How about pizza tonight? It’s laborious to beat traditional pesto pizza. This straightforward vegetarian pizza recipe is a assured crowd pleaser. It affords an irresistible mixture of contemporary, vibrant flavors from the basil pesto and tomatoes, loads of tacky mozzarella, and a effervescent crust with a satisfying chew.
This straightforward pesto pizza recipe comes collectively shortly with the assistance of your meals processor. You’ll be able to whip collectively the dough and pesto in about quarter-hour—simply wipe down the processor in between the 2 parts. For those who’re on the lookout for a brilliant easy weeknight meal that’s higher than take-out, use store-bought dough and pesto as a substitute!
Pesto Pizza Substances & Topping Choices
Right here’s what you’ll must make this pizza:
Pizza dough
As traditional, I began with my favourite Entire Wheat Pizza Dough Recipe, which is a breeze to make. I like to recommend utilizing white complete wheat flour, which is now known as Golden Entire Wheat by King Arthur, so the entire wheat taste doesn’t distract from the brilliant pesto. The recipe works with all-purpose flour, too.
Change it up: Use your favourite pizza dough recipe that yields round one pound of dough. Retailer-bought pizza dough works, too—simply comply with the bundle’s directions on letting it rise at room temperature, if needed.
Pesto
This recipe consists of directions for making basil pesto from scratch. It requires contemporary basil, pine nuts, Parmesan, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil.
Change it up: You’ll be able to substitute one other nut for the pine nuts, together with almonds, walnuts, pecans or pepitas. You too can use arugula as a substitute of basil, which is usually extra reasonably priced and simple to seek out year-round.
Mozzarella cheese
Mozzarella is ideal on pesto pizza. I beloved the outcomes with mini contemporary mozzarella balls, known as ciliegene, that are simply the proper measurement to dot your pizzas. You too can use bigger mozzarella balls, torn into one-inch items. The trick to creating nice pizzas with contemporary, water-packed mozzarella balls is to frivolously pat the cheese dry earlier than topping your pizza to keep away from extra moisture.
Change it up: You too can use grated part-skim mozzarella for scrumptious outcomes. I barely most well-liked the contemporary mozzarella’s texture and beloved seeing the pesto’s inexperienced coloration shine by means of.
Toppings
Tomatoes are the traditional alternative. I like to recommend cherry tomatoes, which aren’t too watery and customarily extra flavorful year-round. They bake up greatest on pizzas once they’re quartered lengthwise, which helps distribute them evenly throughout the pizzas and offers them ample floor space to assist roast away any extra juice.
Change it up: You’ll be able to omit the tomatoes altogether, or substitute different thinly sliced veggies like bell pepper, marinated artichoke, olives, mushrooms, or zucchini or yellow squash (reduce like this). Effectively-drained, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes would supply further taste.
Watch The best way to Make Pesto Pizza
What to Serve with Pesto Pizza
For those who’re constructing your meal round pesto pizza as your foremost course, it’s laborious to go improper. Pesto pizza enhances many different contemporary, herbed dishes. Listed below are my prime recommendations organized by class.
Extra Recipes That includes Pesto
Pesto is one among my favourite sauces! Listed below are a number of extra prime recipes with pesto on Cookie and Kate:
Please let me know the way your pesto pizza seems within the feedback. I like listening to from you.
Pesto Pizza
This traditional pesto pizza recipe options basil pesto, mozzarella and tomato! It’s straightforward to make from scratch. Retailer-bought parts work nicely, too. Recipe yields two medium pizzas.
Dough and toppings
Pesto (or substitute 1 cup store-bought)
- Preheat the oven to 500°F with a rack within the higher third of the oven. (Or, for those who’re utilizing a pizza stone, be sure it’s within the oven on the suitable rack. Seek the advice of the producer’s instructions.) Put together the pizza dough as directed, rolling the dough as thinly as doable, however don’t brush the perimeters with oil (you don’t want it for this recipe, given the pesto’s oil content material). Wipe the meals processor bowl clear and return it to the machine.
- To make the pesto: Within the meals processor, mix the basil (reserve a small handful of the prettiest smaller leaves for garnish), nuts, Parmesan, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. With the machine operating, drizzle within the olive oil. Proceed processing till the combination is nicely blended, pausing to scrape down the perimeters as needed.
- To prime the pizzas: Unfold every pizza with half of the pesto, leaving about 1 inch of empty dough across the edges. For those who’re utilizing contemporary mozzarella, drain it nicely and frivolously pat it dry on a clear tea towel or paper towels (for those who’re utilizing bigger mozzarella balls, tear them into 1-inch items). Evenly distribute half of the mozzarella and sliced tomatoes over every pizza.
- Switch one pizza (parchment paper and all) onto a baking sheet and into the oven. Bake till the crust is golden and the cheese on prime is effervescent, 8 to 12 minutes (or as few as 5 minutes if utilizing a pizza stone).
- Repeat with the remaining pizza. High every pizza with the reserved basil leaves and a lightweight sprinkle of Parmesan and pink pepper flakes, if desired. Slice and serve.
Notes
Recipe tailored from my Basil Pesto and Arugula-Almond Pesto Pizza.
Change it up: Substitute arugula for the basil. You’ll be able to omit the contemporary tomatoes or use different tender veggies, like sliced bell pepper, or you possibly can add sliced Kalamata olives or sun-dried tomatoes.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Comply with the substitutions supplied with the pizza dough recipe. Omit the mozzarella and Parmesan on this recipe. Substitute a beneficiant drizzle of Vegan Bitter Cream for the mozzarella and sprinkle Simple Vegan Parmesan Cheese on the pizza earlier than serving.
Diet
The data proven is an estimate supplied by an internet vitamin calculator. It shouldn’t be thought of an alternative to an expert nutritionist’s recommendation. See our full vitamin disclosure right here.
