It’s no secret: I’m excited about spring. Super excited! While the weather and sunshine and longer days are nice, it’s the gardening that I’m really psyched about. Last summer was our first as homeowners and I was finally able to grow a variety of herbs to cook with mere steps from my kitchen. Oh yes, the community garden plot I had was nice, but it’s just not the same as being able to open the door, grab some basil, and start cooking.
I grew two Genovese basil plants last year; I was worried they wouldn’t be enough, but they ended up being more than I could possibly use. (This year, I’ve planted two Genovese basil plants again and also holy basil and lemon basil–so get ready for a lot of basil recipes soon!) As I usually do at the end of summer, I decided to make a big batch of pesto and freeze it in mini muffin tins to use through the winter. I can’t count how many hectic nights that my frozen pesto saved the day. Working late? Thaw some pesto and throw it into pasta! Got everything you need to make pizza except the sauce? Use pesto instead!
So yeah, pesto pizza isn’t exactly a new idea. But on a busy day, it sure is a good idea. Using a prepared crust and that frozen pesto, this meal came together in under 30 minutes. The bright flavor of the pesto makes me think of summer and that satisfaction you get from eating something you’ve grown yourself, while the asparagus and cremini mushrooms are a reminder that spring is finally here and soon I’ll have fresh basil right outside my kitchen again.
PrintPesto Pizza with Roasted Red Peppers, Cremini Mushrooms & Asparagus
A vegetarian pesto pizza topped with cremini mushrooms, roasted red peppers, and shaved asparagus.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6
Ingredients
- 1 prepared pizza crust
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 4 cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 c. prepared pesto
- 3/4 c. Italian blend or Mozzarella cheese
- 1/3 c. roasted red peppers, sliced
- 4 asparagus stalks, tips cut off and sliced into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
Instructions
- Preheat oven to temperature indicated on pizza crust. Place pizza crust on baking sheet.
- Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes, or until softened.
- Spread pesto evenly onto pizza crust. Top with cheese, mushrooms, red peppers, and asparagus tips and ribbons. Bake until asparagus has softened and cheese has melted, about 10 minutes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
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