Pesto Pizza
Made with vibrant basil pesto, creamy mozzarella cheese, and fresh tomatoes, this Pesto Pizza is delicious with or without the addition of chicken.
Servings: 8 slices
Equipment
- 12-inch pizza pan or pizza stone
Ingredients
- extra virgin olive oil for brushing dough
- 1 pound pizza dough
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup cooked, shredded or diced chicken optional
- 2 tablespoons pesto for chicken
- ¼ cup pesto for pizza
- 12 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
- kosher salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup fresh parmesan cheese for serving
- fresh basil cut into ribbons
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450℉ (230℃). Brush a 12-inch pizza pan with a bit of olive oil.
- On a lightly floured surface, stretch and shape 1 pound pizza dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer the dough to the prepared pizza pan, reshaping if necessary.
- Brush the pizza dough lightly with olive oil, then sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon garlic powder if desired. Dock the center of the pizza with a fork to prevent large bubbles from forming. Place in the oven and bake for 5-7 minutes.
- While the crust is baking, toss 1 cup cooked, shredded or diced chicken with 2 tablespoons pesto to lightly coat and set aside. Skip this step if not adding chicken.
- Remove the pizza crust from the oven, and spread ¼ cup pesto on the pizza dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the edges to create the crust of the pizza. You should use about ¼ cup of pesto sauce.
- Top the pesto sauce with the chicken and then cover with12 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese, leaving a 1-inch border along the edges.
- Return the pizza to the oven and bake for an additional 7-10 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
- While the pizza is baking, toss the tomatoes with 1 teaspoon dried oregano, ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, and kosher salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove the pizza from the oven once baked and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with seasoned tomatoes, grated parmesan cheese, and basil.
- Slice into wedges and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
The nutrition has been based on using a full ½ cup of pesto and rotisserie chicken.
Tomatoes: You can opt to not add tomatoes if desired. And feel free to omit seasoning the tomatoes with olive oil, pepper, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes. Don't omit the salt.
Chicken: Use any leftover cooked, shredded chicken you have or omit the chicken for a vegetarian pizza.
Storage: Store leftover cooled pesto pizza in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Reheat: Reheat the pizza under the broiler or in a 350-degree F oven until just warmed through. Although, I will tell you, this pesto pizza is delicious even when served straight from the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 805mg | Potassium: 126mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 638IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 277mg | Iron: 2mg
