Sausage, Tomato Basil, & Pesto Naan Pizzas

One of my favorite things to do growing up was making homemade pizzas. It was always such a fun event. My mom would buy the premade crusts and we'd pile them high with pepperonis and cheese. Since then, my choice of toppings and flavor profiles have changed, but my love for making pizzas at home has never wavered.

Here are a few reasons why you should make these naan pizzas:

They're incredibly easily. All there is to it is cooking the sausage, layering the ingredients onto your naan, and popping it in the oven. You're looking at 10-15 minutes for prep MAX! It's the perfect meal when you want something filling, but don't want to spend your entire evening fixing it.
They're totally customizable. In this recipe I'm using Italian sausage, mozzarella, tomato basil sauce, basil pesto, and a little parmesan. I've made it before with a pesto base, mozzarella, parmesan, spinach, and grilled chicken. That was also delicious! You could add pepperonis, peppers, olives, you name it! That's the beauty of making pizza at home--you can decide exactly how much of each topping you want (for me I want tons of cheese and sausage).
They're filling. You can totally eat these by themselves, no side salad needed. I usually make one pizza per family member, but you could honestly make one and split it between two people (however, after one bite, you may not want to share the rest lol)! I tend to find the whole grain one more filling.

Below I've included the naan I used for these. I personally love the flavor and texture of the Whole Grain variety and my dad and sister loved the Roasted Garlic variety. They're all yummy, trust me. Something to note: At Kroger they come in packs of two so it's perfect for a pair!

The key to making these super delicious is choosing a good sauce! I love the Classico Tomato & Basil (pictured below) and the Classico Basil Pesto (my store was out of stock so I got Barilla brand). Choosing a good base is the easiest way to ensure your pizza has good flavor! I also add a few seasonings to the top before they bake, but I'll touch on that in a bit.

Okay, that's enough chatting, let's get to the pizzas!

If you're a visual person (I definitely am), here are some photos of what you'll need to make these happen! If you're feeling super fancy you can shred your own cheeses and make your own tomato sauce, but we're going for ease in this recipe, so we'll use premade versions of all of these! :)

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet large enough to fit two naan pizzas with foil and lightly spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

First up I browned the sausage over medium heat. This took about 6-8 minutes. Once it was finished, I removed it from the pan and put it on a paper towel lined plate to drain.

While the sausage was cooking, I began assembling the pizzas. First, the naan. In this photo I'm using the roasted garlic versions.

Next I spooned 2 heaping teaspoons of basil pesto onto the naan and spread it out. I followed this by 3 tablespoons of tomato basil sauce that I then spread out.

Cheese came next! I used about 1/2 cup of low-moisture part skim mozzarella per pizza. I also just sprinkled on a light amount of parmesan cheese, no specific measurement here.

Lastly, I added the sausage. No specific measurements here. I simply split the sausage into three sections and gave each pizza one section's worth (the recipe I'm providing is for 2 people, so you would divide your sausage into two sections). Before the pizzas went into the oven I added a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes for a bit of heat, a pinch of Italian seasoning, and a pinch of seasoning salt. Then it was into the oven!

I cooked them until the edges turned a deep golden brown and the cheese had completely melted, about 20-25 minutes (just be sure to keep an eye on them). Before serving I sprinkled on a bit of parsley. It was delish!

Recipe Notes:

If you want a crispier crust, bake your pizzas on a pizza pan with holes and don't line it with foil (still spray with a bit of cooking spray)!
If making recipe for 3 people, use entire 1 lb of sausage.
You can also make this recipe spicy by using hot sausage and adding more red pepper flakes.
This recipe can also be vegetarian by omitting the sausage.

I hope you enjoy this recipe! Let me know if you try it!

xo, Toni