TODAY Food Club

Grilled Pizza with Pesto and Shaved Asparagus! Celebrate one of spring's most delicious vegetables, asparagus, in a new way with this pizza! All you need is a vegetable peeler!

Shaved Asparagus and Pesto Pizza

Ingredients

• Pizza dough (homemade or store-bought)
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups of spinach or basil pesto
• 4 to 5 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
• 5 to 6 asparagus spears, shaved with a vegetable peeler
• extra virgin olive oil
• kosher salt and pepper, to taste
• zest from 1 lemon
• finely diced scallions

Preparation

1. Heat your outdoor gas grill to about 400 to 425 degrees. Brush each side of the pizza dough lightly with extra virgin olive oil and place onto a large baking sheet covered with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat so it doesn't stick.
2. Once the grill is ready, place the pizza dough on the hottest part of the grill and close the lid. Check the pizza crust after a minute or so. Once grill marks have appeared and the crust is slightly crispy, flip it using tongs and a large grill spatula. Close the lid and check the crust after a minute or so.
3. After the pizza crust is grilled just slightly, remove the pizza crust from the grill and close the grill so the grill stays hot. Spread on the pesto over one side of the pizza crust and place back into the hot grill but in a spot that does not have direct heat.
4. While on the grill, sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese and close the grill. Check the pizza after a minute or so to ensure it is not burning and you have placed the pizza in a good spot. Turn the grill heat down a little if you need to. Close the lid again. After about 4 to 5 minutes, or when the cheese has started to melt, place the shaved asparagus on top and close the lid again. The pizza is finished when the asparagus is warmed through. I prefer a little "bite" to my asparagus so this method worked for me. Alternatively, you can place the shaved asparagus on top and finish the pizza in a 400 degree oven so you can control the temperature better if it's too hard to manage with your grill.
5. Drizzle on some extra virgin olive oil, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with lemon zest and finely diced scallions before serving.

Recipe Tags

• Spring
• American
• Entree