Flatbread Pizza With Spinach Pesto, Roasted Tomtoes & Balsamic Glaze

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I love flatbread pizzas. They’re great for any meal. Weather it be a quick weekday meal, a relaxed weekend lunch or as an appetizer for a family or friend get together, they are the perfect bite to satisfy anyone. You can make flatbread pizzas in a variety of ways. You can make a regular pizza with sauce and cheese or spice it up by using different cheeses and pesto’s.

Now I have made them in a variety of ways but my absolute favorite way to make them is with a spinach pesto. I have tried them with a regular basil pesto, which is still delicious, but there is something about spinach pesto that keeps me coming back for more.

The health benefits between spinach and basil are not significant. They are both high in vitamins, they both contain dietary fiber ( although spinach has a little more fiber then basil )and they both contain protein ( a little more in basil then spinach ). So either way its a good choice.

It is common to add toasted pine nuts to traditional basil pesto. For spinach pesto, I like the nutty flavor of toasted walnuts. Both pine nuts and walnut are good for you. They both contain healthy fats, fiber, vitamins and minerals. I just find that walnuts are a better accompaniment to the spinach. If you prefer pine nuts that would work as well.

As for the rest. A good olive oil, some peeled garlic and some grated pecorino Romano cheese makes this pesto perfect.

When I make pesto, I always make extra. I place whatever pesto I don’t use in a small sealed zip lock bag and I store it in the freezer so that it is always available to me, even on those busy nights.

So, back to the actual Flatbread Pizza. There is a recipe on my blog for the actual flat breads. It’s super easy. That is going to be the first thing you should do. As with my pesto, I always make extra and store in the freezer between parchment paper and placed in a zip lock bag so they are always available to me. So weather your making them from scratch or defrosting them, just place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and set aside.

Pre heat oven to 350º. On another baking sheet lined with parchment, place grape tomatoes. Puncture each one with a knife so that they don’t pop in the oven while they are cooking. Coat the tomatoes with olive oil, then sprinkle with granulated garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and place in a pre heated oven. Bake tomatoes for about 20 to 30 minutes or until wrinkled and slightly browned. Remove from oven and set aside.

In the mean time peel and slice the red onions and place in a large frying pan. I know it seems like a lot of onions but remember when onions cook they melt down. Once the onions are caramelized pour the apple juice into the pan to deglaze and cook until juice is completely absorbed.

While the onions are cooking make your pesto. Wash and dry spinach and place in a bowl of a food processor. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil and pulse until a paste. Add garlic, toasted walnuts and pecorino Romano cheese and blend until completely combined.

Smear the pesto onto your flatbreads. Add sautéed onions, roasted tomatoes and mozzarella. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and bake in oven at 400º for 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to brown. Remove from oven, drizzle with a balsamic glaze and top with fresh basil. Serve as individual pizzas or cut up and serve as an appetizer.

Flatbread Pizza With Spinach Pesto, Roasted Tomatoes & Balsamic Glaze

Ingredients:

For Spinach Pesto:

  • I Box spinach washed and dried
  • 2 Cloves garlic
  • 1 to 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 Cup pecorino romano cheese
  • 1/4 Cup toasted walnuts

Instructions:

  1. Place spinach in the bowl of a food processor. Place the lid on and pulse until pulverized. With the processor running drizzle in olive oil until a paste forms.
  2. Add garlic cloves, toasted walnuts and grated cheese and process until smooth.

Flatbread Pizza:

Ingredients:

  1. Flatbreads ( click here for that recipe)
  2. Spinach pesto ( recipe above )
  3. 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  4. 2 Pints grape tomatoes
  5. 4 Medium red onions
  6. 1/4 Cup apple juice
  7. 1 1/2 Cup mozzarella chopped into small pieces
  8. Balsamic glaze
  9. 1/2 Teaspoon granulated garlic
  10. 1/2 Teaspoon dried thyme
  11. 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
  12. Salt
  13. Pepper
  14. Fresh basil for serving

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place washed tomatoes onto baking sheet. Puncture each tomato with a knife so they don’t pop while cooking. Coat tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, granulated garlic and dried thyme. Toss tomatoes to evenly coat and place them in the oven to cook for 25 to 30 minutes or until wrinkled and slightly browned. Remove from oven and set aside.
  2. Peel and slice red onions and place in a large frying pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté on medium for 30 to 35 minutes or until caramelized. Once onions are caramelized add apple juice to deglaze the pan. Continue cooking until all the liquid is absorbed.
  3. Raise the oven temperature to 400º. Place flatbreads on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Spread spinach pesto on each one. Top with caramelized onions, roasted tomatoes and mozzarella. Sprinkle Italian seasoning on top and place in pre heated oven. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and has slightly browned. Remove pizzas from oven and drizzle with balsamic glaze and top with fresh basil then serve.
  4. Enjoy