A Dry Pie Restaurant-Type No-Sauce Pizza at Home

No need to bother with take-out pizza that tastes like cardboard when you can make a great one on your own.

This gutsy, sauce-free pie pairs savory Swiss chard (spinach would also work well) and toasted pine nuts with fresh smoked chicken sausage. It might sound involved, but using a prepared crust makes this a snap. Look for specialty sausages at the meat counter of your favorite gourmet market.

A refreshing accompaniment would be a cucumber, tomato and red onion salad lightly dressed with extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Substitute red bell peppers when good tomatoes are hard to find.

Pizza With Smoked Chicken Sausage, Swiss Chard and Pine Nuts

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 30 minutes

1/2 pound (2 links) fresh smoked chicken sausage, such as smoked chicken, turkey and sun-dried tomato sausage

1/8 cup pine nuts

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

3 large cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch Swiss chard, washed, white stems removed, sliced in half lengthwise, then sliced crosswise 1/2-inch thick (about 6 cups)

4 ounces Fontina cheese, grated

4 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated

1 (16-ounce) prepared pizza shell

* Remove sausage from casing and roughly crumble into medium skillet. Fry over medium heat until cooked, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

* In small dry skillet, lightly toast pine nuts over low heat, shaking frequently.

* Heat oil over medium-high heat in large skillet. Add garlic and cook until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add Swiss chard and saute until just wilted, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add pine nuts and sausage; stir to combine.

* Combine fontina and mozzarella cheeses.

* Place pizza shell on heated baking sheet. Brush outer 3/4 inch with oil, then scatter half of combined cheeses over center, leaving a 3/4-inch edge. Evenly distribute sausage mixture over cheese, then top with remaining cheese. Bake at 450 degrees until cheese is melted and bubbly, 8 to 10 minutes.

2 to 3 servings. Each of 3 servings: 659 calories; 1,218 mg sodium; 87 mg cholesterol; 36 grams fat; 49 grams carbohydrates; 34 grams protein; 0.68 gram fiber.

Variation: Substitute lamb sausage (such as lamb with basil) for chicken sausage, and 1 (6-ounce) bag baby spinach for Swiss chard.

Menu

Pizza With Smoked Chicken Sausage, Swiss Chard and Pine Nuts

Cucumber, Tomato and Red Onion Salad

Game Plan

30 minutes before: Cook sausage; toast pine nuts; wash, dry and chop Swiss chard; mince garlic.

20 minutes before: Saute garlic and Swiss chard, grate cheeses.

15 minutes before: Combine sausage, pine nuts and Swiss chard; assemble pizza.

10 minutes before: Bake pizza, slice cucumbers and tomatoes, dice onion.

Just before serving: Dress salad. Slice pizza.

Ingredients

Shopping List

Fontina cheese

Mozzarella cheese

Cucumbers

Pine nuts

Prepared pizza shell

Smoked chicken, turkey and sun-dried tomato sausage

Swiss chard

Tomatoes

Staples

Garlic

Lemon juice

Olive oil

Red onion

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Mug, plate and place mats from Crate & Barrel stores