Yesterday was my day off and I was thinking about pizza again. But I had a bunch of leftover rice in my fridge which was going to be my plan for an easy dinner since I was working on a few projects at home. And, since I was the only one here, I didn’t want to spend forever cooking.
But that pizza thing . . . it just wouldn’t go away.
Then a brilliant idea came to me and I got my pizza and ate my rice too . . .
Instead of making traditional pizza dough, I made a crust with the leftover rice. Let me just tell ya, it was reeaaallly good!
My rice had Eggplant Caponata mixed in with it but you can use just plain cooked rice of any kind.
I had 4 cups of cooked rice. You really don’t have to use that much. You could probably get away with 2 cups but I wanted the “deep dish” effect.
I added one egg . . .
and about 1/2 to 2/3 cup grated fresh mozzarella cheese. Yes it is possible to grate fresh mozzarella. Just put it in the freezer for a few minutes to firm it up a bit.
Mix it all together.
Pour 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 10 inch cast iron skillet and coat the inside of the pan.
Then press the rice mixture into the skillet bringing it up the sides. Turn the burner on and cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat.
I had some pesto I had made and frozen into 1/3 cup portions last garden season.
So I thawed 1/3 cup.
Then spread it over the bottom of the rice.
I took some pepper rings out of the freezer to thaw. These were also from last seasons garden. . . .
and sliced up some fresh baby bella mushrooms.
Then I threw them all on top the pesto.
I also had some cooked shrimp in the freezer. I don’t very often buy cooked shrimp, but around the holidays there was such a great sale on them I couldn’t pass it up.
I took a handful of shrimp out of the bag, defrosted them and removed the tails.
Then tossed them on top of the veggies.
I grated up some Romano cheese. . . and more mozzarella cheese . . .
and sprinkled that over the shrimp.
Then put the whole skillet into a 400 degree oven for about 10 more minutes or until the cheese is melted and toppings are hot.
Viola!
It went really well with my glass of Sauvignon Blanc!
You can put any toppings you like on your rice pizza crust. But I have an affinity for shrimp pesto pizza and I was not disappointed!
Here’s the printable recipe below:
Shrimp Pesto Pizza in a Rice Crust
For the crust:
- 4 cups cooked rice (you may use less if you don’t want the “pan pizza” effect)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 to 2/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1-2 Tbsp olive oil to coat the skillet
Mix together and spread into an oiled cast iron skillet. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add toppings.
For the toppings:
- 1/3 cup pesto
- bell pepper rings
- sliced fresh mushrooms
- frozen cooked shrimp thawed and tails removed
- 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
- 1/2 to 2/3 cup grated fresh mozzarella cheese
You may use the desired amount of any of the above toppings just remember that the more you put in the skillet the longer it will take to bake.
Spread pesto over the rice “crust”. top pesto with veggies, shrimp, and cheese.
Bake at 400 degrees F for about 10 minutes or until toppings are hot and cheese is melted.
Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes before cutting into the pizza.
Enjoy!
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