Loaded French Bread Pizza
From Budget Bytes [1]
Ingredients
- Pizza Sauce
8 ounces can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- Pizza
1/2 pound Italian sausage
1/4 pound frozen spinach (about 1 cup)
2 Roma tomatoes
8 ounces mozzarella
1 large loaf French bread (20-24" long)
1 cup mushrooms and black olives from salad bar
Directions
- For the pizza sauce: Combine the tomato sauce, tomato paste, oregano, basil, and garlic powder in a bowl. Stir until the tomato paste is dissolved in the tomato sauce. Warm the sauce in the microwave or in a small pot to help them combine, if necessary. Set the sauce aside to allow the flavors to blend while you prepare the rest of the pizza toppings.
- For the pizza: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brown the Italian sausage and pour off any excess grease. Thaw the frozen spinach and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Slice the Roma tomatoes. Grate the mozzarella cheese (if not pre-shredded).
- Cut the loaf of French bread into three equal sections (about 6-7 inches in length, each). Slice each piece open as if to build a sandwich. Place the six pieces of bread cut side up on two baking sheets. Spoon the sauce onto the surface of each piece and spread it to cover edge to edge.
- Divide half of the shredded cheese between the six pieces of bread, then top with the browned sausage, spinach, sliced tomatoes, olives, and mushrooms. Top the pizzas with the second half of the cheese. Lightly press the toppings into the French bread, if needed, to help keep them from falling off.
- Bake the pizzas in a preheated 375°F oven for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melty and lightly golden brown. If you intend to eat the pizzas later, bake half way (until the cheese is melted and "glues" the toppings down) then let the pizzas cool at room temperature. Once cool, transfer them to a gallon sized food storage bag and refrigerate until ready to eat.
- To reheat the refrigerated pizzas, heat the oven to 375°F, place the pizza on a baking sheet, and bake for 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melty and the crust is crispy.
Information
- Category
- Main Dishes, Pizza
- Cuisine
- North American
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Total Time
- 14 minutes, 59 seconds