Asparagus and Leek Pizza

This one’s utilising the whole vegetable...

Usually, when you cook asparagus and leeks, the woody ends get snapped off and discarded, but the rest is eaten together. The tougher green parts of the leek and the mid-stem sections of asparagus are full of flavour, but they rarely get a moment to shine on their own.

This recipe flips that. We’re separating the vegetables into two parts. The tender white leek bottoms and asparagus tips become the star topping. The tougher but still flavourful greens get roasted, blended with pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, and parmesan, and turned into a vibrant pesto. It’s savoury, punchy, and delicious enough to stand on its own. You’ll want to spread it on toast or swirl it through pasta.

Then we bring it all together. The dough is stretched and topped with pesto, roasted asparagus tips, and leek stems. Once baked, it’s finished with more pine nuts, a squeeze of lemon, and a shower of parmesan. The result is fresh, green, and deeply satisfying.

If you’ve been following along with the dough journey, you already know the base. If not, I shared my full Neapolitan pizza dough tutorial in Cooking Challenge #1. You can also find it here:

Full Dough Tutorial

---

Why This Pizza Works

This is a classic use-everything recipe. It shows how you can treat vegetables with care and end up with something that feels special - not by buying better ingredients, but by respecting the ones you already have. The stems, the tops, they all become part of the story.

It also happens to taste fantastic.

---

Ingredients

For the pesto:

• 150g asparagus stems

• 150g baby leek greens (the darker tops)

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 30g parmesan (optional)

• Juice of 1 lemon

• ½ tsp minced garlic

• 100g pine nuts

• Salt and pepper to taste

For the topping:

• 150g asparagus tips

• 150g baby leek whites (the pale bottom parts)

• Olive oil

• Salt and pepper

To finish:

• Extra pine nuts

• Parmesan

• Lemon juice

---

Technique to Focus On: Roasting the Greens

Roasting the asparagus stems and leek tops is what gives the pesto its richness. You want them tender and golden - not burnt, not raw. Keep the oven hot (around 220°C), and give them space on the tray so they don’t steam.

The pesto should be thick but smooth. If it feels too stiff, add a splash of water or another spoon of olive oil to loosen it.

---