Sun Dried Tomato and Asparagus Pizza

Are you guys getting as excited about spring produce as I am?!

Forget the fact that they are weirdly calling for freezing rain in North Carolina in the next couple of days. I have been crazy eager to buy all the asparagus and tender baby greens. I’m also hoarding strawberries and have a ridiculous amount of lemons in a bowl on my counter. Annnnd I wore my Rainbow flip flops 3 days in a row. #don’tjudgeme

Usually by now we have started on our garden, not that I am clever enough to grow asparagus or anything, but turning over the soil and getting a few flats of flowers in the ground makes it feel like spring. This year neither the weather nor our current location are really cooperating so I have resorted to binge produce shopping.

It’s been too long since I shoved pizza in  your face which seems out of order since I make pizza at home almost once a week.

Spring on the horizon made asparagus pizza seem pretty inevitable and appropriate. I used my favorite easy 10 Minute Pizza Dough for the crust. I have other recipes that I fall back on when I am looking for a chewy thick crust, and have an hour or so to make it happen. But I love a crisp thin crust pizza and when I am pressed for time or want something a little lighter, the 10 Minute Dough is perfect.

I also used the skillet method to cook the pizza. I have a pizza stone, but if you knew how many times I made a huge oven-melted-cheese-and-sauce-everywhere disaster then you would understand why this is my favorite way to cook homemade pizza. It’s fast and mess-free. I blanched the asparagus really quickly before adding it to the pizza because the oven cook time is so short. The pancetta and sun dried tomatoes set the whole thing off giving you a 20-minute meal solution you will super love.

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Sun Dried Tomato and Asparagus Pizza

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

7 mins

Total time

22 mins

 

A crisp thin crust pizza topped with tender spring asparagus, caramel-ey red onions, pancetta, sun dried tomatoes, and whole milk mozzarella.

Author: Heather Tullos

Serves: 2 (10") pizzas

Ingredients

• 1 recipe 10-Minute Pizza Dough
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 10 medium asparagus stalks, woody ends trimmed
• ⅓ cup sun dried tomatoes packed in oil
• ⅓ cup thinly sliced red onions
• 2 ounces pancetta, very thinly sliced and cut into strips
• 8 ounces whole milk mozzarella, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 500°F (not broil).
2. Cut the asparagus into 2-3" lengths. Bring 1½ cups of water to a boil. Toss in the asparagus and quickly blanch for only 45 seconds to a minute. You'll see the color brighten. This step cooks the asparagus just slightly because the time it will be in the oven is minimal. Drain the water and place the asparagus on a cutting board. *See Note*
3. In the same medium sauce pan add the olive oil and garlic. Cook over medium heat for about a minute, until the garlic is fragrant and toasty. Remove from the heat.
4. I used the cast iron skillet method to cook my pizza (the instructions provided here). You can also use a pizza stone or pan. Place the cast iron skillet on the burner and trun the heat all the way up.
5. The 10 Minute Pizza Dough Recipe makes 2 (10") pizzas. Divide the dough into the two crusts and recover one. Stretch the remaining dough into a circle. It should fill most of the bottom of a large cast iron skillet. Once you place the dough in the heating skillet be ready to work quickly.
6. Place the dough in the cast iron skillet. Brush the whole crust with the garlic and olive oil. Scatter half of the asparagus, sun dried tomatoes, and red onions across the crust. Place the slices of mozzarella over the toppings. It is fine to leave gaps. Toss half of the pancetta over the top of the mozzarella.
7. Quickly place the skillet in the oven. Bake for about 5 minutes. The cheese will be melted and will start to bubble. If you'd like to place the oven on broil for just a minute before removing the skillet it can help to brown the crust a little more . Be sure to watch it closely.
8. Repeat the process with the second half of the dough.
9. Eat! Enjoy.

Notes

If you are working with larger asparagus stalks you can cut them in half after blanching them. It makes the pizza easier to eat. If you are working with tiny stalks of tender baby asparagus don't worry about it.

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