Pesto Pizza
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Loaded with basil pesto, fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, pesto pizza is the ultimate summer pizza.
For me, a good pesto pizza should have bold, front-and-center pesto flavor—I don’t want just a subtle hint of basil, garlic, Parmesan, and olive oil. I want those flavors to really stand out. The trick is to spread a generous layer of pesto before baking and top it with even more when the pizza comes out of the oven. This pesto pizza not only packed with flavor, but also looks gorgeous and feels a bit more special than your typical pizza pie.
I’ve included a recipe for homemade pizza dough, but don’t feel pressured—store-bought works just as well for a weeknight dinner. Same goes for the pesto sauce: homemade is great, but if you’re short on time, store-bought pesto (I love Mama’s pesto from Whole Foods) works perfectly too.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Pesto Pizza
For The Pizza Dough
For the Toppings
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the Dough
In a mixer fitted with the dough hook (or a large bowl if you’d like to make it by hand), combine the flour, yeast, salt, olive oil, and water.
Mix until the dough comes together.
Increase the speed and knead for about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Flour your hands if necessary, and transfer the dough to a lightly oiled large bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
When the dough has risen, punch it down.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface.
Cut it in half and roll each part into a ball.
Cover the dough balls with a damp kitchen towel and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes — the dough will rise a bit.
Lightly dust a work surface with flour, and then pat and stretch the rested dough into two 12×8-inch rectangles. If the dough is sticky, dust it lightly with flour.
Place the two pizza doughs side-by-side on the prepared baking sheet. Then press the dough out again so that it almost touches the edges of the pan.
Step 2: Assemble and Bake the Pizzas
Cut the tomatoes crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices and place on a paper towel-lined plate or cutting board to drain the juices.
Spread 1/3 cup of the pesto evenly over the pizzas, leaving a 1-inch border.
Bake the pizzas on the bottom rack for 4 minutes. (I do this so the crust has time to crisp up; if you add the cheese from the get-go, it gets too brown before the crust is fully cooked.)
Remove the pan from the oven; and then top the pizzas with the mozzarella cheese, followed by the tomato slices, Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt and pepper.
Place the pizzas back in the oven and bake until the crust is crisp and golden, 6 to 8 minutes more.
Transfer the pizzas to a cutting board and drizzle with the with remaining pesto.
Sprinkle with fresh basil, then cut into slices and serve. Enjoy!
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Pesto Pizza with Fresh Tomatoes & Mozzarella
Loaded with basil pesto, fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, pesto pizza is the ultimate summer pizza.
Ingredients
For the Pizza Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2¼ teaspoons (1 packet) instant/rapid-rise yeast (see note)
- 1¾ teaspoons salt
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 teaspoons cornmeal, for dusting the pan
For the Topping
- ½ cup good quality store-bought or homemade pesto, divided
- 8 ounces whole milk mozzarella cheese (not Buffalo mozzarella), thinly sliced or grated
- 2 vine-ripened tomatoes
- ¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup gently packed fresh basil leaves, torn
Instructions
- Combine the flour, olive oil, yeast, salt and water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on low speed until the dough comes together. Increase the speed to medium-low and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- When the dough has risen, punch it down and place it on a lightly floured surface. Cut in half and roll each part into a ball. Cover the dough balls with a damp kitchen towel and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes (the dough will rise a bit).
- Meanwhile, set an oven rack in the bottom position and preheat the oven to 500°F. Sprinkle the cornmeal on an 18x13-inch baking sheet; set aside. Cut the tomatoes crosswise into ⅛-inch-thick slices and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain the juices.
- Lightly dust a work surface with flour, and then press and stretch the rested dough into two 12x8-inch rectangles. If the dough is sticky, dust it lightly with flour. Place the two pizza doughs side-by-side on the cornmeal-dusted baking sheet. Press the dough out again so that it almost touches the edges of the pan.
