5:30 challenge -- green and white pizza

Green-and-White Pizza

To make the meal

Tomato Salad

By C. W. Cameron For the AJC

Here’s another idea for making your own pizza in less time than it takes to pick one up or have it delivered. Tucker resident Kate Galatas created this pizza while thinking of a way to use up the bounty of zucchini from her garden. Adding the avocado was a spur-of-the-moment inspiration. She loved this version, and her husband did, too. Her sons, however, were not so fond of the result, so the rest of the pizza went to the office to be enjoyed there.

Pizza dough is available in a number of different forms. Galatas used the par-baked pizza rounds that can be found in the dairy case of most supermarkets, but you can also find pizza dough in the canned dough section of the dairy case. Publix and Trader Joe’s sell balls of pizza dough as well. We tested this recipe with a round of whole wheat pizza dough.

Galatas makes her own pesto from the basil that grows alongside her zucchini. In her food processor she combines a big handful of basil leaves with a little garlic and some olive oil. She adds 1/4 cup pine nuts and 1/4 cup parmesan and processes the ingredients until smooth. Any extra goes into the refrigerator for another use.

Take the 5:30 Challenge. If you have a great-tasting main-dish recipe that uses no more than five ingredients and can be made in 30 minutes or less, tell us. (Salt, pepper, water and oil for greasing a pan don’t need to be included in the ingredient count.) You can also suggest a side dish if it can be made within the same time. Send recipes with your name, address and phone number to fivethirty@ajc.com.

Green-and-White Pizza

Hands on: 10 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes

Serves: 4

1 12-inch pre-made whole wheat pizza crust

1/2 cup pesto

1 zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds

1 avocado, diced

1 cup (4 ounces) pizza cheese

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place pizza round on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Spread pesto evenly over dough to within 1/2 inch of edge. Scatter zucchini and avocado over pesto and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until edges brown. Remove from oven. Cool slightly before serving.

Per serving: 656 calories (percent of calories from fat, 46), 22 grams protein, 67 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 34 grams fat (10 grams saturated), 34 milligrams cholesterol, 1,156 milligrams sodium.