Sausage & Ricotta French Bread Pizza with Honey & Lemon
Something about French Bread Pizza is so nostalgic, but this recipe isn’t your basic, frozen French Bread Pizza from the past (not that there is anything wrong with that - it is delicious, after all). This recipe was born out of necessity when I insisted on my bestie and her fiancé coming over for dinner when I really had no plan of what to cook. My grocery delivery for the week gave me a loaf of french bread instead of a baguette and BOOM - French Bread Pizza popped into my head. My friend Maggie and I both love lemon in our dishes and try to drizzle honey on just about anything we can, so I knew she would be up for trying this recipe. We all loved it. It was a perfect pairing with my Butternut Squash Soup. This recipe is so quick and easy and is sure to be a hit among the lemon lovers in your life.
Just me casually posing with a French Bread Pizza as one does.
Ingredients
1 lb. regular breakfast sausage
1 loaf french bread
15 oz. ricotta cheese
5 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 tbsp. lemon zest
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Pinch red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
Honey
Recipe
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut french bread in half lengthwise and lay open-faced on parchment paper. Drizzle with 2 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil. Bake for 10-12 minutes until slightly golden.
While the french bread bakes, cook sausage in a large pan over medium heat until brown and crumbly. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, 3/4 tsp. kosher salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, and lemon zest. Taste the mixture and add any additional seasoning as necessary.
Remove the french bread from the oven and spread the ricotta mixture onto the bread. Top with crumbled sausage, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the parmesan is melted and the top of the pizza is slightly browned.
Remove from the oven and drizzle with as much honey as your heart desires.
Slice into 3 to 4” pieces and serve.
Cook’s Notes
I know - honey and pizza. Kind of strange right? Try it! The honey makes it.
Roasted red peppers are also delicious as a topping on this pizza.
You can also combine red pepper flakes and honey for a tasty “hot honey” drizzle. Delicious!
