Dinner tonight was simple and so so good! Remember that Ham, Onion & Cheddar Quiche I made last week? That big batch of delicious flaky crust I made, yup it came in very handy today. This rustic, easy, delicious Sausage, Pepper & Onion Crostata was just perfect! Think of it as a cross between a savory pie and pizza….. and just a whole lot of awesome!
One of my very favorite aromas in the kitchen is peppers and onions sautéing. I’m immediately brought back to the wonderful memories of local summer festivals and the sausage and pepper sandwiches. Love it! Like I said, this Sausage, Pepper & Onion Crostata is rustic & free form which I love seeing as I am not the best at rolling out a perfect circle with dough.
I’ve said it a lot but I really love this crust recipe, the savory version of my sweet pie crust. Its topped with sweet Italian sausage, red and green bell peppers and onions all simply seasoned with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Just to add a little more Italian goodness, I sprinkled on some shredded mozzarella there too! I baked it right on a pizza stone because I love the amazing crisp bottom of the crust.
{NOTE: You can use store bough crust if you prefer and you can make this on a baking sheet if you don’t have a pizza stone. It will take a little longer to cook on a baking sheet. }
- For the crust:
- 3¼ cups flour
- 2 sticks unsalted butter. small dice
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 2 tsp salt
- 4-5 Tbsp cold water
- 1 bag of dry beans to be used as a weight for the crust
- For the filling:
- 1 lb bulk sweet Italian sausage
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
- 1 green bell pepper, slice thin
- 1 onion, sliced thin
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1- 2 handfuls of shredded mozzarella
- olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat oven, with a pizza stone in there to 400 degrees.
- In a large saute pan, over medium heat, add in a few drizzles of olive oil and the peppers and onions. Allow them to cook until slightly softened.
- Push the peppers and onions to the side of the pan and add in the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Once mostly cooked through, go ahead and stir everything together, season with garlic powder, salt and pepper and cook for a few more minutes. Allow to cool slightly.
- With the food processor set with the dough blade, add the flour, and salt to the food processor, pulse a few times to mix.
- Add the butter and cream cheese and pulse a few times.
- Add in the water and mix until the dough just comes together and begins to form a ball.
- Remove the dough from the food processor and work by hand for just a minute. Cut the dough in half {you will use about 1/4 here and the remainder can be portioned and wrapped in plastic wrap then into a freezer bag.}.
- On a lightly floured surface roll the dough out into a large circle about a ¼ inch thick.
- Place the rolled out dough onto a floured pizza peel or onto a lined baking sheet if not using a stone.
- Spoon the filling onto the dough, leaving about 2 inches around clear. Top the sausage, peppers and onions with some shredded mozzarella.
- Fold the edges of the crust up onto the filling, leaving a good amount of the filling exposed. Pop onto the pizza stone and bake for approx 15-18 minutes, until golden and the crust is cooked though.
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