Circle B Kitchen
½ cup whole milk ricotta
1 cup of chopped fresh spinach (optional)
¼ cup parmigiana cheese
½ lb bulk Italian sausage (mild or spicy)
1 medium loaf of Italian bread (not a thin baguette)
1 cup marinara sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (if you're not using spicy Italian sausage)
Preheat oven to 350°
In a bowl, mix together the ricotta and parmesan cheese.
In a medium skillet, add the Italian sausage and crushed red pepper if using. Cook the sausage until nicely browned, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks.
In the meantime, cut the Italian bread into 1/3 –inch slices and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for about 3 minutes or until the bread becomes slightly brown, and just beginning to crisp (this took longer than 3 minutes for me)
Pour the marinara sauce into the frying pan with the sausage. Mix and then add the ricotta and parmesan mixture. Continue to mix together.
Spread the sausage mixture onto the bread slices and sprinkle with shredded mozzarella. Turn off the oven. Place the crostini back into the hot oven until mozzarella has melted. Serve hot. (I placed these under the broiler for a minute to get the mozzarella a little browned and bubbly.)