Pesto and Cheese Pizza

There is no steadfast rule that states pizza must be prepared with tomato sauce and the proof can be found right here in this Pesto and Cheese Pizza recipe! Start with a quick and easy homemade pesto sauce and a very simple pizza dough – you can use store-bought pesto and dough too! Either way, this pizza is bound to impress!

When it comes to pizza, I’m one of those people who stick to the basics like pepperoni and cheese. But, in the summer months when fresh produce is readily available, I break with tradition and experiment with different flavour combinations, trying my best to stick to local ingredients. Before I made this Pesto and Cheese Pizza, I found myself standing in front of six large basil bushes in my backyard and knowing that the best way to use a large portion of them was with a basil sauce.

Once the pesto was prepared, that led to thinking about ways to use it up. Pasta is the easy route and honestly, I have prepared ravioli with basil pesto twice in the past few weeks. Craving pizza in the middle of the week was the catalyst and I couldn’t be happier with the results!

MAKE-AT-HOME PIZZA

A few years ago, before the pandemic and lockdowns started, we ordered pizza every Friday night. After a long week of work and school, it was just what we needed to put the week behind us. Then, back when the lockdowns started at the beginning of the pandemic, we were spending much of our time at our house where pizza joints were not very close. Eventually one opened up, which had great pizza, but it has since closed. Even while it was in business, I still opted to make pizza at home most of the time.

After a few months, I kept running into the problem of not being able to find our regular can of pizza sauce at grocery stores. We tried others, but I was never happy with them. I made a promise to myself that I would make a batch of pizza sauce as soon as I could get my hands on some summer fresh tomatoes. I was finally able to recreate a pizza sauce worthy of my delicious homemade pizzas. Because good pizza comes down to two things – great sauce and great dough! And my homemade pizza sauce doubles as a marinara-style dipping sauce too!

For this Pesto and Cheese Pizza, however, I switched out my homemade pizza sauce for my homemade Classic Basil Pesto. As previously mentioned, you can absolutely buy a jar of pesto at your local grocery store too if you prefer.

MY BEST PIZZA CRUST RECIPE

You can use store-bought, frozen pizza crust for this recipe. Or, you can make your own! My pizza dough recipe is going to be your new favourite pizza dough – trust me!  The dough takes about 15 minutes from start to finish.  And, you can optionally load the crust with seasonings like oregano, basil, and even dried red chili flakes for some heat!

To make homemade dough, fill a glass or metal mixing bowl with hot tap water. This will temper the bowl which is important to yeast activation and growth. Measure out 3/4 cup of water that’s 110 degrees F. Pour the water out of the bowl. Place one teaspoon of sugar into the bottom of the bowl and pour over the 3/4 cup of water. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of active dry yeast over the surface of the water and let sit for two minutes.

Next, whisk in 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add 2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour and any seasonings you would like too – again, these are optional! Use a wooden spoon to stir the flour into the water and oil until the liquid is absorbed. Use your hand to knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball. Cover with a clean tea towel and set aside to rise for 15 minutes. (Be sure to keep away from drafts or an open window.) Then, it’s ready to roll out and assemble your pizza!

HERE IS WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post. 

FOR THE DOUGH:

• Active Dry Yeast – Do not confuse this with Instant Yeast. Active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in water before use, while instant yeast can be mixed right into dry ingredients.
• All Purpose Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Sugar
• Olive Oil
• Water

FOR THE PIZZA:

• Basil Pesto – Use homemade if possible. You can find my homemade Classic Basil Pesto here. Store-bought pesto works great too.
• Cheese – Good mozzarella is the classic choice. Don’t buy the pre-shredded stuff. Buy a ball of mozzarella that you can tear with your hands or a ball that you can slice and layer onto the pizza.
• Parmesan Cheese – This adds saltiness and lots of familiar pizza flavour.
• Ground Black Pepper
• Fresh Basil – You can roughly chop it, tear it with your hands, or just place whole leaves onto the hot pizza when it comes out of the oven. Fresh basil will wilt and turn black with heat, so hold off on the fresh basil until you are ready to serve. (As you can see, I did not wait long enough!)

HOW TO MAKE PESTO AND CHEESE PIZZA

To make the dough, fill a mixing bowl with hot tap water. This will temper the bowl which is important to yeast activation and growth. Measure out 3/4 cup of water that’s 110 degrees F. Pour the water out of the bowl. Place one teaspoon of sugar into the bottom of the bowl and pour over the 3/4 cup of water. Sprinkle the yeast over the surface of the water and let sit for two minutes. Next, whisk in the olive oil.

Add the flour and salt. Use a wooden spoon to stir the flour into the water and oil. Use your hand to knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball. Cover with a clean tea towel and set aside to rise. (Be sure to keep away from drafts or an open window.)

Once the dough is ready, preheat your oven to 500 degrees F, and lightly spray a pizza pan with non-stick cooking spray. Place the dough onto the pan and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough. Then, push the dough outward with flat hand hands until the dough reaches the perimeter of the entire pan.

To assemble the pizza, spread the basil pesto so that it covers the surface of the dough, leaving 3/4 inch around the edge bare. Next, place the torn or sliced mozzarella cheese onto the dough. Place the pizza in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Once done, remove the pizza from the oven and sprinkle over the ground black pepper and parmesan cheese. This pizza should be served hot, so just before bringing the pizza to the table, top it with fresh basil leaves and enjoy!

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

Sometimes we need to make a main dish spread a little further. A sure way to do this is to serve it with really good sides. Typically, a pizza is served with salad, so why not do just that? You can serve a bolder-tasting salad like a Caesar, or something milder that will not compete too much with the flavour of the pizza like this Tomato Panzanella Salad.

In our home, we love to have potato wedges with pizza. These Paprika and Parmesan Potato Wedges are the most delicious I’ve ever tasted! We also love garlic bread with pizza. I know, it’s a lot of carbs, but it’s not like we eat like this every single day.

And, if you really want to go all in, I’d suggest these Homemade Mozzarella Sticks or these Jalapeno Poppers. Both of them are great sides and are super cheesy too!

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down to follow me and never miss another recipe!