White Bean, Sausage & Kale Pizza
What we have here is a great example of the way I can take a pretty hearty, healthy winter meal--- and promptly turn it into a (probably more satisfying) pizza. I have been craving the combination of white beans, kale and sausage for weeks now. Something about the refusal of the outdoor temps to rise above 30F for more than one day at a time, combined with a touch of cabin fever, plus a Friday (pizza day, duh) convinced me to make this delicious hearty, less healthy, but delicious! Winter pizza.
This pizza actually came to me while meal-planning and is another successful attempt as using what is already in my fridge. I had purchased this delicious sausage from Costco for our big Fondue party, and because it's Costco and you'll never get a normal human amount of something like smoked garlic sausage, I had some links in the fridge just begging to be used. My initial thought drifted to a more classic interpretation like this, but quickly diverted when I remembered an old school pre-Food Network Pioneer Woman recipe for Taco Pizza which used smashed black beans as the base. If you know me, you know I love a white pizza, so I immediately envisioned a pizza with a garlicky white bean spread as the base, topped with slices of that delicious sausage, creamy mozzarella cheese, and of course, some kale for good measure. I used baby kale because I just think it goes a lot farther than its dinosaur brethren. It's tender, you can throw it in a smoothie and it wont clog up your blender, you can pulverize it and make pesto, or you can wilt it in pasta. You could probably also make little baby kale chips although I'm guessing the heartier "adult" kale might be more suited to those.
On top of everything else, this pizza is crazy easy to put together. The white beans are combined with roasted garlic (roasted while you pre-heat the oven) and blended with extra virgin olive oil, salt and cracked black pepper. I only used about a third of the white bean spread, but hey guys guess what-- you just made a dip! Stick those leftovers in the fridge for a "hummus" the next day to enjoy with pretzels, carrots, chips, whatever's clever! BOOM bonus recipe.
Layer the dough with spread,cheese, sausage, kale and some more cheese for good measure and in 10 minutes you have delicious, satisfying winter pizza.
White Bean Sausage & Kale Pizza
Makes one 10-12 in pizza
Ingredients
One recipe of your favorite pizza dough (I use many different pizza crusts depending on the day, how much time I have, how my hair looks that day etc. but a few faves include Jim Lahey’s, Cooks Illustrated Pizza Bianca, Simply Recipes homemade pizza dough, and of course the “crap I forgot to do the dough” option {which I love and use all the time} from Trader Joe’s).
1 15 oz can Cannellini Beans
1 head of garlic
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
6 oz of smoked garlic sausage, sliced thinly on the diagonal
1 Cup baby kale
1.5 C shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese
Method
One hour prior to baking, place oven rack on lowest position and put pizza stone on it. Preheat to 500 degrees.
30 minutes later, Prepare the roasted garlic. Slice the top off the head of garlic, exposing the cloves. Drizzle with a tsp or so of EVOO and wrap tightly in foil. Place on oven rack and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the cloves are very soft and your kitchen smells VERY garlicky.
While the garlic is roasting, drain a can of cannellini beans and place in small pot over low heat (you don't want to cook them per se, but you definitely want to warm them up). Sprinkle with a tsp of kosher salt and some cracked black pepper and let come to bare simmer. Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeeeze out the cloves either straight into the pot (if you're a badass) or if you prefer to avoid rogue garlic paper and don't care about labels like "badass", squish them out over a small bowl. Add garlic to beans and stir. Once everything is smelling REALLY good, add mixture to food processor (you can also smash this with a potato masher in the pot, or use an immersion blender, but I love a smooth texture so I busted out the processor) and while machine is running, add 6 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive oil. Process until combined, and season to taste.
BONUS! Stick leftover white bean mixture into container and refrigerate for up to one week. Enjoy as a dip for crackers, pretzels or vegetables!
Prepare your pizza peel by sprinkling with cornmeal/flour. Gently stretch pizza dough to a 10-12″ round and place on pizza peel. Spread the white bean mixture (as thick as you want!) to the bottom of the pizza, spreading with a spoon or offset spatula. Sprinkle a layer of cheese, and arrange sausage and kale over the top. Add MORE cheese! Carefully transfer to hot baking stone (Sticky dough making you feel stabby? Buy this amazing pizza peel). Cook for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melty and bubbly, crust is golden, and your kitchen smells AMAZING. Remove with peel and let cool slightly. Enjoy on a cold February night where it feels like spring will never come!
