Bacon, Egg + Asparagus Personal Pizzas

Bacon, Egg + Asparagus Personal Pizzas.

May 10, 2012

Let’s talk pizza night.

Or in my case, pizza night(S).

Because the guy in my life likes to keep things PLAIN and, well… plain, pizza night can’t be like, “fun” pizza night. There can be no fontina portobello pizza or apple bacon pizza or stuffed crust pizza or thai chicken pizza. There can be no crazy cheeses or non-meat toppings and certainly nothing sacrilegious like fruit or balsamic glaze. We can have the traditional mozzarella, with way too much sauce, an obnoxious amount of pepperoni, and maybe if we’re lucky, provolone and roasted red peppers. Oh, and these days it can only be made on a garlic bread crust. Because it is so necessary to drench your carbs in additional butter once a week.

I don’t really blame him though. As much as I love crazy-face pizza flavors, true pizza to me will always consist of piles of stringy melty, gooey cheese, sauce and crunchy crust. I’ve never been wild about pepperoni but I don’t throw a tantrum and will simply pick it off if I’m not feeling it. But sometimes I eat it. Most times I’m indecisive. All the time I’m a rather huge pain in the ass to live with. I even feel that way about myself.

The thing is? I want that traditional version of pizza once a week too. Well, frankly, I could probably eat it thrice a week. Whatever. But traditional? It’s comfort. It’s home. It makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Quite literally too.

So… now we just have to have pizza nightS. With a big, fat S. Because what I love almost as much as that traditional meal is creating fantastic, sometimes weird and delectable pizzas with an array of flavors. It’s like there are endless options to experiment with and for an impatient, always bored and scattered food obsessed freak, that is music to my ears.

This pizza could be eaten for breakfast, but since I’m elbow deep in a serious egg obsession, which I like to refer to as my eggsession, I made it for lunch. Seriously, it’s taking all my willpower to not consume like six poached eggs a day. [Gah. So good!] I love the versatility of eggs and how they instantly add great flavor and texture to different foods. I’m on my way out with asparagus, but roasted to perfection with cheese on bread is somewhat doable at this moment in my life. And crispy bacon? Well, that’s self explanatory. Duh.

Bacon, Egg + Asparagus Personal Pizzas

makes 4 small pizzas

1 batch garlic bread pizza dough (I didn’t add the garlic or spices, but you can if you want!)

4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped

1/2 red onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup freshly grated fontina cheese

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

4 large eggs

8 asparagus spears, stems removed and chopped into pieces

Make dough as directed, then separate it into four equal balls. Roll or press each ball into a small circle, pressing down slightly more in the center to create a little “dent” – this is where the egg will go and it will help keep it from rolling off the dough. Place dough on a nonstick baking sheet.

While the dough is rising, heat a small skillet over medium heat and add bacon. Cook until just somewhat crispy and fat is rendered, then remove bacon with a slotted spoon and let drain on a paper towel. Reduce heat to low and add onion, cooking until soft, about 5 minutes. Add in garlic and cook for another 30 seconds, then remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix cheeses together in a bowl.

Brush each pizza with olive oil, then cover with a sprinkling of cheese. Add a few spoonfuls of the onion + garlic, bacon, then place a few pieces of asparagus on each pizza. I placed mine in somewhat of a box around the center to help hold in the egg. Crack the egg and gently place it in the center. Some of the white will roll down the sides and that is completely fine! Top with a bit more cheese and some fresh black pepper.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until egg is cooked to your liking and cheese is golden.