This Vegan Puff Pastry Pizza with Kale Pesto and Asparagus is an easy trick I use to make us all eat our veggies, a ton of them, all piled on to one, crunchy, decadent, basically no-work crust.
The puff pastry pizza base is loaded with, you guessed it, kale, asparagus, and juicy, ripe, perfectly delicious cherry tomatoes. You could call this a minimalist pizza because all you really need is to get the puff pastry out of the box and chop a few veggies. The kale pesto requires a small amount of effort, but only if you think throwing things into a food processor and pressing a button is work. I do. 😉
I love anything asparagus, and it is a particular favorite pizza topping in our house. There’s nothing as delicious as roasted asparagus, and you don’t even need to do anything to it. Or to the tomatoes. And the kale pesto is as basic as it gets. Put some blanched kale with walnuts and garlic in the food processor, give it a whirl, and you have a delicious, healthful sauce to slather on your pizza and provide the perfect spicy, pungent, herby complement for the nutty asparagus and the sweet tomatoes.
This Vegan Puff Pastry Pizza with Kale Pesto and Asparagus is one of our favorite weekend dinners, after an afternoon of eating too much at lunch or working in the yard or running errands or doing one of those many things the weekend sometimes bogs you down with. It is light, fresh, bright, and it fills you up with so much vegetable goodness, you don’t have to go to bed feeling a tug at your waist or your conscience. Bonus: the puff pastry makes this recipe super kid-friendly.
If you’re a DIY kind of person, you can try making your own puff pastry, with my recipe for a vegan puff pastry here. But most store-bought puff pastry is also vegan, and I often just prefer getting it off the shelf. One of the advantages of making your own puff pastry is that you can make it whole-wheat. Follow my recipe but sub half the all-purpose flour for whole wheat.
I won’t keep you waiting any longer. Go on and try this recipe for my colorful Vegan Puff Pastry Pizza with Kale Pesto and Asparagus this summer, and if you do, let me know how it turned out for you.
- 1 puff pastry sheet, thawed (storebought is good, but see recipe notes for link to make your own)
- 10-15 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 12 asparagus spears, tough ends trimmed, then cut in half
- 8 leaves kale, trimmed of tough stems and thoroughly washed (I used Lacinato or Tuscan kale, but any variety is fine)
- 1/4 cup walnuts, lightly roasted
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (optional)
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional -- I didn't use any this time)
- Salt to taste
Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the kale leaves, press them down, and cover. Let the leaves cook for two minutes, then immediately strain out the water. Dry the leaves as thoroughly as possible with a kitchen towel, and place them in the food processor.
Add the rest of the pesto ingredients to the food processor and process into a coarse paste.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to an approximately 9 X 12 inch rectangle. Transfer to a baking sheet.
Fold over the edges of the puff pastry once, to create a 1/2-inch border.
Smear on the pesto in a thin layer. Then arrange the asparagus stalks and cherry tomatoes on the pizza.
Place in the hot oven for 20 minutes or until the edges of the pastry are golden and crackling.
Remove from the oven, cut and serve.
- Here's my recipe for a homemade puff pastry. To make this whole wheat, simply sub half the all purpose flour with whole wheat.
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More easy and kid-friendly dinners:
Curry Glazed Carrot Tofu Tacos
Sprouted Mung Bean Burger with Mint Cilantro Chutney
My four-year-old daughter is going to love this. I even have some asparagus in the refrigerator. Thanks for this recipe, Vaishali, the pizza looks colorful and gorgeous.
Thanks, Andrea, hope your daughter — and you — love it. 🙂