Broccoli Almond Pizza

This pizza is reminiscent of my favorite one to order in college, a white garlic sauced pizza topped with copious quantities of mozzarella, roasted garlic, toasted almonds, broccoli and grilled chicken. I had never heard of it before and thought it weird the first time I ordered it, but it sounded good at 2am after 15 hours in the art building. Ordering it once made it my favorite and the stand-by pizza when I needed a quick meal that didn’t taste like pizza. This version is a good bit lighter, intentionally, using less cheese, less sauce and a whole wheat crust. The whole wheat goes well with the garlic and broccoli, the toasted almonds add a savory crunch to the creamy garlicky-ness that takes it over the edge into swoon territory. All in all, it’s an excellent new variation to try for pizza nights, and one that allows you to pile on fresh broccoli with few complaints.

The addition of bacon salt is a recent one, as I only recently discovered the product and I love the smoky, salty note it lends to this pizza without the greasiness of actual bacon. As bacon salt is vegetarian, it also keeps the pizza meat free. A word on using bacon salt too liberally–I have seen kids lick it off the table when it’s spilled. And one adult. Be prepared. As bacon salt is a flavored salt, you might want to be the one adding it to smaller kids’ meals who may confuse it with bacon bits and the like–it’s easy to overdo with enthusiasm.

Broccoli Almond Pizza

Ingredients:
1 16oz pre-made pizza dough (whole wheat preferred)
cornmeal, for sprinkling
2 tablespoons garli aioli OR 2 tablespoons light mayonaise mixed with 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic paste and a half teaspoon lemon juice OR one of the foil cups of garlic butter that comes with takeout pizza/breadsticks
1/4 cup slivered almonds or 1/4 cup canned whole roasted almonds, smashed into pieces
1 scant cup shredded mozzarella
1 1-pound broccoli crown, florets removed and stems chopped fine
roasted garlic cloves (optional)
ground chili flakes (optional)
bacon salt (optional, recommended)

Directions:
Prepare dough according to package directions, spreading into a thin and even layer in your pan. Sprinkle pan with cornmeal before spreading dough if using a cookie sheet instead of a pizza stone or non-stick pan. Spread garlic mayonnaise or butter all over crust in a very thin layer and sprinkle almonds over top. Layer on about half the cheese, then the broccoli stems, then the florets, then the remaining cheese. Dress lightly with chili flakes or chopped roasted garlic if using and sprinkle lightly with bacon salt all over. Bake according to package directions. This is beyond excellent served with grape tomatoes on the side.

Options:
You could sprinkle this very lightly with feta or bleu cheese, or use bleu cheese dressing as the sauce.
Optional toppings to include would be grilled chicken slices, thin sliced red onions or chopped black or kalamata olives. Bacon would also go well, but you can skip it if you have and use the bacon salt. And seriously, pile on as much fresh broccoli as you can stand, just chop the stems or you’ll have hard chunks. Do not even think about using frozen broccoli in this or you’ll end up with a soggy mess instead of crunchy pizza.