Elk italian sausage pizza with ricotta cheese, sauteéd mushrooms and onion

Here is a not so boring pizza recipe with elk Italian sausage, ricotta cheese, tomato sauce, sautéed mushrooms and onions, fresh oregano, basil and cherry tomatoes.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb Italian elk sausage
• 7.5 oz ricotta cheese
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 large shallot (chopped)
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• ½ white onion (sliced)
• 1 cup brown or shitake mushrooms (chopped)
• Basil
• Fresh oregano
• Tomato
• Parmesan cheese
• 1 large pizza crust (example Boboli)

DIRECTIONS
1) Heat iron skillet on medium-high heat and cook elk Italian sausage until brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

2) Add 3 tablespoons of grape seed oil to the skillet. Sauté minced garlic cloves and diced shallot in pan until they begin to soften and brown. Add sliced ½ onion, sliced mushrooms and fresh oregano leaves to garlic and shallot mixture. Stir and continue to sauté until onions become translucent and soft. Generally about 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat when ready.

3) Heat oven to 400 degrees.

4) I like to take the left over oil from the pan and brush the top and bottom of my pizza crust. Place pizza crust upside down on cookie sheet and place in oven for about 5-6 minutes or until the top of the pizza crust begins to brown. Remove from oven.

5) Turn pizza crust right side up and cover the top of the crust with the ricotta cheese. Add tomato sauce, top with elk Italian sausage, and add mushroom and onion mixture and then top off with chopped basil and fresh grated parmesan cheese.

6) Place in oven and bake approximately 12-14 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and enjoy.