Go Back
Homemade Pizza pockets with Chicken Sausage + Zucchini
theartfulgourmet

Homemade Chicken Sausage & Zucchini Pizza Pockets

Flaky homemade pizza pockets filled with chicken sausage, zucchini, onions, garlic, four cheeses, basil and Don Pepino Pizza Sauce.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 36 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Appetizer, appetizers, Snack
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 package refrigerated pie crusts 2 crusts, brought to room temp
  • 1 pound fully cooked chicken sausage cut into small slices, or bite-size pieces
  • 1 medium zucchini cut into small dice
  • ½ medium onion finely diced
  • 2 garlic cloves minced, or ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon Trader Joe’s Aglio Olio seasoning
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Red pepper flakes optional
  • 1 cup Don Pepino Pizza Sauce divided, plus more for dipping
  • ½ cup shredded whole-milk mozzarella
  • ½ cup shredded or finely chopped provolone
  • ½ cup whole-milk ricotta
  • ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan plus more for finishing
  • 1 large egg lightly beaten, or 3 tablespoons melted garlic butter
  • Fresh basil torn or cut chiffonade

Method
 

Brown the Sausage

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  3. Add the chicken sausage and cook for approximately 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned around the edges.
  4. Transfer the sausage to a plate and set aside.
Cook the Vegetables
  1. Add the onion and zucchini to the same skillet.
  2. Season lightly with salt and black pepper and cook for approximately 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender and the zucchini is lightly golden.
  3. Continue cooking until the moisture released by the zucchini has evaporated.
  4. Add the garlic, Aglio Olio seasoning and red pepper flakes, if using. Cook for approximately 30 seconds.
  5. Return the sausage to the skillet.
  6. Add approximately ¼ cup Don Pepino Pizza Sauce and toss until the sausage and vegetables are lightly glazed.
  7. Cook for another minute or two, remove from the heat and let the mixture cool slightly.
Roll, Layer & Fold
  1. Unroll the pie crusts onto a lightly floured work surface and cut each round in half to create four large semicircles.
  2. On one half of each piece, leaving approximately a 1-inch border, spoon on the chicken sausage and zucchini mixture.
  3. Layer on the mozzarella, provolone, a dollop of ricotta, grated Parmesan and torn basil.
  4. Add another small spoonful of pizza sauce, if desired.
  5. There’s an art to filling a hand pie:
  6. Generosity tempered by restraint.
  7. You want enough filling to make cutting into one exciting—but not so much that you create a four-cheese volcano in your oven.
  8. Brush the exposed pastry edges with beaten egg.
  9. Fold the pastry over the filling, press firmly and crimp the edges with a fork or twist them into a rustic hand-pie seal.
  10. Cut a few small vents into the tops.
Bake Until Golden
  1. Brush the pockets with beaten egg for a glossy crust or melted garlic butter for an especially savory finish.
  2. Sprinkle with a little additional Parmesan, if desired.
  3. Bake for 15–20 minutes, until crisp, flaky and deeply golden.
  4. Let the pockets rest for approximately 10 minutes.
Garnish + Serve
  1. Finish with freshly grated Parmesan and torn fresh basil.
  2. Bring them to the table with warm Don Pepino Pizza Sauce.
  3. Dip liberally.