I first heard about this idea from a friend who told me about a pizza house in Chicago that makes a pizza using sausage as a crust. Wow! What an idea.

First off, let me tell you why I chose broccoli rabe as my first sausage crusted pizza.

It marries well. Remember this dish with Baked Italian sausage and broccoli rabe or this dish with added orecchieti pasta.

I also made a kale pizza, tomato sauce pizza and a sausage crusted brussels sprouts pizza, because the possibilities are endless. Greens love sausage and broccoli rabe with its slightly bitter taste delivers a punch of a bite.

How to Prepare Sausage as a Pizza Crust

Add nothing. you need no binders as the fat helps to caramelize the sausage enough to keep it together. You will need a flat surface to bake the sausage in. I started with a 13 inch griddle and then as it shrunk about an inch on all sides, I transferred the cooked sausage onto a smaller 10 inch griddle.

You can use either a large flat cast iron griddle or a sheet pan. Using a piece of parchment paper (or plastic wrap), you can roll it out as thin as you can without getting holes. You have to roll in in the baking dish. Use the parchment on the top as the sausage will stick to your rolling pin.

The sausage will shrink at least an inch around on all sides. Once the sausage is baked for about 15 to 20 minutes, use paper towels to sop up the grease it leaves. This also helps to reduce some of the fat and the calories.

It all starts with sautéed broccoli rabe, the mysterious dish I’ve showed you how to make here.

How do You Cook broccoli Rabe?

Let me remind you that broccoli rabe is not a type of broccoli.  It is related to mustard greens. It’s beautiful and has a somewhat bitter taste which is balanced perfectly with olive oil, garlic, pecorino and chili flakes. It’s only made better with Italian sausage.

Use any sausage you like for sausage crusted pizza

I use spicy Italian pork sausage, but you can use any kind of sausage (turkey or chicken sausage, etc.). The spicy gives a nice kick because we are not adding any other meat to the top. Some choose to add some chopped pepperoni, and I’ll explore that at another time.

There is no tomato sauce when using broccoli rabe, but I will bring you another post with my quick and easy pizza sauce that doesn’t come out of a jar.

What cheese to use for sausage crusted pizza?

I use mozzarella with a smattering of pecorino romano when I make broccoli rabe. This makes for a very balanced bite and I like the sharpness of the pecorino, a salty, tangy sheep’s cheese.

How many Carbs are in Broccoli Rabe?

There are six net carbs in four cups of cooked broccoli rabe, making the entire pizza about 6 net carbs.

Use Kale or sautèed brussels sprouts instead of broccoli rabe. 

If you can’t find broccoli rabe and want a green sausage crusted pizza, sauteed brussels sprouts or kale works well. You don’t have to cook the kale. What you need to do is cut into small pieces, toss with a little olive oil, pecorino, red chili flakes, lemon and salt and massage. Place on top of the sausage, followed by mozzarella. Serve with more pecorino.

If you want to use brussels sprouts, I have that idea here.

You can, of course use tomato sauce and cheese for a traditional approach, and I’ll bring you that recipe separately with my homemade twenty minute pizza sauce.

Add an Egg 

I like to add an egg sometimes. Make sure your egg is warm enough by setting it in warm water first or else it won’t get done when the cheese is done. You’ll bake the pizza between seven and ten minutes. Make sure to put the pizza in the top third of the oven.

How Many Carbs in Broccoli Rabe Sausage Crusted Pizza?

If you’re worried about the fat in the sausage, remember, you sop it up with paper towels making this a lot leaner and lower in calories than you might expect. If you’re on a low-carb diet, the entire pizza is 6 net carbs. 

Let me know if you make a version of this.

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Keto Sausage Crusted Pizza with Broccoli Rabe

Low Carb, Keto Friendly Pizza where Sausage is used for the Crust. Topped with Sauteed Broccoli Rabe and Mozzarella

Course Pizza

Cuisine Italian

Keyword broccoli rabe, Italian sausage, keto pizza, sausage crust

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6 slices

Ingredients

• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 bunch broccoli rabe
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons pecorino grated
• 1.5 cups grated mozzarella cheese
• 1 dash red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt or more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Optional Egg

• 1 egg

Instructions

Make Sausage Crust

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Sausage needs to be loose. If you have sausage links, remove from casing. spread out with fingers onto griddle or pizza pan. Use parchment paper or plastic wrap and rolling pin to roll out as thin as you can without forming holes. Place parchment on top of sausage and roll. You will not need any binders.
• Sausage will shrink about an inch all around. Form a sausage crust with your fingers the way you would a dough crust.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until sausage is browned.

Make Broccoli Rabe

• Trim ends of broccoli rabe stalk about 2 inches.
• Blanch in boiling water for five minutes.
• Drain, wipe dry with paper towels. Cut into 3 inch pieces.
• Heat oil in frying pan. Saute chopped garlic just until golden about 30 to 60 seconds, stirring.
• Add broccoli rabe and saute in olive oil for about five minutes.

Make Pizza

• Once sausage is cooked, sop up any grease with paper towels. I transferred to a smaller griddle at this point.
• Add broccoli rabe and a sprinkling of pecorino.
• Add mozzarella cheese.
• Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. It may take longer if you add an egg.
• Serve immediately, cutting into six pieces.

Optional Egg

• If you want to do put an egg on the pizza, make sure it's warm enough. Sit egg in shell in warm water if necessary. If the egg is too cold, the mozzarella will brown before the egg is done.

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