This pea and lemon pesto pizza is dolloped with ricotta for a light pizza to celebrate spring.
Since I’m (most likely) sitting in the sun at the pool of my mother in law’s clubhouse right now in Palm Beach, Florida, I spent about 90% of my waking hours last week either in the kitchen, at the grocery store or on my computer trying to get ahead enough with things to leave for a week and not have to “work”. I love what I’m doing now a million times more than I ever could with a 9-5 but can’t say I’m not nostalgic for some pto that comes with no worries about the work you leave behind.
So last week, I made 7 different trips to the grocery store. Efficiency is not my strength when it comes to food planning. 6 of those 7 times (and 1 other time at Panera!), I caught errors in the price of something the cashier was ringing up. That’s an 85% error rate! Now, I realize most people either a. don’t watch the items as they appear on the screen to check prices or, b. wouldn’t remember that those grapefruits were $.59/lb and not $.89/lb, but I do. I actually look for lines that have 1 person with enough stuff still on the belt so that I can get all my stuff onto it before the cashier starts scanning things and I have a mental inventory of the prices of pretty much everything that I put in my cart.
Is this being cheap? Maybe. But I like to think it’s more about the principle of it all. As I told the cashier who looked at me like I had 3 heads when I said “yes, I would like you to call a manager to go check on that arugula price”, it’s not the 30 cents, it’s the principle and this is like the 4th time this week this has happened to me in this store. Poor kid was just like “whatever, lady”.
ps- I ended up getting the arugula for free.
The peas used in this pizza were one of those 6 errors. They were from a different store, where the cashier gave me serious attitude for even saying anything. I thought of her as I chopped them to pieces in the food processor making the pesto and now plan to purposely pick her line out and watch the screen like a hawk just to hopefully find something to annoy her with again in the future.
And that is what goes through my mind when I’m not shoving my face with pizza. Because for those few minutes all I can think about is how freakin’ awesome lemons are on pizza and how overrated tomato sauce is. White pizza > tomato sauce. All day, everyday.
Spring Pea and Lemon Pesto Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 store bought whole wheat or multigrain pizza dough, Or make your own. I always keep store bought dough on hand for pizza in a pinch
- spring pea pesto, see below
- 8 ounces whole milk ricotta
- 1 large lemon, thinly sliced and seeds removed
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- salt & pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
For the Spring Pea Pesto
- 2 cups fresh sugar and/or snap peas
- zest from ½ a lemon
- juice from ½ a lemon
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor. With the processor running, drizzle the olive in until pesto-like. Scrape the sides down as needed. Set aside.
- Preheat oven and pizza stone to 500 degrees.
- Roll out pizza dough into a circle, transfer the dough onto parchment paper.
- Spread the spring pea pesto evenly over the dough, leaving a ½ inch border around the edges.
- Dollop the ricotta on top of the pesto all around the pizza.
- Lay lemon slices on top, pressing down on the ricotta to somewhat flatten.
- Season with salt and pepper, red pepper flakes and sprinkle the ¼ cup parmesan cheese all over the top.
- Slide the pizza with the parchment paper onto the stone in the oven.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the center of the dough is cooked.
- Remove from oven, let cool 1-2 minutes before slicing with a pizza cutter.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
I can totally relate to going to the grocery store 6 times a week, I think I’ve been there 4 times this week already. I hate when you question the price of something that rings up wrong and they look at you like your nuts and how dare you question the price! On another note this pizza is screaming spring. I love the pea pesto you made instead of the usual tomato sauce and the lemons are perfect to go with it! Hope you are having a wonderful vacation!
What a perfect springtime pizza! This looks beautiful, and will make a wonderful change from my usual pizza creations. I love pizza the night before my hard runs; enjoyable, but full of carbs to fuel my intense training!
This made me laugh. I do the EXACT same thing choosing a checkout line that will give me time to unload so I can watch the items ring up. My usual grocery store has a policy about giving you an item free if it rings up wrong. Last summer I got a 4-pack of Crystal Light free every single week for more than a month when it kept ringing up $1 more than marked. I even told the manager repeatedly that this was happening each week and they might want to fix the price on the shelf…?!
Oh, and love any white pizza….yours looks like a fabulous light dinner to enjoy on the deck with some white wine when the weather begins to cooperate!
I agree with you in all points. First, what’s up with the cashier’s attitude? Besides, many times the problem is that the cashier doesn’t know the products; they just know how to scan a can or a box. I’ve been ask to identify cabbage so many times…
On the food itself, I have to say that your pizza looks amazing. It’s a great combination you’ve got going there. I could almost taste it with that beautiful picture!
And I agree. White-sauce pizza rocks!
I hope to incorporate more pesto in recipes!!! Beautiful pizza!
I’ve been waiting for this since you instagrammed it!!!
Oh goodness, but this looks amazing. I love the combo of the lemon/peas/pesto on pizza and I am with you 100% on eagle-eyeing the register display as things are being scanned. I am going to pay what I have to, but I’m going to make sure I don’t pay a penny more than necessary!
Lemons and Peas are perfection and then you added them to pizza FTW!
This pizza is screaming eat me! I love the lemon in it.
I so feel ya on being in the kitchen and so many grocery store trips! I’m going back to Canada tomorrow, so that has been my last week!
I LOVE peso on pizza, and I would have never thought to include peas..yum!
Hope you’re loving my home state! Pinned