This post has been sponsored by Foraged & Found. All opinions expressed are my own.
Today we’re preparing a super simple pesto pizza, and we’ll be doing so with a little help from my new friends over at Foraged & Found. Foraged & Found is on a mission to bring you wild-grown Alaskan superfoods right to your door. What are wild-grown Alaskan superfoods? More or less exactly what they sound like – wild aquatic plants, like sea asparagus and kelp, which are foraged from the local waterways of Ketchikan, Alaska, and then turned into things like salsa, pickles, and pesto. Aside from being rich in calcium and iodine, and a host of other nutrients, these ingredients are simply delicious, bringing a briny-umami flavor to the foods into which their blended – like our pesto pizza.
Today’s pizza uses just five simple ingredients, plus the Forage & Found Sea Asparagus Pesto, and works fine whether you’re using a store-bought dough or making your own.
Why you’ll love today’s pizza
1) Just five simple ingredients. If you aren’t making your own dough (and I highly hope you do), today’s pizza features just five simple, no fuss ingredients. It really couldn’t be easier.
2) No Special Equipment Needed. A sauce pan, a knife, a greater, a flat surface for working the dough, and a spoon are really all that you’ll need to put together today’s pizza. Simple.
3) Accessible to Chefs of All Skill Levels. Pizza, in my opinion is one of the ideal ‘starter’ recipes for home chefs who are just setting out on their culinary journey. On the one hand, pizza is supremely easy to put together, making it great for getting the kids involved in cooking, but it also allows for a lot of experimentation. Conversely, there are also ways to ratchet up the complexity of pizza making, allowing expert level skills to shine through.
Ingredient Notes, Tips, and Substitutions
1) The Onions – Side with Sweet. Vidalia are a type of Sweet Onion, for today’s recipe, we want that sweetness to complement the pesto. But how sweet is sweet? And does this ‘really’ make a difference? Let me explain. Both Vidalia Onions and Sweet Onions completely forgo the ‘oniony bite’ and astringency in favor of ‘actual’ sweetness, to the point that you can bite into them like an apple. Since these onions are so delicious raw, they feature most prominently in things like garden salads, sandwiches, raw salsas, uncooked relishes, and the like. So, one might ask, are we just adding sugar with these onions? Yes and no. The difference between Vidalia’s and Sweets is how they achieve this sweetness. Vidalia onions can pack up to 12% of their total volume in sugar. By contrast, most onions, including Sweet Onions, max out at around 5-6% sugar by volume, although Sweet Onions ‘can’ range a bit higher, but not by much. So, if it’s not sugar, why are Sweet Onions sweet? The answer is “Lack of sulfur.” The ‘bite’ and ‘oniony astringency’ that characterizes onions is sulfur, which Sweets lack, allowing the other flavors in the onion to shine through – which are surprisingly sweet.
Substitution: Red Onions will work just fine, and as a nice bonus they’re ‘look’ great.
2) Foraged & Found Sea Asparagus Pesto. The first question you’ve probably got is “How does it taste?” Because, let’s be honest, that’s what really matters. I’ll admit that I was skeptical, but the taste and texture was shockingly ‘familiar,’ and I mean that in a good way. It really does taste like a quality pesto. That said, if you didn’t know that this pesto had been made with sea asparagus, you might think that the chef who prepared it was a big fan of capers. I say that because when I think capers, which are ‘not’ an ingredient in this pesto, I think of a couple of key words such as briny, wild, and umami, and that they pair great with ingredients such as pecorino romano, oregano, and basil. That’s very much the same reaction I had here. In short, this pesto, to me, tastes like a decent quality pesto with an extra half-teaspoon or so of capers thrown in – and since I love capers, for me that’s a good thing. As a nice bonus, this product – like all Forage & Found products – features no artificial ingredients, instead it’s simply sea asparagus, extra virgin olive oil, reconstituted lemon juice, almonds, parmesan, garlic, and pepper. This pesto would also go great over pasta, or spread on crostini, or used as a dip for breadsticks.
3) The mozzarella. Fresher is better – Kind of. For today’s recipe, packaged will do just fine, but fresh will add undeniably to both the taste and texture. Fresh mozzarella is quite a bit moister than packaged, and this gives the cheese a fluffier or even ‘silky’ texture – and this is what most people love about fresh mozzarella. This moisture also gives fresh mozzarella its signature ‘milky’ taste. Now, adding these two qualities into today’s recipe will simply heighten the experience on the palate. With that said, don’t fret if you don’t have fresh on hand or don’t feel like spending the extra money, since packaged will do just fine for today’s recipe.
What to Eat With Today’s Pizza
1) Pasta Bake. Pasta and pizza, I love it, although I think a slightly ‘upscale’ style pasta bake would pair best, such as the recipe here.
2) Homemade Onion Rings. I’m of the opinion that onion rings pair well with just about everything, and I wouldn’t hesitate to make a batch to serve alongside to today’s pizza. I prepare mine with just a hint of spice, and a thick, dense batter that crisps up beautifully during frying.
3) Homemade Breadsticks. At the risk of sounding old fashioned, I’m going to suggest breadsticks to pair with today’s pizza, and these are much easier to prepare than you might think. Paired with some olive oil for dipping, or even some herbed butter or black coffee, these are super versatile and keep great. As a nice bonus, they never fail to impress the guests.
Sea Asparagus Pesto Pizza
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 10-inch pizzas 1x
Ingredients
- 1 pizza dough (homemade or store bought), divided
- 1 jar Foraged & Found Sea Asparagus Pesto
- 1 large onion (Vidalia, sweet, or red)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 10 ounces cherub tomatoes
- 1 cup mozzarella, grated
- 1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
- Olive oil
Instructions
- In a small pan, sauté onions and garlic until caramelized. Set aside.
- In a large cast-iron pan over high heat, blister cherub tomatoes. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Roll out the pizza doughs (recipe yields 2 10-inch pizzas). Spread each pie evenly with the Foraged & Found Sea Asparagus Pesto. Top with caramelized onions, blistered tomatoes, 1/2 cup grated mozzarella on each pie, and 1/4 cup Parmesan over each pie. Drizzle with olive oil and bake until bubbly and golden.
- Remove and let cool slightly before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
Mindee Taylor says
Delicious! Loved all the grown up pizza flavors!
angiesrecipes says
That looks like a really good pizza!!
Angela says
I make pizza using homemade pesto all the time. This sea asparagus pesto sounds so interesting.
Tara says
Oh wow! Such a wonderful use for the sea asparagus pesto. Those flavors sound wonderful and the pizza comes together so easily too!
Tavo says
Wow it looks so tasty! I will sure give it a try over the weekend!
Iryna Bychkiv says
Get in my belly! This pizza is the ultimate comfort food. I've never tried asparagus pesto but I'm intrigued. Must be so yummy on pizza.
Jasmine Martin says
This pizza looks absolutely amazing. I would love to eat this. My mouth is watering just looking at it.
Thena Franssen says
This looks like a really great pizza recipe! I love pizza.
Yeah Lifestyle says
Oh yum! This looks amazing and I bet it tastes equally good as well. I can't wait to give this recipe a try as never cooked with sea asparagus before
Jupiter Hadley says
I tried pesto on pizza recently and have to say it's a new favorite! Thank you for sharing.
Melissa Cushing says
You have made me want to have a slice or two of that amazing looking pizza! Wow! I am definitely looking for that pesto!
Patricia Jones says
Hi, using homemade pesto would be fine or not ?
Catherine Pappas says
Absolutely!! Homemade is always a favorite for me. Thank you for visiting.