Kale Pesto Pizza

abeebakes

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This month, we’re shopping less frequently but when we do brave the grocery stores, we’re filling our baskets more than usual, choosing things to last about two weeks. Typically my favorite greens are delicate. I love baby arugula, tender mixed greens, butter lettuce, etc. When preparing to face the pandemic, I went for hearty greens. And what better choice than kale? Curly, thick, and less prone to developing that gross slime that often creeps over our precious greens.

What I didn’t anticipate? How sick I’d get of kale. I miss my peppery arugula and sweet spring greens. I’m also getting tired of massaging my greens just for a salad. And so I decided to repurpose some of my kale (4 entire packed cups) into this pizza. Most of the kale gets pulsed into pesto and then a handful of fresh kale is tossed with some olive oil to make a nice roasted topping to the pizza. It’s delicious, easy, and pretty guilt-free as far as pizza comes.

Kale Pesto Pizza

Pizza

  • 1 16 oz. pre-made pizza dough (I use the fresh bag from Trader Joe’s)
  • 2 cups chopped into bite sized pieces
  • 1 cup kale (chopped into bite sized pieces)
  • 1 tsp. olive oil

Pesto

  • 3 cups kale, packed & roughly chopped
  • 3/4 cup walnuts
  • 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice (about half a lemon)
  • 1-2 garlic gloves
  • tsp. salt
  • taste pepper, freshly ground
  • cup olive oil

  1. Place a piece of parchment paper on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with a little olive oil. Place the pizza dough on the baking sheet and allow it to rest for 20 minutes.

  2. Make the pesto by adding the kale, walnuts, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Drizzle in the olive oil and puree the mixture. Taste and adjust lemon juice, salt, or pepper as needed.

  3. Preheat the oven to 450F degrees.

  4. Stretch the pizza dough into a circle, about 12-15 inches around. It doesn’t need to be perfect. Spread an even layer of pesto over the top of the pizza dough, all the way to the edges (you will have leftover pesto for sandwiches, pasta, etc.). Sprinkle the cheese over the pesto. Combine 1 cup of kale with 1 tsp. olive oil and toss to coat.Sprinkle onto the pizza.

  5. Bake 10-12 minutes, until the crust is lightly golden and the cheese on top is bubbling. If desired, top pizza with a final drizzle of olive oil and any other favorite toppings. Slice and serve.

Adapted from Cookie + Kate blog.

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