Cold Asparagus Appetizer Recipe: Mediterranean Inspired Vegetable Pizza

Throughout the month of April, we will be experimenting with a food, a new dish, a new restaurant or something relative to a given letter of the alphabet as part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. April 1st finds us visiting the letter A. Since fresh asparagus is widely available without costing an arm and a leg this month—we decided to incorporate two “a” themed food words in this post: asparagus and appetizer. Today we chose to make a Mediterranean inspired variation of the popular cream cheese and diced veggie appetizer “pizza” so common to potlucks and gatherings. While I love the original vegetable pizza with a crescent roll crust—I can never leave things well alone and I think a Greek twist is in order to go with my fresh asparagus.

Ingredients for the Mediterranean Inspired Vegetable Pizza Appetizer with Asparagus and Cream Cheese

• 1 Pkg. Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, Reduced Fat or Regular 
• 1 8 oz. Pkg. Reduced Fat Cream Cheese 
• 2 Tbsp. Light Mayonnaise (not salad dressing) 
• 1 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese 
• ¼ c. Bottled Greek Salad Dressing 
• ½ c. Black Olives, Chopped 
• ¼ c. Red Onion, Finely Chopped 
• ½ c. Fresh Tomatoes, Seeded and Finely Chopped 
• 3/4 c. Fresh Asparagus, Trimmed and chopped into ¼-1/2 inch pieces 
• 1 c. Fresh Spinach, Stems removed and torn into ribbons 
• 1/3 c. Feta Cheese, Finely Crumbled

Instructions for Mediterranean Inspired Vegetable Pizza Appetizer with Asparagus and Cream Cheese

Bake the Crescent Roll crust.   Lightly spray a 9x11 inch baking dish with cooking spray.  Unroll the crescent roll carefully onto the bottom of the baking dish, pressing the seems together to form a full rectangle.  Bake at 375 F for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool completely.

Prepare the cream cheese "sauce".  In a medium mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, mayonnaise and Greek salad dressing.  Blend either by hand or with an electric hand mixer until fully combined.  Stir in the the parmesan cheese.  Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the prepared crust.

Top the crust and cheese with chopped vegetables.  Top the cream cheese evenly with each of the chopped vegetables.  Press the vegetables down lightly into the cream cheese mixture to help the toppings stick to the crust.  Finish by sprinkling the feta cheese over the top and give one more gentle press.

Cut into squares or desired shapes with a sharp knife and serve.