- Spread ⅓ cup of the pesto evenly over the pizzas (2½ tablespoons each), leaving a 1-inch border. Bake on the bottom rack for 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven; and then top the pizzas with the mozzarella cheese, followed by the tomato slices and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Season each pizza with an ⅛-teaspoon salt and a few grinds fresh black pepper. Place the pizzas back in the oven and bake until the crust is crisp and golden, 6 to 8 minutes more. Transfer the pizzas to a cutting board. Drizzle the remaining pesto over the pizzas and sprinkle with the fresh basil. Cut into slices and serve immediately.
- Note: Active dry yeast may be used instead of instant/rapid-rise yeast, however, the dough will take longer to rise. To give active dry yeast a boost, you can dissolve it in the warm water and let it sit until frothy, about 10 minutes. After that, add it to the flour, olive oil, and salt, and proceed with the recipe.
- Make Ahead Instructions: Once the dough has completed it's initial rise, and you've cut it in half to form two balls, lightly coat each dough ball with olive oil. Place the dough ball(s) into a freezer bag and seal shut, squeezing out all the air. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 days. When ready to use, let the dough sit out on the countertop for 30 minutes to warm up before stretching.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. When ready to use, defrost in the refrigerator overnight (or for at least 12 hours), and then let it warm up on the countertop for about 30 minutes before stretching.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Calories: 950
- Fat: 57g
- Saturated fat: 10g
- Carbohydrates: 80g
- Sugar: 3g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 32g
- Sodium: 1663mg
- Cholesterol: 60mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I tried your recipe tonight.. To be honest I was a little afraid of making the fresh dough but it turned out amazing. I made this for my whole family to open our fast with. I was scared that it may not taste so good, but everyone praised it. Many thanks 🙂
This pizza was out of this world! I don’t have a mixer, so I cheated and used pizza dough from Trader Joes. Flavors were amazing and I’ll definitely be making this again. Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
This was one of the most delicious things I’ve ever made. Any suggestions for a red sauce pizza? Would you put the sauce on before cooking like with the pesto? Thank you!!
Hi Sam, so glad you enjoyed it! I have a recipe for a tomato sauce that would work well on the pizza. And yes, I would cook it the same way — add the sauce and cook for a few minutes, then add the cheese and toppings and continue cooking. I’d love to hear how it turns out with the red sauce!
Made this last night and it was terrific. I did use bread flour and it resulted in a nice chewy crust. I also used your method to make a pepperoni pizza with tomato sauce. Worked out great. Thanks.
I made this tonight and we loved it. I can’t speak for the dough recipe because I used one I already had on hand but the toppings were delicious and the cook time was perfect. I love that you place the tomatoes on the paper towels first. I would never have thought to do that and it did make a big difference.
Hi!, If i substitute the APF for whole wheat flour, would it vary in any measurement or procedure? Thanks a lot.
Hi Cesia, I don’t think you’d need to make any adjustments, but if you do plan to use all whole wheat flour, I think you’d get the best results with a white whole wheat like this one.
If I cook this on a pizza stone is there anything I would need to adjust?
Cannot wait, seriously.
Sara
Hi Sara, I’d cook it the same way with a pizza stone, although you’ll probably need to preheat the oven a little longer to get the stone hot. Hope you enjoy and please let me know how it turns out!
Hi, May I know if I can substitute the all purpose flour for bread flour? I have discovered that each time I make using APF it’s kinda hard. If I can substitute what’s the ratio like? 1:1? Many thanks in advance.
Hi Melodi, while you can use bread flour here, it won’t make the crust more tender; instead the crust will be chewier. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it that way!
I am not a big fan of pesto, is there a substitute? Love love love your dishes!
Thanks
Tamara
Hi Tamara, This pizza is really all about the pesto, but I have another white pizza recipe I’ve been working on for my cookbook that I’m happy to share with you if you’d like. Just email me at jennifer@onceuponachef.com and I’ll send it to you :).
Sounds like a virtuous breakfast to me: better than a sugar laden-void of nutrition- boxed candy. ooops. cereal. After all, you’re getting veg and cheese in the mix. If I really want to justify having this yummy pizza for breakfast all I have to do is think of all the people in the world that have rice for breakfast! Works for me! I know enough about your recipes to know that this will certainly be a 5 star winner.