This super-green asparagus pizza is a great way to kick off spring. Pro tip: make a double batch of the parsley-chive pesto to stir into pasta or soup throughout the week.
Locally grown asparagus won't hit farmers' markets for another few weeks, but on Sunday, when I saw these bright green spears all lined up in formation at the grocery store, I just couldn't wait any longer. For this first (albeit preemptive) spring green pizza, I made a pesto out of parsley, chives, garlic, lemon, and pine nuts, scattered fresh chopped asparagus on top, and threw on some nutty, fruity Appenzeller cheese.
The idea was to make something that tasted like spring, with grassy notes and bright green color. If you want to go even greener, swap in pistachios for the pine nuts and chopped spring garlic for the garlic clove. And if Alpine cheese is not your jam, try fresh goat cheese, Parmesan, Cheddar, Gouda, or pecorino instead. Really, just about any cheese would be delicious here.
Asparagus and Pesto Pizza FAQs
Nope. Asparagus is delicious raw, like in this delicious salad by Alexandra Cooks, and when it's cooked for just a little bit on a pizza, it turns out perfectly al dente.
I love gruyere, but I've also make the recipe with a mix of gruyere and fontina, which was really good. Of course, an aged or farmhouse cheddar is always a yummy choice, too. Play around at the cheese counter, and let me know what you come up with!
Of course! I developed this parsley-chive pesto because it makes the pizza taste extra springy. However, if you're not in the mood to make your own, or if you already have some homemade pesto in the fridge that you need to use up, any green pesto will work.
Asparagus Pizza with Parsley-Chive Pesto
Equipment
- Food processor or mortar and pestle
- Large rimmed baking sheet or baking stone/steel
- Pizza peel (optional)
Ingredients
For the pesto:
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts or unsalted shelled pistachios
- 1 large garlic clove chopped
- ½ cup parsley leaves tightly packed
- ¼ cup chopped fresh chives packed
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more as needed
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the pizza:
- 1 (14- to 16-ounce) ball pizza dough
- 4 ounces nutty Alpine cheese (such as Appenzeller, Gruyere, or Fontina) grated (about 1 cup)
- ½ pound asparagus tough ends snapped off and discarded, spears sliced on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500°F (if using a baking sheet) or as high as it will go (if using a baking stone/steel; place the stone in the top third or place the steel in the bottom third of the oven before you start preheating). Let the oven preheat for at least 30 minutes. Then, if you’re using a baking stone or steel, switch the oven to Broil on high.
To make the pesto:
- Place the nuts in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Toast the nuts, stirring frequently, until they are just starting to brown in spots, about 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat.
- In a food processor or with a mortar and pestle, grind together the garlic, parsley, chives, toasted nuts, sea salt, lemon zest, lemon juice, and the ¼ cup of olive oil until the mixture is uniform in texture. If the pesto seems too thick to spread on the pizza, stream in a little more oil, a teaspoon at a time, until it reaches your desired texture. Taste it and season with a few grinds of black pepper and more salt as needed.
To make the pizza:
- Stretch or roll out your dough to a 12- to 14-inch circle, then transfer it to a baking sheet / pizza pan or a lightly floured pizza peel (if using a baking stone/steel).
- Prick the dough all over with a fork. (This will keep bubbles from forming in the oven.)
- Spoon the pesto onto the dough and spread it evenly, leaving a ½-inch border all around. Sprinkle on half of the cheese, scatter the asparagus evenly over the pizza, and top with the rest of the cheese.
- Transfer the pizza to the oven and bake until the crust is golden and the cheese has browned in spots—8 to 10 minutes on the baking sheet, 5 to 8 minutes on the baking stone/steel.
- Remove the pizza from the oven, and let it rest for a minute or two before slicing and serving.
Looking for other asparagus pizza recipes? Here are a few of my other favorites:
Check out the web story.
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