Spinach Pesto Pizza 2-ways, is the healthier pizza, with lots of veggies hidden in the pesto sauce, a wheat or spelt crust, ready for whatever else you want on top!
Americans Love Pizza
Americans probably love pizza more than Italians.
Why? Maybe because it makes us feel we are in Italy, if only for a moment!
Crusts for pizza, have really changed over the years.
Vegan crusts, gluten-free or the traditional wheat pizza crust, makes it possible for everyone to find a pizza they can love.
Pizza 2-Ways
Cauliflower pizza crust has made it possible for me to be able to make pizza for even my Keto family members.
Quite honestly, a cauliflower crust, baked to a crispy finish, is quite spectacular.
As for me and the hub, we both still like a carb laden, dough crust for our pizza.
Hubby likes his wheat dough and I prefer a spelt dough.
The hubby loves bacon on his pizza, while I like a meatball that has veggies hidden in them, something I created for my grandchildren as a healthy meatball.
However, on the pizza 2-ways, they both have a fabulously healthy spread of spinach walnut pesto, loaded with nutrients and flavor.
Easy Yeast Pizza 2-Ways
Lucky for me, I have perfected the making of both types of dough so that I can have them each whipped up in minutes.
Rising time can take longer for the spelt dough so I simply make it with potato water.
Water, in which I have boiled potatoes for another dish, has the perfect amount of starch to make the dough rise fast.
The same works beautifully in using a gluten-free flour.
Both types of homemade pizza dough rise in about an hour, giving plenty time to whip up the pesto, prep your proteins and be ready for a great pizza dinner.
Store bought pizza dough or ready made cauliflower pizza crust are all great options for busy weeknights.
The key to this healthy pizza, is the spinach pesto sauce.
Spinach Pesto Pizza
Tomato sauce is not the only sauce for a pizza.
In fact, a popular cheese pizza, with tomato sauce, has very little nutrients in it to make it a complete meal; nutritionally, that is.
My Spinach Walnut Pesto is made with walnuts, lots of garlic, herbs and lemon.
For this reason alone, this pizza sauce is already a complete meal.
Take a peek into the nutrients of this delicious spinach pesto spread that will be going on top of your pizza.
- Iron and fiber rich spinach.
- Antioxidant and omega rich walnuts.
- Immune boost garlic.
- Vitamin C rich lemon juice and zest.
Spinach Pesto Is The Healthier Pizza Sauce
Spread this pesto on a pizza crust and you have a delicious and nutritious pizza already. Want toppings?
You and I both know the little one’s are going to eyeball ‘that green stuff’ on their pizza. Pesto sauce can be easily disguised and hidden by cheese and personal preferences to meats, such as bacon, meatballs or sausage.
Pizza Toppings 2-Ways
Venison meatballs are my personal favorite topping on my spelt pizza crust.
In recent years, I am finding ground venison in most grocery stores, usually right next to the bison or lamb.
I make them just like I do my Grandmas Sneaky Meatballs, with veggies hidden inside.
Both pizzas are covered in cheese, melted to perfection and scrumptious.
Flowers On My Pizza?
During the summer months, I grow lots of edible flowers.
Don’t turn your nose up LOL!
Edible flowers have many of the nutrients that herbs have.
Flowers, in many ways, are herbs, just more colorful!
For the pesto pizza 2-ways, I have prepared for you here, both have meat, though you can certainly leave it off, and cover the top with beautiful nasturtium flowers!
Nasturtium flowers taste much like radishes or watercress, which goes perfectly with the pesto sauce.
How To Make Spinach Pesto Pizza 2-Ways
First, you will want to make the Spinach Walnut Pesto.
This is an easy to make pesto that whips up in less than 15-minutes, and freezes perfectly so it is ready when you are.
Secondly, you will need to either make the Spelt Dough and/or Wheat Dough, or buy a pizza dough.
Trader Joes (no I don’t work with them), have both a whole wheat and a regular pizza dough in the refrigerator section.
You will use it exactly as the instructions in my recipe will explain.
Finally, the dough gets rolled out, pesto spread on top, oven set to 400, any other topping you want go on top and the pizza bakes in 18-minutes!
Ingredients Needed
- Wheat pizza dough
- Spelt pizza dough – a cauliflower or gluten-free dough as well
- Flour – for rolling out the dough
- Spinach Walnut Pesto
- Mozzarella cheese
- Olive Oil
- Bacon
- Meatballs
- Fresh spinach or arugula
- Nasturtium flowers (optional)
Equipment Needed
- 2 Pizza pans – my favorite is below
- Rolling pin
- Frying pan
- Cutting board
- Chopping knife
- Basting brush
- Stovetop or burner
- Oven
Spinach Pesto Pizza 2-Ways
Equipment
- 2 Large Pizza pans
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
- 16 oz Spelt or whole wheat pizza dough homemade or store bought
- 16 oz All Purpose Flour Pizza dough homemade or store bought
- 1/4 cup Flour for dusting
- 8 oz Spinach Walnut Pesto homemade
- 12 oz Mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup Olive oil
- 1/2 cup Bacon
- 12 Meatballs, cooked sneaky meatballs – veggies and meat
- 1 cup Fresh spinach finely chopped
- 12 Nasturtium flowers optional
Instructions
- Cut the bacon in half and cook on top of the stove just until the edges begin to brown but not to the point of crisp. Cool.
- Preheat the oven to 400.
- Roll out each dough, on a floured surface and place on the pizza pans.
- Brush a little olive oil around the edges of the crust. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes and remove.
- Spread the spinach walnut pesto on top of both pizzas. Sprinkle a little fresh spinach on top. Place the bacon on one and meatballs on the other. Place the sliced cheese on top. Return to the oven for 7- 8 minutes.
- Place the Nasturtium flowers on top, if using, cut and serve.
Video
Notes
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.