Sausage Ricotta And Fennel Pizza Recipes

SAUSAGE, RICOTTA, AND FENNEL PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add olive oil. Add tomatoes, garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper, and salt. Cook, stirring often, until tomatoes have mostly broken down, about 5 minutes. Spread tomato mixture over the pizza crust.
• Heat the same pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until browned, about 6 minutes. Remove cooked sausage from the pan and set aside, reserving grease in the pan. Add onion and fennel to the pan and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and cook until leaves begin to wilt, about 30 seconds.
• Spread sausage and vegetable mixture over tomato-covered crust. Scatter dollops of ricotta cheese on top. Sprinkle with shaved Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted and top is beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes.

CHEESY BAKED PASTA WITH SAUSAGE AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Crumble sausage into skillet, using a spoon to break it into small pieces. Cook until starting to brown, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes (if using), and cook another 1 to 2 minutes.
• Stir in whole tomatoes and their juice, using a spoon to break them up. Add crushed tomatoes, bay leaves and 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes to thicken slightly.
• Stir in pasta and 1 cup water and return to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure pasta doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat, pluck out the bay leaves, and fold in about a third of the mozzarella.
• Top pasta with remaining mozzarella and dollops of ricotta. Sprinkle with Parmesan, then transfer to oven. Bake until pasta is tender when poked with a fork, and cheese is bubbly and lightly golden, 18 to 22 minutes. (If you'd like a more deeply browned topping, run the pan under the broiler for 1 or 2 minutes.) Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. Top with basil, plenty of black pepper, and more red-pepper flakes, if you like.

FENNEL AND SAUSAGE PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with foil.
• Toss fennel and onion slices with olive oil; spread out on the baking sheet.
• Roast in the preheated oven until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Cook and stir sausage in a skillet over medium heat until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
• Roll out pizza dough on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to a pizza pan or clean baking sheet. Spread sauce on top and cover with mozzarella cheese. Top with fennel, onion, sausage, and garlic slices.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted, 15 to 17 minutes. Garnish with chopped fennel fronds.