Contest-Winning Pesto Veggie Pizza

Name: Contest-Winning Pesto Veggie Pizza
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6 servings.
Ingredients: 1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast; 1 cup warm water (110° to 115°); 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 2 tablespoons canola oil; 1 tablespoon sugar; 1 tablespoon dried basil; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 3/4 cup all-purpose flour; 1 to 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour; 3-1/2 cups fresh baby spinach; 1/4 cup prepared pesto; 1-3/4 cups coarsely chopped fresh broccoli; 3/4 cup chopped green pepper; 2 green onions, chopped; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

When I was thinking about what my family likes to eat and what I like to cook, the answer was pizza! —Dana Dirks, San Diego, California

Ingredients

1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 to 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3-1/2 cups fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup prepared pesto
1-3/4 cups coarsely chopped fresh broccoli
3/4 cup chopped green pepper
2 green onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the Parmesan cheese, oil, sugar, basil, salt, all-purpose flour and 3/4 cup whole wheat flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining whole wheat flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky).
Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
Roll dough into a 16-in. x 12-in. rectangle. Transfer to a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; build up edges slightly. Prick dough with a fork. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring 1/2 in. of water to a boil. Add spinach; cover and boil for 3-5 minutes or until wilted. Drain and place in a food processor. Add pesto; cover and process until blended.
Spread over pizza crust. Top with broccoli, green pepper, green onions, garlic and mozzarella cheese. Bake 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Nutrition Facts

1 piece: 364 calories, 17g fat (6g saturated fat), 29mg cholesterol, 543mg sodium, 35g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 5g fiber), 19g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 2 medium-fat meat, 2 fat, 1 vegetable.

Originally published as Green Pizza in Healthy Cooking April/May 2011

Reviews

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Average Rating:

super__gal

Jul 15, 2012

I made this for a party, everyone loved it! I've made it several times. It's very straight forward. I didn't need to make any adjustments. The crust itself is very good so I've also used it on its own with normal pizza sauce and veggie & chicken toppings. It's one of my favourite recipes!
daisy-dee

Mar 20, 2012

It is a wonderful recipe, and my kids just loved it. Some more diabetic recipes can be searched at http://www.smallday.in/
dapicella

Mar 17, 2012

Going to try but after reading the reviews I will add cream cheese spread on the pizza crust first, than some alfredo sauce over that, than the pesto sauce and than top with the broccoli and other veggies. That will help fix that missing something flavor that others said is missing.
Pinstripes

Apr 29, 2011

The crust is awesome. I liked this, but my husband thought it was lacking in the bottom sauce layer. We did add cooked chicken and bacon on it, too :)
nannyo1

Apr 17, 2011

We loved it!!! Very good tasting and we added chicken.
hmillay

Apr 9, 2011

Loved all the green - so pretty, and pretty tasty to boot! The pesto-spinach sauce is amazing, and I might use that in other dishes. I do feel like the pizza was missing something, but I can't figure out what. Maybe a bit of some different cheese to make it more complex? Or some red pepper flakes?
mheikkinen

Apr 4, 2011

Loved it! I usually don't like broccoli on pizza, but it's great with pesto! I followed the directions exactly, aside from leaving out the green onions.