Pull this crispy Flatbread Pizza with Pesto, Shaved Asparagus, Mushrooms and Feta together in 15 minutes flat! So good and so easy! This recipe is vegetarian. Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Earthbound Farm. Thank you for supporting brands that help support Vanilla And Bean.
I’ve been struggling with Sunday evenings. Knowing the alarm clock is just around the corner doesn’t excite me. Mondays are hard. Hard because weekends are soooo great and all I want is to have an extended weekend every weekend. I’m not asking too much, right?
Every now and then, the idea of a four day work week pops up in the news, but it never really seems to gain enough traction for nationwide change.
It doesn’t help when connecting with InstaFriends from other countries on Instagram who seem to be on a bank or other holiday regularly. Much more-so than we take time off for rest, travel, friends and family….. caring for ourselves, here in the U.S. This infographic has some data for comparison’s sake.
Working towards feeling a sense of acceptance rather than resistance hasn’t been easy for me in this area. I tend to get a bit grumpy come Sunday evening.
I think the big thing contributing to this resistance is that it’s Spring.
Spending time outdoors in beautiful places is all I want to do. I get a bit of cabin fever during our short Winter-gray days, so when the skies clear, and the temperatures warm, I want to spend as much time as I can outside walking, hiking, exploring, looking for Spring migrants or pulling weeds and planting in the Garden of Weedin’.
Lounging on the patio with a good book is on the agenda too. I’m determined to make this happen more often. After all it’s taking me three months to get to chapter four of Big Magic.
As much as I love being in the kitchen, creating, photographing and writing… it’s so gorgeous out, it’s hard to focus.
Are you with me?
When Earthbound Farm asked how me how I could incorporate a not-so-everyday salad on Sunday evenings that would allow last-minute weekend freedom, I started thinking more about Sunday evening priorities and how I’ve been feeling. Since our long Winter days have passed, for now, I needed a nudge to get me thinking differently about Sunday evening dinner.
An easy flatbread pizza recipe I’d been making for years came to mind but with a salad twist!
Perhaps a surprising salad, did you know you can have salad on your pizza? The only rule for a salad pizza is making sure a substantial pile of those nourishing greens get on top. This is not the time to skimp.
Crispy Flatbread Pizza with Shaved Asparagus, Mushrooms and Feta comes together in no time. Prep is quick with pantry staples and a few fresh ingredients for a satisfying dinner packed with seasonal veggies.
Here’s the deal. To get that flatbread pizza to the crispy, sublime pizza experience it’s designed to be, it takes a hot oven. Heat the oven to 550F (287C) with a baking sheet, cast iron skillet or pizza stone on the top rack.
Once you’ve prepped the ingredients and built the pizza, slide the flatbread on to the hot pan/skillet/stone and in five minutes, you’re tossing gorgeous greens on top with a handful of cherry tomatoes, a few dots of feta, a drizzle of high quality balsamic vinegar with a pinch of salt and red pepper flakes.
Is your mouth watering?
#SaladSunday is lookin’ quite tasty.
How do you incorporate salads for dinner on Sunday evenings that help you extend weekend play time? Please share and drop a link below in the comments.
the recipe
Flatbread Pizza with Pesto, Shaved Asparagus, Mushrooms and Feta
Ingredients
- 1 Tbs Olive Oil virgin, unrefined
- 1 1/2 C Cremini Mushrooms stems removed, sliced, 86g
- 2 Pieces Flatbread I like Naan for this recipe
- 1/4-1/3 C Your favorite Pesto 50g-72g
- 1 C Shaved Asparagus loosely packed with leftover stem sliced thin, stem tips in tact, 100g
- 1/4 C Kalamata Olives quartered, 28g
- 1/8 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/8 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1/2 C Mozzarella Cheese 52g
- 1/2 C Feta Cheese 35g
- 1 1/2 C Spinach Arugula Mix loosely packed (I use Earthbound Farm) 38g
- 2 Hand fulls of Sliced Cherry Tomatoes
- Balsamic Vinegar for Drizzling
Instructions
- Set a oven rack on the highest position in the oven. Slide in a sheet pan, pizza stone or cast iron skillet and peheat oven to 550F (287C).
- Heat oil in saute pan until shimmering. Add the mushrooms and stir only occasionally for five minutes. We want the mushrooms to sear as this will bring out their flavor. Remove from heat and set aside.
- To build the pizza, place each piece of Naan on a sheet of parchment paper. Dividing the ingredients between the two pizzas, spread the pesto over the flatbread, almost to the edges. Layer the asparagus, mushrooms, kalamata olives, a pinch of red pepper and oregano, mozzarella and a few pieces of feta (save some feta for the top later).
- Remove the pan from the oven and carefully transfer the pizza to the pan. If using a cast iron skillet, you'll need to bake one at a time. Bake on the top rack for five minutes. Remove from oven and transfer pizza to a cutting board. Place a generous hand full of salad mix on top of the pizza, add a bit of feta, a few sliced tomatoes, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Slice with a pizza wheel and serve immediately.
- Serve with sea salt and red pepper flakes.
