I just came across a bunch of recipes for pizza that do not make use of any tomato sauce so I have wanted to give some of them a try. Sean loves pizza but he does not like a lot of sauce, so making no sauce pizzas is a great option for them. honestly, I find the sauce on a lot pizza overpowering and too acidic for my tastes anyway, so making some pizza without sauce seems like a good idea to me. This recipe from Williams-Sonoma is for a pancetta, asparagus and goat cheese pizza that I adapted for our own purposes since I did not have any pancetta or goat cheese on hand. Bacon substitutes for the pancetta here and I used mozzarella and Parmesan instead of goat cheese for the  cheese.

Pancetta, Asparagus & Goat Cheese Pizza

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 ounces pancetta or bacon, minced

Pinch red pepper flakes

1 bunch slender asparagus, ends trimmed

1 pound Food processor pizza dough or store-bought pizza dough

Cornmeal, for dusting

6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

4 scallions, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced

1/4 pound soft, fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Parmesan cheese

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a medium skillet over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the pancetta or bacon and the red pepper flakes. Saute until the pancetta is browned, about 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat. Cut each asparagus spear into 3 pieces and then cut the thick ends of the asparagus in half lengthwise. Place the asparagus in a small bowl. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and toss the asparagus to coat.

Roll out the pizza dough on a lightly floured work surface to an 11 or 12-inch oval or round. Sprinkle a rimless baking sheet with the  cornmeal. Transfer the pizza dough to the baking sheet. Brush the dough with some of the pancetta cooking oil and the sprinkle the pancetta mixture onto the pizza. Spread the mozzarella cheese over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch plain edge. Sprinkle the scallions and then the goat cheese over the mozzarella cheese. Arrange the asparagus over the pizza. Grate some Parmesan cheese over the asparagus then season the pizza with salt and pepper to taste.

Place the pizza in the oven and bake the pizza until the asparagus is tender and the edges of the crust are brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer the pizza to a cutting board and let the pizza stand for 5 minutes before cutting it into small wedges or pieces and serve.

The pizza had some great flavor from the bacon and asparagus. I loved the asparagus; it had the same roasted flavor I get when I roast it in the oven and the mix with the bacon and just a hint of red pepper flakes and scallions was perfect. This makes a great appetizer dish, a snack for watching the game or just for something different on Fridays for pizza night. You could easily leave off the pancetta or bacon altogether and make it a vegetarian pie.

That’s all I have for today. Check back tomorrow for another recipe. There’s still lots of good stuff to come. I am trying a beef stroganoff recipe tonight that I’ll be sharing soon too. until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!