Friday night pizza night, again!

Friday isn’t always pizza night, but it’s been working out that way lately, and will continue to be for a few more… One of JJ’s favorite dishes is Sausage and Peppers Rustica from Olive Garden. They don’t carry it on the menu anymore, but it was delicious. I decided to make it into a pizza because I love bell peppers, especially red. I buy them in packages of 6 at Sam’s club for about $5 (Which is a really good deal!). I also get my sausage from there – Asiago and Spinach Chicken Sausage. I add some sautéed red onion and it was delicious! I served this with a Caesar salad.

Sausage and Peppers Rustica Pizza

1 ball of pizza dough

2 tbsp. cornmeal

1 5 oz. can Italian style tomato paste

2 cups shredded 2% mozzarella cheese

1 large red onion, sliced

2-3 bell peppers, sliced

3 chicken sausage links, sliced

1 tsp. Penzeys pizza seasoning

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large pan, heat ½ inch water to a boil. Add in sausage and a drizzle of olive oil. Let sausage boil and the water will evaporate to poach it, then it will brown when the water is gone. When sausages are brown, let them rest on a plate before slicing.

Slice red onion and add to a sautee pan over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes until softened.

Sprinkle board with cornmeal and roll out pizza dough. Place the crust on a pan, cover in tomato paste, then onions, top with cheese, peppers and sliced sausage. Sprinkle with pizza seasoning. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.