Naturally Green Pizzas for St. Patrick's Day

Jackie Alpers' green pizza for St. Patrick's Day or spring parties with pesto, peppers and micro greens, Recipe and food photography by Jackie Alpers for the Food Network.

Commissioned Food Photographer and Author

Jackie Alpers' green pizza for St. Patrick's Day or spring parties with pesto, peppers and micro greens, Recipe and food photography by Jackie Alpers for the Food Network.

Photo by: Jackie Alpers ©2015, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved

Jackie Alpers, 2015, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved

Pizza is the perfect food for entertaining — a crowd-pleaser with unlimited options for sauce, cheese and toppings. We started with one basic dough recipe and explored some creative combinations of ingredients that celebrate spring. If you’re willing to break with corned-beef-and-cabbage tradition, the naturally green pizzas are perfect for St. Patrick’s Day gatherings.

The Shishito Pepper and Pesto Pizza has dried herbs folded into the crust before rolling (fresh herbs would make the dough too wet). Add a layer of a four-cheese Italian blend on the bottom, then spoon on fresh pesto. Top with shishito peppers before baking. Consider yourself warned: Most shishito peppers are mild, but about one out of every 10 is fiery!

Jackie Alpers' Spring Entertaining made easy with homemade Pizza.  dried herbs mixed into the crust, blue cheese, grated parmesan, blanched asparagus, arugula, and avocado. Recipe and food photography by Jackie Alpers for the Food Network.

Commissioned Food Photographer and Author

Jackie Alpers' Spring Entertaining made easy with homemade Pizza. dried herbs mixed into the crust, blue cheese, grated parmesan, blanched asparagus, arugula, and avocado. Recipe and food photography by Jackie Alpers for the Food Network.

Photo by: Jackie Alpers ©2015, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved

Jackie Alpers, 2015, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved

I named this one the Woodland Fairy Pizza because it looks like tiny elves and fairies could live in it. For this very green pizza, fold dried herbs into the crust, use fresh pesto for the sauce, then sprinkle with blue cheese (it looks more green than blue), grated Parmesan and blanched asparagus. Bake, then top with arugula and avocado.

Check out six more homemade pizzas for any spring occasion (or just dinner tonight).

Jackie Alpers is an award-winning food photographer and the author of Sprinkles!: Recipes and Ideas for Rainbowlicious Desserts (Quirk Books 2013).

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