Sausage, mushroom and cannellini pesto pizza

Who doesn’t love pizza night? But theres that nagging worry that pizza is a junk food. Try this reduced-guilt pie instead.

Ingredients

• 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons prepared basil pesto
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon water
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 8 ounces mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• 1 12-ounce package chicken sausage (use your favorite flavor),casings removed and the meat crumbled
• 2 12-inch pre-made pizza crusts
• 2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Place the beans, pesto, lemon juice and water in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 450°F (or the temperature indicated on your prepared pizza crust package).
3. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about7 minutes. Add the crumbled sausage and cook until fully cooked, about 5 minutes (the time may vary depending on whether the sausage was precooked or not).
4. Spread the bean puree evenly over the two pizza crusts. Top each with the mushroom and sausage mixture. Top evenly with the cheese (1 cup per pizza crust).
5. Bake according to pizza crust package directions and until the cheese melts. Cut each pizza into five slices and serve.
6. Tip: The bean puree and mushroom/sausage mixture can be refrigerated or frozen for later use if you only want to make one pizza at a time.

Nutrition information per serving (1 slice): 320calories,12g fat (4.5g saturated), 600mg sodium, 33g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 20g protein, 25% calcium, 15% iron. 

Used with permission by NOWHINE WITH DINNER: 150 Healthy, Kid-Tested Recipes from The MealMakeover Moms“