Everyone seems to be jumping on the "Meatless Monday" bandwagon and I think it's a great trend to be a part of. We always think that we need meat in order to make a meal good BUT that just isn't the case. Of course if you replace anything with pizza how can it be bad?

I talked about my new found love for Stonefire products and this is another one to add to the list. I love their food for a number of reasons (read here) and this pizza crust gets crispy but still has that nice chew that you are looking for in a crust. I also loaded up a ton of ingredients on it and the crust didn't get soggy. They recommend that if you want a crispy crust to put the pizza directing on the rack in the oven and it works great!

The toppings! I know kale is everywhere, but it's popular for a reason... it's so good. Kale is sturdy enough to stand up to strong ingredients and won't cook down to mush. I like to cook it with shallots and garlic for a nice savory base that can go on ANYTHING. It's great for this pizza because it's a nice counterpart to the creamy ricotta. I love good ricotta! Find a brand you like that isn't grainy. To complete the pizza I love adding marinara for the bright flavor and then some red pepper flakes for a layer of heat.

Ricotta and Kale Pizza

makes 1 pizza (about 15 inches)

1 store-bought pizza crust; preferably Stonefire Pizza Crust

1 bunch of kale; stems removed and chopped; about 3 cups

1 clove of garlic; minced

1 shallot; minced

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

about 1/2 cup ricotta cheese

about 1/2-1 cup marinara sauce

about 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

*Preheat your oven to 400 degrees (or follow the directions on the pizza crust of choice)

*Remove the stems from the kale and roughly chop so that there aren't lots of big pieces

*Rinse to make sure there isn't any dirt on the kale

*Place a large skillet over medium heat and add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil

*Add in the shallots, a pinch of salt, and cook until softened; about 5 minutes

*Add in the garlic and red pepper flakes; cook for about 30 seconds; careful the garlic doesn't brown

*Add in the kale and toss around with the shallots and garlic

*Cook until the kale has cooked down and softened

*Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil

*Place the pizza crust on the foil

*Place the ricotta on the crust using a spoon and placing spoonfuls all over the pizza

*Do the same thing with marinara; add as much as you like the measurements don't have to be perfect

*Lastly place large spoonfuls of the kale mixture throughout the crust

*Place the pizza in the oven; for a crispy crust place the pizza directly on the rack; when I do this I place the baking sheet lined with aluminum foil on the rack underneath the pizza just in case any ingredients fall off the pizza in the baking process

*Bake for about 15 minutes or bubbly and crust is starting to brown

*I like to then switch the oven to the broiler so that the ingredients on the top get a bit more cooked and brown

*Make sure to keep on eye on the pizza under the broiler because it can burn easy; it only needs a short time under the broiler

*Remove from the oven and sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the pizza

*Allow to sit for a few minutes before cutting