Grilled Pizzas with Sausage, Peppers and Onions

I don't know why I never seem to make a recipe exactly as it's written. Lately it seems like I'm always doing something to change it up -- mostly for convenience's sake, but also because sometimes it seems like recipes are missing something (usually garlic. I really heart garlic).

Anyway, I did it again with last night's dinner. You can click the link below to get to Bobby Flay's original recipe if you want, but I have to say that my variations were still pretty darn tasty. I used store-bought mini pizza crusts, which got nice and crispy on the grill, and I mixed the honey and basil into the ricotta cheese instead of preparing the basil vinaigrette. Then I spread the ricotta mixture underneath the cheese on the pizzas, instead of dolloping it on the top. I used ground Italian sausage, which I pan-fried with a little garlic (this recipe definitely needed some garlic). Anyway, I have to say that these pizzas turned out absolutely amazing. Neither Joe nor I could stop raving about them! They provided the perfect balance of sweet and spicy and crunchy and smooth. This was the first time we'd ever made pizzas on the grill, but we're definitely going to be doing it a lot more. All throughout dinner, we couldn't stop talking about pizza variations to try. What a delicious and simple dinner this was. I love grilling night!

Grilled Pizzas with Hot Sausage, Peppers and Onions
Source: adapted from Food Network

1 pound Italian hot sausage
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 of a large red onion, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
1 large orange pepper, cored, seeded and quartered
1 large red pepper, cored, seeded and quartered
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
3 store-bought mini pizza crusts (6- or 8-inch)
1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend

1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup chiffoned basil leaves

Pepper

1. Preheat a grill. Brush onions and peppers with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill them until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove and roughly chop.

2. Meanwhile, brown sausage in olive oil in a skillet. When sausage is cooked through, stir in garlic. Keep over low heat.

3. Stir together ricotta cheese, honey, basil and pepper; set aside.

4. Brush pizza crusts with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and grill for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Turn over and grill for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the grill and place on a flat surface.

5. Top each crust with 1/3 of the ricotta mixture; spread evenly across surface. Divide the shredded cheese among the 3 pizza rounds. Divide the sausage, onions and peppers over the cheese. Place the pizza on the grill, close the cover and grill until the cheese has melted, about 3 to 4 minutes. Slice and serve.