Beet Greens & Three-Onion Pesto Pizza ♥

Sooo many ways to cook beets, for sure! But with just six beets and their greens, I created three entirely delicious meals. Talk about thrifty! Talk about contradicting the idea that fresh vegetables are too expensive!

• Meal Number One: Monday's supper salad using the roasted beets


• Meal Number Two: Yesterday's beet green risotto that used up half the greens


• Meal Number Three: Today's Pizza! using the last of the greens

I roasted the beets for the salad. But at my house, the greens too often go to waste, despite knowing that leafy greens are good for us. No more!

This pizza isn't photogenic but it sure tasted good. I built it 'heavy' on the vegetables and 'light' on the cheese. It's not really a recipe as much as a concept -- there's no going wrong using just the basic construct.

Two 'convenience' products came in handy.

• Fresh pizza dough (mine from Missouri Baking Company on the Hill in St. Louis, purchased for all of $1) but if you'd like to make your own, I do have a great recipe for homemade pizza dough.
  
• Jarred pesto, which turned out to be a delicious base for everything but does really add to the calories so tomato sauce is a better choice unless you're ready to indulge.

I baked the pizza on a pizza stone preheated for a half hour -- but must-must-must figure out a way to lift the loaded pizza onto the hot stone. Maybe a rimless cookie sheet? Ideas? (And a pizza peel is too big for my kitchen. Where does one store something that big?)

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FROM THE ARCHIVES Using beet greens in side dishes is easy. Try Greek Greens (where you flash-cook the greens so they'll hold for a couple of days), or Greens with Mustard & Stems or my favorite, Ontario Greens (which first appeared on A Veggie Venture as Greens with Sour Cream).

FROM GREAT FOOD BLOGS
Simply Recipes ... Beet Greens
Everybody Likes Sandwiches ... Sauteed Beet Greens with Lime & Garlic
Cooking in Westchester ... Beet Greens with Ginger & Cabbage

A YEAR AGO Asparagus with Anchovies & Garlic

TWO YEARS AGO Glazed Rutabagas

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FREE COOKBOOKS! During April, win free cookbooks at A Veggie Venture! It's all to celebrate the Alphabet of Vegetables, the brand-new A - Z of Vegetables with easy links to great vegetable recipes! Need an example? Check all the spring asparagus recipes.

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BEET GREENS & THREE-ONION PESTO PIZZA

Hands-on time: 35 minutes
Time to table: 60 minutes
Serves 4

Pizza Dough

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 shallots, diced fine
6 green onions, diced fine
1 large white onion, in thin slices
2 anchovies (3 was one too many to my taste ...)
stems from 3 beets, chopped fine
2 cups chopped radicchio
Splash of wine (or champagne or stock or good vinegar) if needed
greens from 3 beets, in layers, rolled like cigars, then sliced thin

3 ounces prepared pesto
1/4 pound fontina, grated

Insert pizza stone into oven and set to 450F. (It'll be plenty hot in 30 minutes, this ensures a great crust.)

Let pizza dough come to room temperature.

In a large skillet, heat oil til shimmery. Add shallots, green onion and onion as they're prepped, stirring well each time to distribute the fat and heat. Saute til beginning to soften. Add anchovies, smashing a bit to distribute. Stir in stems and radicchio and let cook til soft, adding liquid if needed. Stir in beet greens and cook for 1 minute more.

On a flour surface, roll out the pizza dough. Spread with thin layer of pesto, layer vegetables over top, then cheese. Transfer to hot pizza stone and bake for 15 - 20 minutes til done. Slice and enjoy!

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
WITHOUT THE CRUST Per Serving: 300 Cal (76% from Fat, 12% from Protein, 12% from Carb); 9 g Protein; 25 g Tot Fat; 7 g Sat Fat; 9 g Carb; 2 g Fiber; NetCarb7; 209 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 398 mg Sodium; 36 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 8 points

Eggplant Pizza suggests that the crust will add 3 points

A Veggie Venture is home of the Veggie Evangelist Alanna Kellogg and vegetable inspiration from Asparagus to Zucchini. © Copyright 2007