pesto pizza

Curtis Stone wowed us in 2003 with his avant-garde mozzarella filled with crab and avocado. Those flavours have been reworked into a Californian-style pizza – as this is the place that Curtis now calls home.

Crab and mozzarella pizza

fresh pizza dough

(130 grams) basil pesto

cooked spanner crab meat

mozzarella balls, drained, torn

lemon

basil leaves

(80 milliliters) extra virgin olive oil

One of my favorite and healthier take on pizza includes this pesto-based pizza. Pesto has great flavor and is a lighter way to enjoy one of your favorite meals…and the kids will love it too!

Pesto Pizza

pizza

pesto

mozzarella cheese (shredded)

sweet pepper

sunflower seed kernels

plain non-fat Greek yogurt

(season

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.&nbsp;

On a clean surface, remove crust from package and brush both sides with olive oil.&nbsp;

Pour ½ cup pesto on each crust, fully covering the crust.&nbsp;

Sprinkle ½ cup mozzarella on each pizza. Add a few sweet pepper slices and sprinkle with sunflower seeds (or make a smiley face!)&nbsp;

Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes, or until crust edges are golden brown. Let cool and enjoy!&nbsp;

This easy pesto pizza recipe is a delicious summer dinner! It&#039;s topped with bright, nutty homemade pesto, fresh mozzarella cheese, and savory roasted cherry tomatoes. To get ahead, make the pesto and roast the tomatoes up to two days in advance.

Cornmeal (for stretching the dough)

Homemade Pizza Dough (or 1 pound store-bought pizza dough*)

Basil Pesto (made with ½ cup olive oil)

mozzarella cheese (torn)

cherry tomatoes (or sun-dried tomatoes)

basil

Red pepper flakes

Preheat the oven to 500°F.

Dust a baking sheet with cornmeal, place the dough on the baking sheet, and stretch it into a large oval. Use a fork to poke holes all over the dough. Bake for 5 minutes.

Remove the crust from the oven and brush with 2 tablespoons of the pesto. Top with the cheese and tomatoes and bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the crust is browned.

Dot the pizza with additional small dollops of pesto. Top with fresh basil and red pepper flakes, slice, and serve.

This is a simple recipe for pesto pizza on top of homemade pizza dough. Feel free to use store-bought dough if needed. Yields one 12-inch pizza or you can make two pizzas from the whole dough recipe. If doing so, double the pesto and other topping ingredients.

(30 grams) fresh basil leaves

Tablespoons (24 grams) pine nuts

Tablespoons (12 grams) cheese

garlic

olive oil

lemon juice,

salt

black pepper,

Tablespoon (8 grams) cornmeal

mozzarella cheese*

(90 grams) halved cherry tomatoes

(12 grams) chopped fresh basil

Pesto: 

Pulse the basil, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, and garlic together in a food processor or blender. Scrape down the sides and then add the oil, lemon juice, and salt. Pulse until everything is blended together and relatively smooth. Add a drizzle more olive oil to thin out, if desired. Taste and add pepper (and/or more salt or lemon juice) if desired. I always add a pinch of pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Yields just over 1/2 cup.

Dough

Prepare pizza dough through step 3. If using store-bought frozen pizza dough, make sure it’s thawed.

Preheat oven to 475°F (246°C). Allow it to heat for at least 15–20 minutes as you shape the pizza in the next step. If using a pizza stone, place it in the oven to preheat as well. Lightly grease a large baking sheet or pizza pan with 1/2 Tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with cornmeal, which gives the crust extra crunch and flavor.

Shape the dough

When the homemade dough is ready, punch it down to release any air bubbles. Divide the dough in half and freeze half the dough for another time—see freezing instructions in the pizza dough recipe. On a lightly floured work surface using lightly floured hands or rolling pin, gently flatten the dough into a disc. Place on prepared pan and, using lightly floured hands, stretch and flatten the disc into a 12-inch circle, about 1/2-inch thick. If the dough keeps shrinking back as you try to stretch it, stop what you&#8217;re doing, cover it lightly and let it rest for 5–10 minutes, then try again. Once shaped into a 12-inch circle, lift the edge of the dough up to create a lip around the edges. I simply pinch the edges up to create the rim. If using a pizza stone, place the dough directly on a baker’s peel dusted with cornmeal. Cover dough lightly with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for a few minutes as you gather the pizza toppings.

Top &amp; bake the pizza

Using your fingers, push dents into the surface of the dough to prevent bubbling. Brush remaining olive oil all over the dough. Spread 1/2 cup pesto on the dough and top evenly with mozzarella cheese and tomatoes. Add a light sprinkle of salt and pepper on top.

Bake for 14–15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the chopped fresh basil all over the top of the hot pizza. If desired, add a drizzle of pesto (if you have any left) and/or a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese.

Slice hot pizza and serve immediately. Cover leftover pizza tightly and store in the refrigerator. Reheat as you prefer.

This has great flavor! I always freeze the other half of dough but made 2 pizzas this time.

Just tried it. It was absolutely delicious. I practically inhaled it.

This pizza is definitely will be made again soon in our house. It was a huge hit and even my 11yo super fussy eater ate so many slices and kept saying how good it was. Easy enough to make during the week when time is minimal.

Homemade Veggie Pizza made with a a homemade crust and topped with pesto sauce, mozzarella cheese, and any of your favorite vegetables!

Veggie Pizza

pizza dough (prepared and pre-baked

pesto sauce

baby spinach or arugula

zucchini (, thinly sliced)

onion (, thinly sliced)

bell pepper (, any color, sliced)

cherry tomatoes (, halved)

mozzarella cheese

parmesan cheese

Other topping ideas: artichoke, mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Spread a thin layer of pesto sauce over the crust.&nbsp;

Top with mozzarella cheese, leafy greens and vegetables. 

Sprinkle a little more mozzarella cheese over the top, along with the parmesan cheese.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from oven and garnish with fresh cracker pepper and salt, and a thin drizzle of good quality olive oil if desired.

Top 6 pesto pizza recipes from across the web

The most viewed pesto pizza recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

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Crab and mozzarella pizza

Pesto Pizza

Pesto Pizza

Pesto Pizza

Pesto Pizza

Veggie Pizza

Top 6 pesto pizza recipes from across the web

The most viewed pesto pizza recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Crab and mozzarella pizza

Pesto Pizza

Pesto Pizza

Pesto Pizza

Pesto Pizza

Veggie Pizza

The most viewed pesto pizza recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine