Sausage & Arugula Puff Pastry Pizza

The flaky puff pastry is a delightful alternative to a traditional pizza dough. I often find myself experimenting outside of the "tomato" box. There are some wonderful flavors that can come out of a pizza, rather than the well known tomato, mozzarella, and pepperoni. Don't get me wrong, I still love a great slice of cheese or pepperoni pizza, but being able to discover new varieties is much more exciting. I opted to use a Chicken Sausage this time around, but feel free to use whatever you enjoy, or have on hand.

Ingredients:

• 1 Sheet Puff Pastry, thawed
• ¾ cup Pesto
• 1 ½-2 Cups  Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded
• ¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, Shredded
• 1 cup Arugula
• 6 oz of  sausage, sliced about ¼”- ½” thick
• Extra-Virgin Olive oil for drizzling
• Optional: Red Pepper Flakes

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F
• Roll out puff pastry on a lightly floured surface, to form a rectangle that is roughly 10”x15”.
• Evenly cut off the outer 1 inch of your rolled out dough into strips.
• Place the dough on a cookie sheet that is lined with parchment paper, or that has been lightly oiled. Dip your fingers in water, and run then around the top edges of the dough. Place the strips along the edges and lightly press down. Pierce the middle of the dough with fork, to prevent rising.
• Bake until golden in color, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, In a large skillet non-stick over medium-high heat, and sauté sausage for about 10-12 minutes, or until browned.
• Slice the cooked sausage into desired thickness.
• Cover baked dough with the pesto. Add the mozzarella and parmigiano cheeses, sausauge and arugula.
• Drizzle with the extra-virgin olive oil
• Bake for another 5-7 minutes until the cheese is melted.
• Garnish with red pepper flakes

Enjoy!