Sausage and Spinach Deep Dish Pizza with Pasta Crust

This Deep Dish Pizza with Pasta Crust is a  sponsored recipe written by me on behalf of PAM Cooking Spray.

I’m excited to share this fun deep dish pizza recipe with you. The crust is made with cute star-shaped pasta instead of a traditional pizza crust, and…

Ahem, would you look at me while I’m talking to you please? Oh, I see. You can’t take your eyes off that gorgeous Le Creuset pie dish, right? It was a gift, and I’m trying to keep it nice by always using PAM Cooking Spray to prevent foods from sticking. I can hardly function in the kitchen without my cooking spray, and I was happy to learn that now PAM leaves 99% less residue. I don’t know about you, but I’m not crazy about the baked-on, sticky film some cooking sprays can leave behind even after washing the pan.

Now, back to the tasty deep dish pizza. This hearty meal is adapted from a recipe that used orzo for the crust. As soon as I saw these cute, teeny stars (called Stelline), I knew I had to use them in this recipe! Make sure you remember the PAM for this one though because baking pasta without cooking spray is just asking for trouble! We all have baking disasters, (like that time I forgot to add the sugar to the pumpkin pie), but food sticking to the pan doesn’t need to be one of them.

This deep dish pizza pie is simple to make and oh so good. Not only would it be perfect for you family dinner, it would also be a crowd pleaser at a potluck!

Print Recipe

Sausage and Spinach Deep Dish Pizza with Pasta Crust

You will love this fun twist on deep dish pizza!

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Course

Main

Cuisine

Italian

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

45 minutes

Servings

MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. stelline or orzo pasta (these are both tiny, like grains of rice.)
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
• 2 c. marinara sauce divided
• 1 lb. ground Italian sausage pork or turkey
• 6 oz. baby spinach roughly chopped
• 1/2 c. ricotta cheese
• 1 1/2 c. Italian blend shredded cheese

Course Main Cuisine Italian Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 45 minutes Servings MetricUS Imperial Ingredients 1 1/2 c. stelline or orzo pasta (these are both tiny, like grains of rice.) 2 beaten eggs 1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese 2 c. marinara sauce divided 1 lb. ground Italian sausage pork or turkey 6 oz. baby spinach roughly chopped 1/2 c. ricotta cheese 1 1/2 c. Italian blend shredded cheese

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Instructions

1. Preheate oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 10" pie dish with PAM cooking spray and set aside.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water for a few seconds.
3. Stir together eggs, parmesan cheese, and 1/2 c. marinara sauce until well combined. Stir in drained pasta until evenly coated. Pour pasta mixture into prepared pie dish, and press evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan to form the crust.

   
4. Spray a 12" skillet with PAM and heat over medium-high heat. Add sausage, and brown and crumble meat until cooked through. Add spinach, and stir and saute until spinach is completely cooked and wilted. Drain meat and spinach mixture very well. (The draining step is important! Too much liquid will cause the crust to fall apart.)
5. Return the meat and spinach to the skillet or a large mixing bowl, and stir in ricotta cheese. Spread sausage mixture evenly into pasta crust.
6. Spread remaining 1 1/2 c. marinara (or as much as sauce as you like) over the sausage, and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

   
7. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the top, and bake an additional 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Allow to stand about 10 minutes before cutting.

Recipe Notes

Adapted from Better Homes and Garden's Home for Dinner

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of PAM Cooking Spray.