Turnip Greens Pesto Pizza
This pizza was the highlight of our weekend. After a warm and sunny afternoon spent in the dirt, we came into the house starving and decided to crank up the oven and have an impromptu pizza night. The turnips are in abundance at Tumbleweed Farm and not only are the roots delicious but their greens are equally as tasty. Turnip greens have a lovely bite to them and are absolutely wonderful when they’re whipped into a tasty pesto. This pizza is a great way to incorporate the whole plant–roots and greens! Our CSA members are receiving a lot of turnips for the next few weeks and this particular pizza is dedicated to them. Simple, delicious and farm fresh to boot. We enjoyed this pie with a few cold beers after a long day of work and we hope you all do the same.
Cheers from Tumbleweed Farm!
Turnip Greens Pesto Pizza
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Serves: 4
Turnip Green Pesto- 1 bunch of turnip greens, roughly chopped (can substitute with arugula or mix in arugula to bulk up the greens a bit)
- 1 garlic scape (can sub with 1 clove of garlic) chopped
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil + more to thin if necessary
- salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil
- 1 bunch of turnips, thinly sliced
- 1 ball of pizza dough (homemade or store bought)
- 1/2 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- handful of fresh arugula
Preparation
- In the bowl of a food processor, add all of the ingredients for the pesto (except the oil.) Process until a paste is formed. With the motor running slowly add the oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Preheat the oven to 475F. Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced turnips and cook for about 1 minute per side (you may need to do this in batches). Remove from heat and set aside.
- Roll out your pizza dough. Spread the pesto and layer on the turnips, both cheeses, and sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes. Bake in the oven until the crust is golden and crisp and the cheese is bubbling. About 13-15 minutes.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and toss a few handfuls of arugula onto the warm pie. Slice and serve.
Notes
*Use this recipe as a guide *Feel free to divide your pizza dough into 3 smaller pizza for individual crusts *Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary *Taste test as you go
As someone who loves pesto let me give you some basic advice. All of these recipes are good and will work. If you are on a budget you can you 2 parts spinach and 1 part pesto for all of these.
We eat a LOT of turnip greens from our garden, and I never thought once about turning them into pesto! Fantastic idea, thank you!!! 🙂
well – can see why this was the highlight – looks very inviting
and Joshua – thanks for mentioning the substitutes –
I love turnips and struggle to find ways to fit it into a meal apart from roasted. This recipe looks very yummy…will have to try it this weekend
http://www.yankified.com
Just wanted to say I really enjoyed this pesto recipe! It was a great use of turnip greens that otherwise would have met a sad end in the compost bin.
So happy you loved this as much as we do!