Spring Forward: Three New Pizza Recipes to Start the Season

We all know pizza is a great food year round, but for the serious home pizza chefs, what we put on our pizzas and when can sometimes make all the difference. Using seasonal ingredients will save you money while making your pizza taste better at the same time. Now that we’re officially into spring, we’ve rounded up three of our best spring pizza recipes for you to enjoy.

Morels and Asparagus

Morel mushrooms gift us with their presence in the spring, but only for a few months. Take advantage of this elusive fungus and try them on your next pie. Morels are best gently sautéed before being put on a pizza and pair wonderfully with asparagus, lemon zest and garlic. This recipe calls for olive oil and garlic in place of red sauce for a better flavor profile. Bacon also works well on this pizza, for those of you who crave some protein!

Ingredients

• ¾ C. mozzarella cheese
• 1 C. morel mushrooms, cooked
• ½ C. asparagus, thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp. lemon zest
• ¾ tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

Beets, Fennel, Cumin, and Goat Cheese

Some people say beets don’t belong on pizza, but I say it’s all about how you use them. This pizza recipe screams spring and was inspired by a mouth-watering salad I crossed paths with years ago. Again, use just a simple brushing of olive oil on the crust instead of tomato sauce. Bake the pizza with just the oil, mozzarella, beets, and toasted seeds. In the last 30 seconds of cooking, add the goat cheese, arugula, and lemon zest.

Ingredients

• ¾ C. mozzarella cheese
• ½ tsp. fennel seed, toasted
• ½ tsp. cumin seed, toasted
• 2 Tbsp. chèvre goat cheese
• 6-8 slices beets (sliced paper thin)
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• small handful wild arugula
• extra virgin olive oil

Barbecue Chicken with Pineapple

What’s the only thing missing from that barbecue chicken pizza you always order? Pineapple. Lucky for us pineapple is in season in the spring, making it a perfect addition to this classic pizza. For an even better BBQ chicken pizza, add the sauce, then the chicken, and finally cheese over the top. Place all remaining ingredients on top of the cheese. This is also a pizza combination that works great with bacon.

Ingredients

• ¾ C. mozzarella cheese
• 1 tbsp. BBQ sauce
• 1 small chicken breast, cooked
• ¼ C. spring onion, thinly sliced
• ¼ fresh pineapple, cubed
• ¼ C. bacon (optional)

Do you have any must-try spring pizza topping ideas? If so, post them in the comment section below to share with other pizza fanatics. If you’re looking to find 'What's in Season in your Region' seasonal ingredient ideas for your area, do a quick Google search. There are plenty of resources out there for those who would like to cook seasonally. Reader beware: once you try the seasonal cooking approach, you just might not go back!