Fresh Asparagus Pizza

We love pizza. We make it every Friday night. Our boys look forward to the traditional pizza/movie party that we have and us parents do too. If you've never made pizza before it might sound hard to do, but I'll tell you a secret. It's one of the easiest meals that I make all week long. Honestly. It comes together so fast. That's why we do it again and again. Every single week. 

For the kids the pizza is ALWAYS the same. Pepperoni. Just plain pepperoni. That's what they want. That's what they love and I make it for them every week. It's our one meal a week that is EXACTLY the same and they count on that (unless for some reason we run out of pepperoni or something, heaven forbid). 

Our kids love that consistency. But there's no way on earth that I'd be able to eat pepperoni pizza every single week. BORING! So we always make 2 pizzas (unless we have friends or family or neighbors over which we often do, we'll make more). Pepperoni for the kids and something a lot more exciting for the parents. 

I love experimenting with vegetarian pizzas. This veggie deluxe pizza is amazing and we still make this one a lot. It's a winner for sure. Today I'm so excited to share with you another equally amazing vegetarian pizza recipe today. This fresh asparagus pizza rocks my world. So much so that I was craving it again the week after I made it and almost cried when I realized I didn't have any asparagus in the house. Fortunately for me I will remedy that problem in the very near future. I can't wait until my asparagus starts growing in our garden and I can make this all spring. That will be a very happy day! :)

Fresh Asparagus Pizza

Printable Recipe

*Makes 1 large pizza

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 recipe whole grain pizza or bread stick dough

1 bunch tender asparagus

5 Tbsp. Olive oil, divided

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 Cup chopped red onion

1/2 Cup chopped bell pepper (about 1/2 red bell pepper)

Salt & Pepper

Pizza Sauce (Here's My Favorite)

1-2 Cups Mozzarella cheese or Mozzarella cheese blend

1/4-1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Place pizza stone*(See Note below) on lower middle rack in the oven and preheat to 475 F. Wash the asparagus, trim off the bottom few inches and discard (if not picked fresh), and chop into 1-2" pieces. In a large frying pan over medium heat add 3 Tbsp. olive oil. When oil is heated add chopped asparagus, minced garlic, chopped red onion and chopped bell pepper. Sauté until vegetables start to sweat a little and then season with salt and pepper. Continue to sauté until vegetables are barely tender then remove from heat and cool slightly. 

Sprinkle counter with olive oil. Coat rolling pin in oil. Roll out dough into a large circle (10 - 12” diameter) and place each on parchment paper. Brush with remaining olive oil until covered. Add sauce, then the mozzarella cheese blend, then the sautéed vegetables. Finally sprinkle the Parmesan on the very top. Bake on preheated 425 F pizza stone, for 8-10 min or until crispy and cheese is bubbly.

Note: If you do not have a pizza stone, I've had success making yummy pizza using this method.

Recipe Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com