Asparagus Pesto Pizza

This twist on the classic cheese pizza recipe will blow you away. The pizza sauce and pizza crust on this pizza recipe add huge amounts of flavor. A pizza slice from this homemade pizza is heavenly.

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound asparagus, cut into 3/4 inch lengths
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Romano or Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 large baked cheese pizza crust
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
    
2. Place asparagus in a steamer basket over boiling water. Cover pan and steam 5 minutes, or until bright green and almost tender. Drain, rinse under cold water and rinse again.
    
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy saucepan over medium high heat. Saute pine nuts 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until lightly browned.
    
4. Transfer pine nuts in oil to a blender or food processor and add basil, garlic, Romano and the rest of the oil, and process until smooth.
    
5. Spread pesto over crust and top with asparagus, pepper, mozarella and Parmesan. Place pizza on an oven tray and bake 15 minutes, or until topping is golden brown.