This vegetarian pesto pizza recipe includes roasted red peppers, cremini mushrooms, and ribbons of asparagus—only 25 minutes to make!
Ready for Spring
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!
About the Recipe
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.
Ingredients
- 1 prepared pizza crust
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 4 cremini mushrooms sliced
- ½ cup prepared pesto
- ¾ cup Italian blend or Mozzarella cheese
- ⅓ cup 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.
Rachel @ Following In My Shoes says
I have a mushroom/asparagus pizza recipe but hadn't thought about using roasted peppers too. That sounds delicious! We love to grill our pizzas... It think I will have to try it out soon!
The Type A Housewife says
I love grilling pizza too--I was just thinking about that the other day with the weather getting warmer!
Kelly @ Texas Type A Mom says
Do you use a stone or just spray the grate? Looks yummy!
The Type A Housewife says
They sell fancy equipment for grilling pizza, but usually I just brush the grate with olive oil. Well, it has to be clean first, of course. 🙂
The Mrs @ Success Along the Weigh says
Look at you fancy pants! That looks yummy!
The Type A Housewife says
I'm really weird about my asparagus and when it's too thick, I don't like it--shaving into ribbons totally solves this problem! And yes, it is very fancy pants. 🙂
RJ says
Oh my gosh. This looks amazing.
The Type A Housewife says
Thank you! It's definitely tasty. 😀
Matt @ FaveHealthyRecipes says
This looks so good! This reminds me how long it's been since I've had a slice of quality homemade pizza...
The Type A Housewife says
I never used to like homemade pizza, but now I think I could eat it once a week--especially when it's an easy recipe like this one!
Brenda Williams says
I have to try this...we love everything you put on it! I is a beautiful photo too.
The Type A Housewife says
Thank you! And the great thing about pesto pizza is that just about anything goes well with pesto, so you can work with whatever veggies you have on hand or are in season. 🙂
Stephanie @ henry happened says
I am nuts over pesto. And homemade is SO much better than store bought. Wonder if my kids would eat this? We do easy caprese style pizza at least once a week but have to call it "cheesy flatbread" because my daughter doesn't like pizza. Weird.
The Type A Housewife says
There was an awesome local brand of pesto that we used to buy in Wisconsin. It was so, so good. That's so funny that your daughter won't eat pizza, but she'll eat "cheesy flatbread"!
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says
That sounds divine and the roasted peppers sound utterly fantastic!
The Type A Housewife says
Thank you! I love roasted red peppers--the jarred kind and the oven-roasted kind. So good. 🙂
gem says
I LOOOOOVE Pesto Pizza! I always buy prepared pesto, but wish I could make my own =)
The Type A Housewife says
See, when I make pesto, there's so much of it that it lasts for months--I never have the chance to buy it anymore! There was a brand in WI that we really loved, but I don't know if they sell it here...
Rikki says
I can't wait for gardening either! We always plant basil and make fresh pesto, it's one of my favorite things! We will definitely have to try this recipe, it looks incredible [:
The Type A Housewife says
It doesn't look as good as the flatbread you posted last week--that is on my "to make soon" list! 😀
Shirley says
I've never had pesto on a pizza, but I am craving that summer basil flavor. Yum!
The Type A Housewife says
Oh, it's so good! I think I may even like pesto on pizza better than tomato sauce. 🙂
CRISTINA says
Love that recipe!