Broccolini Pizza

This Broccolini Pizza is made with broccolini in a cherry tomato white wine butter sauce with shallot, sage, and garlic and baked on a thin Neapolitan-style pizza crust.

I have made this dish dozens of times in lots of different variations both for my family, as well as for friends coming over for pizza night. I provide all the step-by-step directions and photos below and a few tips and tricks to ensure a delicious pizza night!

The broccolini topping is so versatile that you can use it as a side or even as a main dish if you add in some protein, like chicken sausages, or over pasta in this Pasta with Pancetta and Peas.

Pizza is one of our go-to family and entertaining meals, and we love to try lots of different variations. One of my favorites is this Grandma Pie Pizza which is made on a sheet pan and serves a crowd. Super easy for entertaining.

For a fun pizza-making night when the focus is on a deliciously chewy crust with all sorts of toppings my go-to pizza dough recipe is this Poolish Pizza Dough. It’s the closest that you’ll get to eating Naples-style pizza at home. Make it with this Broccolini Pizza Topping or one of my other favorites Potato and Rosemary Pizza.

Jump to:

• Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• Broccolini Topping Ingredients
• Substitutions and Variations
• Pizza Dough
• Tomato Sauce:
• How to Make Broccolini Pizza
• Recipe Tips
• How to Serve, Store, Reheat
• If you're interested in more Italian recipes, check these out:
• Broccolini Pizza

Broccolini Topping Ingredients

Below are the ingredients needed to make the Broccolini Pizza.

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Choose extra virgin olive oil, which has more flavor compared with regular olive oil. I am partial to Spanish olive oils having lived in Spain for two years. It’s a high-quality product often overlooked in the US but is frequently exported to Italy and used in Italian olive oils. It can be found at Trader Joe's and Costco.
• Broccolini: Also known as baby broccoli or tenderstem broccoli, it has smaller florets than standard broccoli and a long thin stem. I prefer it over standard broccoli.
• Shallot, Sage, and Garlic: Each adds a layer of flavor to the sauce creating depth.
• Cherry Tomatoes: The juices from the halved cherry tomatoes combined with the white wine and butter create the most delicious sauce. Use roughly a pound of tomatoes, but a little more or less won’t hurt. Feel free to use grape tomatoes if those are easier to find.
• White Wine: Choose a dry white wine that you wouldn’t also mind drinking. Or if you prefer, leave out the wine and use chicken stock as a substitute.
• Butter: It’s fine to use salted butter here.
• Mozzarella: Low-moisture mozzarella is preferable but fresh mozzarella will work too. Fresh mozzarella will add more moisture to the pizza, which already has plenty from the sauce. While using fresh mozzarella will still taste delicious, the crust may soften from the added water content.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

Substitutions

Below are a few variations you may consider when making the pizza.

• Broccolini: Broccoli or asparagus.
• Cherry Tomatoes: Any small red tomato will work, like a grape tomato.
• Shallot: A small amount of minced yellow onion.
• Garlic, Sage: If you don't have either of these, leave it out and continue with the recipe.
• White Wine: Either leave it out or add a little bit of chicken stock
• Mozzarella: If you do not have low-moisture mozzarella, try fresh mozzarella, or I find that Monterrey Jack can be a good substitute in a pinch.

Variations:

Here are a few different topping variations that you might like to try:

• Broccoli Rabe
• Butternut Squash
• Crumbled Italian Sausage
• Prosciutto
• Ricotta
• Pesto

Pizza Dough

For this recipe, I love to use my favorite Poolish Pizza Dough. This dough requires advanced planning. You’ll need to create a starter the night before (super simple, using instant yeast), and spend a small amount of time working the dough (10 minutes) and an hour or two for the dough to rise. The work is well worth the payoff if you can manage it with your schedule.

Otherwise, choose your favorite store-bought pizza dough, or consider asking your local pizza shop if they will sell you some dough!

Tomato Sauce:

If you want an extra saucy pizza, make a quick easy tomato sauce by combining a 28oz can of San Marzano tomatoes (look for a can that is imported from Italy), 2 peeled cloves of garlic, and ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil in a blender. Add a thin layer of sauce on the pizza dough, then add the mozzarella cheese and the broccolini topping.

I have made this recipe both with the San Marzano tomato sauce in addition to the broccolini topping and without. Both ways are great, so the tomato sauce is completely optional. It’s a great sauce if you want to give it a shot and you have the time and ingredients.

