Sausage and Ricotta Pizza

Sausage and ricotta might be my favorite pizza pairing of all time. BBQ chicken a close second but it’s not nearly as traditional. The pesto base is just enough to keep it light but add another layer of flavor. Tomato would be all kind of overwhelming for me. Get the whole milk ricotta. Just do it. Enjoy the fat. It’s delightfully sweet and has an unbelievably good texture. It softens on the heat the grill and becomes little pillows. I want huge chunks of sausage on my pizza, a blast of flavor with every bite. Craving that kind of pizza right now. Grilling pizza is a year round thing. There aren’t any seasons when my grilling is concerned.

Ingredients

• 1 ball of pizza dough, room temperature if you’ve been storing it elsewhere
• 1/2c pesto [I bought premade stuff from New Seasons and had leftovers]
• 4oz mozzarella, shredded
• 4oz whole milk ricotta
• 1/2lb ground hot Italian sausage, cooked
• Oregano, basil, or red chile flakes for serving

Preparation

Preheat your grill to a high heat. You want it really, really hot to start so it’ll crisp up the dough the way you want. You’ll turn it down to medium right before you toss the dough on.

Roll the dough out to your desired thickness. Brush the top with olive oil. Place the oiled side down on the grill. In 3-4 minutes, check for grill marks on the dough. It should be puffed up possibly, but that’ll disappear. If the dough lifts off the grates easily, you’re in good shape. Pull it off the grill, grill-side down onto a baking sheet and return to the kitchen to assemble your pizza.

Brush or spoon an even layer of pesto on the crust. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella on top. Sprinkle the sausage in an even-isn layer. Using a spoon, dot the top of the pizza with dollops of ricotta. Place the pizza back onto the grill. Continue to cook for another 5-7 minutes. The same grill marks will appear and the cheese will be nice and melty.

Remove from the grill. Top with your seasonings. Allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting and eating.