What do you get if you take away all of the non-paleo components of pizza? Meat, vegetables, and pizza sauce. So—a pretty spectacular ragu. You can substitute any of your favorite pizza toppings if you like.
Prep time 15 minutes
Serves 8
2 pounds (905 g) uncooked sweet Italian sausage
2 green bell peppers, diced
1 14.5-ounce (411 g) can crushed tomatoes
1 15-ounce (425 g) can tomato sauce
11/2 cups (150 g) sliced black olives
3 tablespoons (90 g) tomato paste
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 6 cloves)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 ounces (113 g) uncured, nitrate-free pepperoni
Squash Noodles and nutritional yeast, for serving
1 Place the sausage in a large skillet (remove it from the casings, if possible) and cook it over medium-high heat, breaking it into small pieces, until golden brown in spots.
2 Transfer the cooked sausage to the 4-quart (3.8 liter) slow cooker, along with the remaining ingredients (except the pepperoni, squash, and nutritional yeast), and give it a good stir. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
3 Slice the pepperoni into strips and cook in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the pepperoni is crisp. Transfer the crispy pepperoni to a small bowl for serving.
4 Serve the sauce over spaghetti noodles with a sprinkle of crisp pepperoni and 1/4 teaspoon or so of nutritional yeast.
