Broccoli Crunch Naan Pizzas
Planning meals the week before Thanksgiving is hard business, am I right? I mean, not only do you want to avoid any and all foods that resemble the foods you’ll indulge in on Turkey Day and for leftovers for days after, but you don’t want to eat too heavy and you definitely want to do your best to clean out the fridge.
This is exactly the thought process that brought me to these glorious broccoli crunch naan pizzas I whipped up. Presented with this same dilemma to eat some dang veggies, clean out the fridge and also keep the flavor profiles unique and interesting, I perused the fridge to find ingredients on hand to make these perfect, hearty and flavor-packed naan pizzas.
It’s also not an accident that I happened to see ingredients like cashews, sundried tomatoes, pesto, butternut squash pasta sauce, broccoli and mozzarella cheese and be instantly reminded of one of my favorite pizza combinations of all time, the Lovely Rita at Vic’s Pizzeria in Olympia, Washington. If you’ve had the Lovely Rita, a pizza of sweet potatoes, mozzarella, sundried tomatoes, cashews and pesto, you can see why it reminded me of the very ingredients staring at me in my fridge just begging for some pizza action!
My naan version dubbed the broccoli crunch naan pizza is the perfect combination of savory, tangy, creamy and crunchy. You already know I’m all about the frozen naan pizza (like in my “infamous” lamb naan pizzas) because they’re the perfectly sized for individual ‘zas. Quick and easy to throw together, they make for one light yet hearty lunch on the fly - I just know you’ll be hooked!
Broccoli Crunch Naan Pizzas
Make 4 individual pizzas
Ingredients
1 head broccoli, chopped into florets
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 frozen garlic naan breads, like the Trader Joe’s brand
1/2 cup butternut squash pasta sauce
8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes
1/4 cup whole cashews
1/4 cup store-bought pesto, like the Costco brand or homemade if you’re extra!
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a baking sheet, toss broccoli florets in olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and add scoot broccoli over to the side of the pan. Spread naan in one layer on the other side of the pan and roast for another 5 minutes.
Remove from oven. Evenly spread butternut squash pasta sauce on naans followed by slices of mozzarella, roasted broccoli, sundried tomatoes and cashews. Return to oven and roast for 7-8 minutes, until cheese is melty and cashews are golden brown.
Drizzle with pesto and enjoy!
