Italian Sausage Ricotta Pesto Pie

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 38 min
Servings: 8
Yield: 8 servings

Description

An easy weeknight meal, this Italian twist on pie is filled with spicy sausage, ricotta cheese, and pesto, topped with zucchini and walnuts.

Ingredients

1 (15 ounce) package frozen pie crust
3 (3 1/2 ounce) links hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup ricotta cheese
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup pesto
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
2 small zucchinis, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

1 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Remove pie crust from the freezer.
2 Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage. Cook, breaking up the sausage, until juices are released, about 3 minutes. Add red onion, red bell pepper, and garlic; cook and stir until sausage is browned and crumbly, about 5 minutes more. Drain and discard grease.
3 Combine ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, pesto, Romano cheese, lime juice, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and lemon pepper in a small bowl. Spread over the pie crust. Sprinkle the sausage mixture over the cheese mixture. Arrange zucchini and walnuts on top. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
4 Bake in the preheated oven until crust is browned, about 30 minutes.