It’s barely spring over here (we are having the wettest winter in history!) but I am thoroughly enjoying lightening up in the kitchen with some fresh pizza and pasta recipes. We eat a lot of pizza in our house – it’s always a winner and so EASY. I make double batches of homemade pizza dough to freeze, that way whenever I don’t know what to make for dinner it’s there and ready!
As much as we love our usual – mushroom, goat cheese and sausage – I love experimenting with new ingredients and flavors. This shaved parsnip and asparagus pizza is absolutely delicious and incredibly light! It practically IS spring on a plate if you ask me. 😉
Parsnips might seem a little random but they are actually one of my very favorite vegetables. I just love the flavor and texture! I started making parsnip fries a few years ago, which our now our go-to side with burgers, and I love adding a few parsnips in with my mashed potatoes (a tip my friend, Morgan, showed me a while back).
You don’t need any fancy or special equipment to make this, just a plain old vegetable peeler does the trick. You then toss the parsnip and asparagus peels with lots of olive oil and salt before piling them on top of homemade dough with a fluffy ricotta garlic base. The end results is extremely addictive, yet also light and healthy.
I have a hunch this pizza would be absolutely incredible grilled. We’re hoping to do more outdoor pizza nights this summer once our garden takes off. Speaking of garden, I have lots to say on that front and I promise it is coming! Adam and I are working on a joint garden post to share with you guys. I know a lot of you have been interested in how we make our raised beds and we’re going to share a DIY guide for that, along with everything we are planting this season. Be on the lookout for that sometime in April. 🙂
- 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 1/3 cup warm water
- 1 packet dry active yeast 1/4th oz
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 whole parsnip
- 3 whole asparagus stalks
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
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First, make the pizza dough. In a mixing bowl, combine the warm water and yeast. Stir in the salt and flour and mix on medium high speed on your KitchenAid for 5 minutes. While the mixer is going, drizzle in the olive oil. When the dough is soft and elastic, take out of the bowl, rub with olive oil and then place back in the bowl, cover with a dish towel and let rise for one hour. After the dough has doubled in size, cut in half. Place half in a gallon ziploc bag in your freezer to save for later. Take the other half and roll out to a pizza. You're now ready to add your toppings and bake.
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Preheat oven to 450. Using a vegetable peeler, shave thin strips of the parsnip and asparagus. Place strips in a large bowl and toss with 2 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Make sure you toss it well so each strip is coated with oil.
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In a small bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, minced garlic, pinch of salt and pepper. Spread this all over your rolled out pizza dough.
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Top the ricotta mixture with the veggie strips. Bake on the middle rack for about 18 minutes. CHECK IT. It's natural for the asparagus and parsnip to become a bit burnished but you don't want them to actually burn - that's why coating with olive oil is important. When it's done, the veggies should be golden and a bit dark on the edges and the pizza crust should be golden as well.
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Let pizza cool before using a scissors to divide into slices!
Hot pepper flakes are optional but very good here. 🙂
Christina @ montessoriishmom.com
March 23, 2017 at 6:25 amI’m super excited for your garden post! I’m terrible with plants, but really want to start a garden now that we’ve bought a house. I have visions of working in the garden with my little guy in a couple of years, but have a lot to learn before then!
Aimee
March 23, 2017 at 7:54 amI don’t think I’ve ever tried to do anything with parsnips! I think I’ll give your fries a try!
Also, maybe I missed this in the post, but what do you like to bake your pizza on? I love making homemade dough but am searching for the perfect thing to bake it on.
Kelli H
March 24, 2017 at 8:44 amPizza stones work great!
Annie
March 24, 2017 at 1:43 amThis looks delish! The video of your son eating this was hilarious!! My son is 16 Month son and looooves pizza so I always try to sneak veggies in for him. I’ll have to try this one!
Kelli H
March 24, 2017 at 8:44 amI have an old asparagus pizza recipe minus the parsnips and love it. I’m not usually a fan of parsnips but maybe like this I would be. Your photos are beautiful!
Joanne Bruno
March 28, 2017 at 7:05 pmPizza night is always a happy night around here also! Love these super fresh toppings. I would have never thought to put parsnip on pizza!
Sarah
April 14, 2017 at 6:06 pmI just made this tonight! It was delicious and so light! Definitely a make again.