Sausage Garlic Brusselled Pizza

This week has been a tired one-- but a nice one. Busy and filled with anticipation for the holidays, as well as nervousness that I won't be able to get everything done and make all the preparations I want to make. Every day has been spent making cookies for work (so many cookies!) and trying to keep the house spic and span for my brothers' families arrival on Saturday.

Last night I got home a little earlier than usual for work and thus had time to make dinner right then and there. I've been craving pizza all week, and a few times almost caved into the pressure and ordered it, but I held out for the homemade version I put together last night. And it was worth the wait.

A delightful combination of herbed crust, garlic laced brussel sprouts, savory sausage, and a light tomato sauce. Along with, of course, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Nick, who is a homemade pizza pro, paid me the ultimate compliment by saying "I'd have to work hard to beat this." 

I bought the crust at Trader Joes-- their Garlic Herb Crust. I'm sure I could make my own, but I've never tried and I have a fear of yeast. And besides, Joes makes their so nicely and its cheap and easy...So there it is. 

Ingredients:

1 herb crust either homemade or bought

about 1.5 cups canned whole tomatoes

1 tbs olive oil

7 cloves garlic

2 small fresh Italian sausages

about 1 cup shredded brussel sprouts

about 1 cup low fat mozzarella cheese

salt and pepper

rosemary

2 tablespoons(ish) fresh grated Parmesan cheese

First, stretch out the crust and put it on either a pizza pan or a pizza stone (you can oil the pan a little to keep it from sticking). Put it in the oven at 400 degrees for about ten minutes, or until it is no longer dough-y. Meanwhile, put the olive oil into a frying pan and heat it. Chop up 5 cloves of the garlic, and drop them in. When there are just turning golden, add the brussel sprouts along with some salt and pepper. Stir fry it all until the sprouts are beginning to soften up a touch, and then remove them.

Put the sausage (squeezed out of its casing) into the same hot pan, and cook until they are barely browned. You want them to finish cooking in the oven. 

Remove the sausage and pour the whole tomatoes into the pan. Smash  the two remaining pieces of garlic and add them, and use a fork to break up the tomatoes a little. Add some salt and pepper and a dash of rosemary. 

Remove the crust from the oven and spread the tomato chunks over it with a little of the liquid. Evenly distribute the cheese, and then scatter the sausage on. Finish up by covering the top with the brussel sprouts.

Bake it at 400 for about twenty minutes, or until everything is browned and melted. And then dig in. Seriously, this is so good. 

I wish we had more leftovers for lunch today...but no one can put pizza away like Nick can. I think I am going to make this again while my brother and his family are in town...

Can you believe it? Five days till Christmas. If the world doesn't end tomorrow...