Recipe: Spinach Pesto Pizza

Sausage and parmesan complement this pizza nicely.

Ingredients:

One 12-inch pizza base

1-1.5 cups finely chopped baby spinach

2 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tbsp basil

1/2 tbsp oregano

Pinch of salt and pepper

*1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)

1/4 cup tomato/pizza sauce

Contrary to what the United States Congress declared several months ago, pizza is not a vegetable. That’s not to say that pizza can’t be relatively healthy, though. In fact, there are plenty of recipes that involve wholesome ingredients and can also be vegan-friendly. This is one of them.

I myself (not being at all discriminatory in my diet) like to add a bit of cheese or throw some meat on as a topping, but it’s totally up to you. Customize as you see fit. After all, that is the best thing about pizza. And if you’re not so much into the whole pizza thing, this pesto goes great on pasta too.

Step 1. If you have a blender or food processor, throw in the spinach, garlic and herbs all at once, adding the olive oil gradually. If your kitchen is more lo-fi, use a decently sharp knife to chop everything up as finely as possible. Then mix it all up in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and some grated Parmesan if you’re so inclined.

Step 2. Now for the pizza dough. For beginners, I suggest just buying a ready-made pizza base at the store. If you’d rather make your own, it’s not at all difficult. Food websites like epicurious.com and allrecipes.com have some really simple recipes.

Step 3. Once your dough/base is ready to go, evenly spread out the tomato sauce on top, leaving a bit of room around the crust. On top of this, spread out a layer of the spinach pesto mix. And finally, throw on whatever extra toppings you’re into. Roasted pine nuts are great. As is chorizo sausage. I’m also a fan of chopped (and lightly cooked) asparagus. Heck, almost anything is good on pizza. Except pineapple. Fuck pineapple. Whoever invented pineapple on pizza should be lined up against a wall and shot. (I’m looking at you, Hawaii.)

Step 4. After you’ve made the difficult decision of choosing a topping (or not), grease a baking sheet with olive oil (and/or cornmeal) and throw the pizza on top. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and bake for about 15 minutes.

That’s it, that’s all. Enjoy!