectangle, round. place on rimless cookie sheet and bring out to grill. let the dough slide off the cookie sheet onto the hot grill grates. close the lid of the grill and let cook for 2 minutes.

open the grill and check underneath the dough to see if it is getting browned. if not, close grill and cook for a couple more minutes. this step shouldn't take long. the top of the pizza dough will start bubbling up with air pockets.

once the dough has cooked on one side, use the same cookie sheet to remove it from the grill. flip dough so grilled side is facing up on the sheet.

brush surface with basting oil and top with your favorite pizza toppings. slide back on grill, close top and cook for 4-5 minutes. cheese will be bubbly and bottom side will be charred.

remove from grill and let rest for a couple minutes. garnish with fresh basil leaves. cut into slices and serve!

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