I grew up in a Pizza Fridays family. It was actually pretty ingenious on my parents' part because at the end of a long workweek who wants to put a ton of thought and effort into what to make for dinner?! Not anyone I know. About 20% of the time, this meant ordering in from one of our favorite local pizzerias, but the other 80%, dinner was a homemade pizza smorgasbord.
One of the perks of making pizza at home is that you can throw whatever crazy toppings you want on it! While my parents always insisted on one pie being dedicated to the classic tomato, basil, and mozzarella combo, they gave us almost free reign over what went on the rest of the pies. To this day, one of my favorite pastimes is opening the refrigerator and figuring out a way to turn whatever is in there into a pizza, and I like to think it started with these childhood homemade pizza nights.
My topping choices can get pretty funky, but luckily my husband will eat pretty much anything if it's on a pizza crust. That's why I wasn't afraid when I took everything green from my fridge and turned it into this lemony pea pesto, artichoke hearts, and mozzarella pie. I'm pretty sure that in any other context, he would have taken one look at these ingredients and declared them "too green" for him, but on a pizza they were totally acceptable! I can't claim to understand his logic, but I'll take it.
This pizza is a true celebration of everything I love about spring: it's fresh, fabulous, and covered in cheese - what is there not to love? The vibrant lemony pea pesto acts as the sauce, adding a hint of sweetness to every bite, while the artichoke hearts add just the right amount of tang to counterbalance it. Finally, the mozzarella is the glue that holds it all together. I used frozen peas for this because I find that they're more tasty than any fresh peas you can get in a supermarket, but if you have access to fresh-from-the-farm peas, then by all means use them and just blanch them for a minute or so before adding them into the pesto. As for the pizza dough, most grocery stores now carry pretty good quality frozen dough (just make sure to thaw it before using!), or you can inquire at your local pizzeria as to whether they'll sell you any of their raw dough. Of course, you can also always make it from scratch, though this does add about 2 (mostly hands off) hours to the prep time. This is my favorite pizza dough recipe, in case you choose to go that route.
Ingredients
For the lemony pea pesto
For the pizza
- Olive oil for greasing the pan
- 1 pound pizza dough storebought or homemade
- 1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
- ¾ pound fresh mozzarella thinly sliced
- Red pepper flakes and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500ºF.
- While the oven is heating, prepare the pesto. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the peas to the pot and cook for 5 minutes or until bright green and heated through. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the peas, basil, garlic, and pine nuts together until they are minced. Stream in the olive oil while the food processor is still running and puree until creamy and well-combined. Add the parmesan cheese and lemon juice to the food processor bowl and pulse until they're fully incorporated. Season to taste with salt.
- Grease a 14-inch round pizza pan with a light layer of olive oil. Using your hands or a rolling pin, pat the pizza dough into a 12- to 14-inch circle on the pan. Spread the pea pesto over the dough in an even layer, leaving a 1-inch border for the crust. Sprinkle evenly with the artichoke hearts and the mozzarella slices. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the bottom starts to look golden brown. Remove the pizza from the oven and sprinkle with red pepper flakes and black pepper, to taste. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
Erin @ Miss Scrambled Egg says
Usually my Friday nights consisted of going to my grandmother's house. I think my parents needed a little break from the kiddos. Nowadays, we either go out to dinner on Fridays or cook something easy for dinner. This looks like just the meal for a spring evening.
Joanne Bruno says
Thanks! It really is super easy, especially if you start with storebought pizza dough!
Jason @ PlentyOfZest says
Love the idea of sweet pesto and tangy artichokes. And also love the fact that I can make this down here in Australia even though it's a long time until spring, with the frozen peas!
Joanne Bruno says
Yes!! Definitely one of the benefits is that this is pretty much a pantry meal, but tastes like spring!
Rachel Cooks says
I need this in my life! I'm pretty much sold on anything with pine nuts but the peas and lemon put this right over the top!
Joanne Bruno says
Haha I'm a pine nut addict as well! But the lemony pesto does make it more fun. 🙂
Lori @ RecipeGirl says
This looks like my kind of pizza! So delicious!
Joanne Bruno says
I think you would love it, Lori!
fdr says
This was very bad. Definitely would not make again.
I have loved a lot of recipes on this blog, so I looked forward to making it. It was not remotely good - the pesto was bland and did not mesh well with the artichoke hearts.
Joanne Bruno says
I'm so sorry you didn't enjoy this! I always try to make pesto to taste, since I know that different batches of basil can be more flavorful than others. You can try adding more or less depending on how intense it is, or adjust the lemon juice or salt to taste!