Thin and Crunchy Basil Chorizo & Ricotta Pizza

There is nothing that I look forward to more than pizza night!
Although I have made many sacrifices to sustain my health and keep my gluten-inducing arthritis under control, pizza is just one of the foods I am not willing to give up. It’s my sort of “cheat day” meal if you will.
It doesn’t mean that it cant be transformed into a healthier option either. There are tons of options to make pizza low carb with a vegetable based crust or a meat free delight. Really the options are endless. Although I do enjoy an occasional diverse pizza masterpiece with mixed and matched ingredients, a soft boiled egg, or a whole slab of bacon. I just find myself sticking to the classics lately because you can NEVER go wrong.

You really can use any pizza crust to make a killer pizza at home, but because I have little time to make my own from scratch and have certain food restrictions, I always go for Udi’s 2-pack of gluten free crusts. These are a bit smaller than the average size pizza crust but it makes for a perfect date night or weekend snack size pizza, usually feeding 3-4 people or 2 with leftovers.

Everyone has personal preferences when it comes to pizza. Some like it thin and crunchy, some like it plain, some like it thick with cheese oozing out of every bite. Some like pineapple, some refuse to eat without every bite dipped in garlic butter or ranch sauce. In this house, we like it thin, we like it crisp and we aren’t afraid to try new flavor combinations, (well some of us). Being so open to trying new things, its hard not to get carried away when making food for someone who doesn’t share all of the same taste buds. Because some people can be a bit picky, I make all of my pizzas, half and half.

What I do on occasion is make a pesto base for the sauce instead of a traditional tomato marinara. Make sure your pesto spread is thin or i could over power the pizza and cause the crust to get soggy. On one pizza I have done a pesto sauce and the other, a traditional tomato based sauce. It is a little more time consuming to create two pizzas with multiple toppings instead of just two separate pizzas but if you want to eat at the same time, I think its worth it.

Gluten Free Thin and Crispy Basil Chorizo & Ricotta Pizza

made two ways

2 frozen gluten free pizza crusts

1/2 lb ground pork

1 tsp dried fennel

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1/2 tsp packed brown sugar

salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup tomato sauce infused in herbs

1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese

1 vine ripe tomato, sliced thin

banana peppers (optional)

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

3 tbsp basil pesto sauce

fresh basil

TO PREPARE

Place pizza stone in oven and preheat to 350. In a medium frying pan add pork and heat over medium heat. Season with dried fennel, oregano, basil, crushed red pepper, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Stir until browned. Remove meat from pan and drain grease on a paper towel.

Once oven has become preheated, remove pizza stone , add frozen pizza crust and begin assembling.

Add a thin layer of pizza sauce and spread evenly over entire crust. Cover pizza with half of the prepared chorizo and add tomato slivers. Place small spoonfuls of ricotta across pizza and generously cover with mozzarella cheese. Place pizza into oven and bake for 11-13 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese has completely melted. Remove from pizza stone and slice.

Repeat steps using pesto sauce in place of tomato sauce for the remaining pizza and top with fresh basil.

My ideal slice: Fresh out of the oven, dusted with Parmesan cheese and sprinkled with crushed red pepper

His ideal slice: Meat and cheese only, served with warm garlic butter dipping sauce 

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