If you’re only making a couple of pizzas you’ll have plenty of leftover sauce. It is great to freeze and use for another pizza night. After thawing the sauce, toss it back in a blender to emulsify it. This helps to create a smooth sauce after some separation occurs when freezing.

How to Make Broccolini Pizza

Below are the step-by-step photos and instructions for how to make Broccolini Pizza.

Step 1. Broccolini: Bring a large saute pan to medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and allow to warm through. Add the broccolini and cook, stirring occasionally for 3-5 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Step 2. Cherry Tomatoes: Add an additional tablespoon of olive oil if needed, then add the cherry tomatoes cut side down if possible. Allow to sear undisturbed in the pan for 2-3 minutes.

Step 3. Add the shallot and sage and stir, cooking for another 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Step 4. Add the white wine and simmer until a good amount of the liquid has evaporated, then add the butter.

Step 5. Add the broccolini back to the pan and toss to combine and warm through.

Step 6. To prepare the dough for the toppings: Press down on the center of the dough and slightly outwards. Flip the dough and repeat on the other side.

Step 7. Creating the Crust: Continue to use your hands to press the dough outwards pushing the air into the crust and pinching the crust closed to seel in the air bubbles.

Step 8. Stretch the dough on the back of your fists, turning as you go to create a round pizza dough roughly the size of your pizza peel.

Step 9. Pizza Peel: Dust the pizza peel with flour (don't be skimpy with the flour, but keep in mind that if you add too much, the flour will burn under the pizza). The flour will make it easy to slide the pizza off the peel and onto the pizza stone. Place the pizza dough on the peel such that one inch of dough hangs off the side of the peel. This will help you "catch" the edge of the dough on the back edge of the pizza stone and slide the pizza off onto the pizza stone.

Step 10: Assemble the pizza by layering first the shredded cheese and broccolini topping. You can also add a small drizzle of olive oil on top. (If using the optional tomato sauce add the tomato sauce first, then cheese, then broccolini topping.)

Step 11. Bake in a fully preheated oven at 550℉ for 6-8 minutes. Remove the pizza using tongs to pull the pizza back onto the pizza peel.

Recipe Tips

• Broccolini Florets: Choose broccolini florets that have not yet opened. When they open you can start to see the yellow flowers. If the florets have started to open, that’s fine too. You can still use them.
• Cooking the Broccolini: Set kitchen timers when cooking the broccolini topping. The broccolini only needs to cook for a few minutes and it’s easy to lose track of that timing and overdo it. The same is true for garlic, which can burn easily if not watched.
• Pizza Dough: When shaping the pizza dough, create an air bubble-filled crust by pressing the air from the center of the dough outwards and pinching it into the crust.
• Preheating: Preheat the oven to the highest it will go for an hour before baking if possible.
• Using a Baking Sheet: If you do not have a pizza stone, reduce the temperature to 450℉ and use a baking sheet. Most baking sheets are not designed to handle heat above 450℉. Bake the pizza for longer for roughly 10-12 minutes.
• Assembling the Pizza: Use flour or cornmeal to dust the pizza peel. Cornmeal and whole wheat flour are grittier than regular flour which makes it easier for the dough to slide. This enables you to slide the pizza onto the pizza stone.
• Pizza Peel: Hang 1 inch of dough off the edge of the pizza peel (if you do not have a pizza peel you can use the underside of a baking sheet (i.e. flip over the baking sheet so the rim is not in the way).
• Baking the Pizza: Carefully reach the pizza peel into the oven towards the back of the pizza stone. Be careful not to burn yourself on the oven. Place the 1-inch hanging crust down at the back of the pizza peel and slowly inch by inch slide the pizza peel out, such that the pizza glides onto the stone.
• Removing the Pizza: Once fully baked use tongs to help pull the pizza back onto the pizza peel. Allow to cool slightly before cutting.

How to Serve, Store, Reheat

To Serve: Allow the pizza to cool slightly then use a pizza wheel or a sharp knife to cut into slices. Serve immediately with a fresh salad, a glass of wine, or just on its own.

To Store: Place any leftover pizza slices on a plate, layered with wax paper if needed, and cover in plastic wrap. Store in the fridge for up to a week.

To Reheat: Preheat the oven to 450℉ and bake the leftover slices for 5-8 minutes on the pizza stone or on a baking sheet.

If you're interested in more Italian recipes, check these out:

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