Pancetta & Asparagus Pizza

I love to take my standard homemade pizza recipe and come up with a new variation!  As we were trying to use up things from our fridge a few weeks ago, I came up with the idea of pairing asparagus and pancetta for a non-traditional pizza.  The possibilities really are endless, see what you can come up with to use up ingredients from your own fridge!

Servings:  8

Size:  1 slice of pizza

Points Plus: 6pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time:  15-20 minutes

Rating: 4 stars – Very good

Ingredient List:

1 can of Pillsbury refrigerated pizza dough, classic style crust

1 can pizza sauce (4 oz)

1 Tbsp. dried oregano

5 slices of pancetta

½ lb. asparagus, cut into ½ inch pieces

1 ½ cup shredded mozzarella, park-skim

½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Open the can of pizza dough and shape into a pizza shape, gently working the dough outward on a lightly greased pizza pan.  Cook the crust according to the directions on the package, which suggests you pre-bake the crust for 5-7 minutes first before you add sauce and toppings.  While the crust is baking, bring a saucepan of water to a boil and add the prepared asparagus pieces.  Boil for 3 minutes; then drain and rinse with cold water.  Take the pizza out and evenly spread the can of pizza sauce on top of the crust, spread almost to the edges of the dough.  Sprinkle oregano over the pizza sauce.  Next, add the cheese, then add the cooked asparagus and slices of pancetta on top.  Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the crust is a light golden brown.

Tip:

A good tip to make sure the asparagus stays crisp is to immediately rinse your cooked asparagus with cold water to stop the cooking process.  I thought this really helped to keep the asparagus from getting too mushy before they finished cooking with the pizza.  It’s kind of a variation of the blanching technique with vegetables!

XOXO Megan