Pesto Pizza
A family favorite, Pesto Pizza has layers of delicious flavors, starting with a chewy crust, herby pesto, salty cheese, and fresh tomato slices!
Great summer eats include light and flavorful yet filling dishes, and Pesto Pizza checks all those boxes and more! We all know that pizza is perfect every day of the week, but slicing juicy tomatoes, using fresh ingredients to make homemade pesto to top a quick and easy pizza crust, and then sprinkling shredded mozzarella over the entire thing is a summer night’s dream!
Impresto Pesto
When you’re checking the fridge and unsure what to make, the answer is always pizza. You can’t go wrong with pizza and it’s always a family favorite! Summer is the best time to stock up on fresh ingredients to make staples like homemade pesto, and one of the most delicious ways to enjoy pesto is on Pesto Pizza! Knead a simple pizza dough in minutes and top it with bright and herby pesto, large tomato slices, and creamy mozzarella cheese for a meal that tastes like summer all year!
Make pizza an all-day event, starting with a savory and easy-to-make Breakfast Pizza and then creating a layered sweet Brownie Fruit Pizza for dessert!
Other Recipes to Serve with Pesto Pizza
- The Best Ever Pizza Sauce is exactly what this sauce is- the best! Create a batch of this sauce for all your pizzas and breadsticks and never return to the store-bought stuff!
- Easy Veggie Pizza is the most sneaky pizza of them all. Loaded with crisp, fresh vegetables layered on a cream cheese topping, this pizza is irresistible, and once you have a bite, you can’t stop eating!
Ingredients
Dough: Start with this Easy Peasy Pizza Dough Breadstick recipe to make the crust and make some optional breadsticks to enjoy with your pizza!
Pantry Items: Whip up fresh Homemade Pesto Sauce using garlic, basil, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, and olive oil for not only this pizza but a variety of pesto dishes. Be sure to check out the recipe for freezing this sauce to make it last for all your pesto needs! You will also need a little olive oil and cornmeal for this recipe.
Cheese: Pick up your favorite fresh mozzarella to shred for this pizza.
Veggies: Grab a large tomato to slice and top your pizza.
How to Make Pesto Pizza
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Create the dough by following the recipe for the Easy Peasy Pizza Dough. Sprinkle cornmeal over the pizza pan or pizza stone, stretch the dough until it is 12 inches wide or has the thickness you prefer, and lay it on the pizza pan.
STEP TWO: Spread pesto sauce over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Brush the edges with a light coating of olive oil.
STEP THREE: Spread the mozzarella cheese over the pizza and top with slices of tomato.
STEP FOUR: Bake the pizza for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Allow the pizza to cool briefly before topping it with fresh basil and digging in.
Tips for Success
- Fresh, full-fat mozzarella cheese melts wonderfully on pizza, but if you can’t find any, grating a block of mozzarella cheese instead is a great option.
- If you’re craving this delicious pizza but don’t have time to make all of the homemade options, simply pick up your favorite crust and/or pesto at the store to use instead.
- Leftovers can be stored covered in the fridge for up to three days. Enjoy the pizza cold or warm it in the microwave for 30 seconds or in the oven, baking until warm.
What goes well with pesto on pizza?
The herby brightness of pesto pairs deliciously well with various pizza toppings! Any veggie that you can think of, such as sliced red onion, olives, artichoke hearts, bell peppers, and more, is a perfect addition to pesto pizza. You can add feta cheese or parmesan, along with mozzarella, which is great with pesto. This pesto pizza recipe is a jumping-off point where you can pair all your favorite veggies and more with yummy pesto!
Do you put pesto on a pizza before or after cooking it?
When you make pesto pizza or even look at pictures, I bet the first thing that catches your eye is how delicious the pesto looks, bubbling up from beneath the cheese. To achieve this tasty picture, you must layer some pesto sauce on the pizza before baking. Layer the cheese and veggies over the sauce, then bake the pizza to help the ingredients and flavors melt and mingle for ultimate pizza perfection.slice
More Delicious Pizza Ideas!
*This post originally posted on 06/06/2015.
Pesto Pizza
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Easy Peasey Pizza Dough
- ¼ cup cornmeal
- ¼ cup pesto sauce (homemade or store-bought)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound fresh mozzarella sliced then torn into pieces
- 1 large tomato sliced
- Fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Sprinkle the cornmeal onto a pizza pan or pizza stone. (This prevents the dough from sticking. )
- Prepare 1 batch of Easy Peasey Pizza Dough according to the recipe. Using your hands, stretch the dough into a 12-inch circle or your desired thickness. Lay dough onto the prepared pizza pan.
- Spread the pesto sauce over the pizza dough, being sure to leave a 1-inch border around the edge. Brush the dough border with olive oil.
- Spread the pieces of mozzarella cheese evenly over the pesto sauce. Then layer the tomatoes evenly around the top.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and golden and the crust is browned.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and allow it to cool for 2-3 minutes before cutting it into 8 slices.
