When in doubt, make pizza. I’m pretty sure that’s my #1 motto. And believe me, it nevvver fails. Max and I were feeling a tasty treat to go with beer over the holidays, and a cremini pizza with pesto, ricotta cheese, and an extra thin crust was just the ticket. We usually buy Boboli crust, but while browsing Hy Vee, I came across a new brand of premade pizza crusts: Golden Home Ultra Crispy, Ultra Thin. They come in a pack of three, and they’re exactly as the title states: crispy and thin! We used our pizza stone and it crisped right up. And with a dark holiday beer, this pizza was Ultra Delicious, too.
With so many fancy, time-consuming recipes around the holidays, this recipe is a nice change of pace for a quick and tasty meal. If you’re staying in for New Year’s, whip up a pizza or two to ring in 2013. It’ll be worth it, promise 
Cremini-Pesto Pizza
Ingredients:
- 1 thin pizza crust
- Olive oil
- 1 pkg cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1/4 cup sliced shallots
- 1 T garlic, minced
- 2 Balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese (or enough to spread over the crust)
- 1/2 cup pesto (or enough to lightly cover the crust)
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Baste pizza crust with olive oil; set aside.
- In a medium skillet, saute mushrooms, shallots, and garlic in 1 T olive oil over medium heat until mushrooms are tender and slightly browned. Add balsamic vinegar, reduce heat, and simmer until liquid evaporates.
- Spread a layer of pesto, then a layer of ricotta onto the pizza crust. Top with mushroom mixture, and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top. Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until crust is crisp and cheese is melted.
It looks so cheesy and delicious! I love pesto, and this looks like a fun and creative use for it, other than on pasta!