This Pesto Flatbread with sausage is an easy recipe that’s great as an appetizer or for dinner with a green tossed salad on the side. It’s made with pre-made crescent roll dough, simple pizza ingredients, and is ready to serve in 30 minutes!
Flatbreads are one of our favorite things to make because they’re easier than traditional pizza and can be made with all kinds of different toppings. Plus, you can serve it as an appetizer for parties or make one for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. This version is a really simple pesto flatbread pizza – it’s topped with Italian sausage, fresh mozzarella cheese, and pesto for a delicious flavor combination.
What makes this so easy is the crescent roll dough. If I had to make flatbread dough from scratch, I would never make it! Pre-made dough from the grocery store makes it so easy. Make this pesto flatbread recipe for your next party or happy hour with friends – it’s the perfect snack or appetizer. Or, make it for dinner with a salad on the side. We hope you love it as much as we do!
How to Make Pesto Flatbread
- Spray a skillet with cooking spray and cook the sausage in it until it’s browned. Remove it from the pan. Cook the onions in the same skillet until they’re softened.
- Unroll the crescent roll dough and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roll the edges over to create a border around the dough. Bake it for two and half minutes at 450°F.
- Take it out of the oven and let it cool for a few minutes before spreading the pesto over the top. Add some shredded mozzarella along with the garlic, onion, and sausage. Make sure the toppings are spread in an even layer.
- Add the rest of the cheese and bake the flatbread for five to six minutes or until the crust is baked through and the cheese is melted. Slice into squares to serve.
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Storing Pesto Flatbread
- Store leftover flatbread in an airtight container or ziplock bag for up to three days in the refrigerator.
mel’s expert tips
- Prebake the crescent roll dough: This is the key for a perfectly cooked crust!
- Cooking the flatbread on parchment paper will make it easier to transfer from the cookie sheet.
- Don’t overload with toppings – it’s tempting to add all kinds of toppings, but use a light hand when you add them. Otherwise, they will be too heavy and the crust won’t be able to hold them.
- Use a good melting cheese like mozzarella, provolone, Monterey jack, or cheddar. Sometimes I like to mix different cheeses to add a new flavor. I like mixing cheddar with Mozzarella as it gives a nice change of taste.
- This pesto flatbread is best served right away. You can keep leftovers in the fridge but the crust will soften and won’t be as good as when it was first baked.
Pesto Flatbread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound sausage crumbled and cooked
- 1 tablespoon pesto use 1 1/2 if you like a stronger pesto flavor
- 8 ounce Mozzarella cheese shredded
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1 package pillsbury crescent rolls
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Spray skillet with cooking spray. Cook sausage over medium heat until browned. Remove and place to the side. Add onions to the skillet and cook until cooked through and soft. Pre-heat oven to 450°.
- On a large cookie sheet covered with parchment paper unroll the crescent roll package. It will create a rectangle. Roll the edges over to create a small border around the crust. Cook the dough in the oven for 2 and a half minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes.
- Add an even layer of pesto on the bottom of the dough. Add a small amount of cheese on the pesto. The add garlic, onions and sausage distributed evenly. Top with the remaining cheese.
- Cook 5-6 minutes until cheese is melted and dough is cooked through.
- Cut and serve.
Recipe Nutrition
Variations
- You can use store bought pesto, your own pesto recipe, or give our fresh basil pesto recipe a try.
- Add some sun-dried tomatoes!
- Swap the sausage for some shredded chicken, or small pieces of cooked chicken breast, for a delicious chicken pesto flatbread.
- Do a mushroom flatbread pizza with cooked portobello mushrooms, chopped fresh rosemary, garlic, and shredded cheese.
- Try a BBQ chicken pizza, by tossing cooked shredded chicken with BBQ sauce and layer on the crust with sliced red onions and shredded cheddar cheese.
- Make a Hawaiian flatbread pizza with slices of Canadian bacon, pineapple, red onion, and mozzarella cheese. Add some marinara sauce, too!
