Basil Pesto Pizza Recipes

EASY PESTO PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. Place dough on a lightly floured surface; let rest for 10 minutes. Knead in 1/4 cup cheese, basil and oregano. Roll into a 12-in. circle; place on a greased 14-in. pizza pan. Prick with a fork. Bake for 10 minutes., Spread pesto sauce over the crust. Sprinkle with mushrooms, mozzarella cheese and remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake until golden brown, 8-10 minutes longer.

BASIL PIZZA RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven and stone/sheet pan. Preheat the oven to 500°F, with a pizza stone on center rack. If you don't have a pizza stone, place a sheet pan on the rack a few minutes before you assemble the pizzas.
• Make the pesto. Add the basil, pine nuts, Parmesan and garlic to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Blend until the basil is in tiny pieces. Then add the tomato paste, lemon juice, olive oil and pinch of sugar, and blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Here's How to Season to Taste.)
• Prepare the pizza crust. Either shape your pizza dough into approximately 12-inch rounds, or set out your pre-baked approximately 12-inch rounds, on a lightly floured work surface.
• Assemble the pizzas. Evenly divide the pesto among the two crusts, spreading it thinly. Then sprinkle each with equal amounts of the grated Mozzarella. Now divide the red onion slices between the two, and about half of the basil leaves.
• Bake. Transfer the pizzas to the stone or baking sheet and drizzle about ½ tablespoon of the olive oil along the edges of the crusts. Place in the preheated 500°F oven, and bake until the crust is golden along the edges, about 15 minutes. (For pre-baked crusts, heat just long enough to melt the cheese and heat it through.)
• Garnish, cut and serve. Once out of the oven, add the chili flakes (if desired), pine nuts, and the remaining fresh basil leaves. Then drizzle with the remaining olive oil, slice and serve.

PESTO PIZZA

Steps:

• In a blender, combine oil and garlic; cover and process until smooth. Add basil and blend thoroughly. Spread over crust. Sprinkle with toppings. Bake at 425° for 10 minutes.

RED PEPPER-BASIL PESTO PIZZA

Steps:

• For the pesto: Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F.
• Put the peppers on a baking sheet, rub them with the canola oil and season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Roast until they are slightly charred and soft, turning several times, about 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the peppers to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let them steam for 10 minutes. Remove the skins and seeds.
• Put the peppers, garlic, basil and pine nuts into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. With the motor running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube and pulse to emulsify. Add the cheese and salt and pepper, to taste and pulse a few more times just to combine. Scrape the mixture into a bowl.
• For the pizza: Light a grill to high heat.
• Roll the pizza dough into 2 (12-inch) circles, brush the top with some canola oil, and season them with salt and black pepper, to taste. Put them on the grill, oiled side down, and grill until the bottoms are slightly charred and golden brown. Brush the tops with additional oil before flipping the pizzas over. Continue grilling until the crusts are just firm, about 40 seconds.
• Transfer the shells to a baking sheet, top each with some of the pesto, mozzarella and shaved Parmigiano and return them to the grill. Close the cover and grill until the cheese melts. Remove the pizzas from the grill and finish the pizza with some sliced red onion and handful of arugula. Slice and serve.
• Combine the bread flour, sugar, yeast and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and combine. While the mixer is running, add the water and 2 tablespoons of the oil and beat until the dough forms into a ball. If the dough is sticky, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together in a solid ball. If the dough is too dry, add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead into a smooth, firm ball.
• Grease a large bowl with the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, add the dough, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in a warm area to let it double in size, about 1 hour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Cover each with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let them rest for 10 minutes.

PESTO AND CHEESE PIZZA

Steps:

• Move oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 450°F. Spray 12-inch pizza pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, stir Bisquick mix, water and oil with fork until soft dough forms; beat vigorously 20 strokes. Cover; let stand 8 minutes.
• Pat or press dough in bottom and 1 inch over side of pizza pan. Place string cheese along edge of dough, overlapping if necessary. Fold 1-inch edge of dough over and around cheese; press to seal.
• Bake 6 to 7 minutes or until lightly browned around edges.
• Spread pesto over warm crust. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese; top with bell peppers and remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake 11 to 14 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.

PESTO PIZZA RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425ºF/220ºC and prepare a sheet pan with parchment paper or corn meal.
• Add flour, yeast, and salt to the Vitamix and pulse at variable 5 several times. Remove the lid plug and slowly add the water and olive oil while pulsing at variable 6. Stop pulsing once all of the water and oil have been added, and the dough forms a ball.
• Place dough in an oiled bowl and flip it over so both sides get oiled. Rest until ready to use (at least 15 to 20 minutes).
• In the 16-oz container, blend Parmesan, pine nuts, olive oil, and garlic cloves on variable 4 until smooth.
• Add basil, then continue blend on variable 2 for 10 seconds, then increase to variable 6 and blend until smooth. If the mixture is not blending, add additional olive oil or a tablespoon of water or lemon juice, then continue to blend until smooth.
• On the sheet pan, stretch out half of the dough to form a 12-14-inch (30 - 35 cm) pizza crust. Save remaining dough for later. (Tip: Leftover pizza dough makes for great cinnamon rolls!)
• Spread half of the pesto onto the pizza dough and sprinkle with mozzarella. (Save remaining pesto for another time or freeze for up to 1 month.)
• Add onions and chicken to the top of the pizza and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until cheese has melted and crust is light golden brown. Sprinkle with chopped tomatoes and a few fresh basil leaves.
• Enjoy!

PESTO PIZZAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spread basil pesto on each of two pizza crusts.
• Layer each crust with plum tomato; sprinkle with grated mozzarella cheese. (Or, layer with just cheese, using 3 ounces thinly sliced fresh mozzarella.) Season with coarse salt and ground pepper.
• Transfer to a baking sheet; bake until cheese has melted and crust is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Slice, and serve immediately.

PESTO PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Spread pesto on pizza crust. Top with tomatoes, bell peppers, olives, red onions, artichoke hearts and feta cheese.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and browned.

BASIL PESTO AND 3-CHEESE NAAN PIZZA

Steps:

• Combine basil, Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup olive oil, walnuts, garlic, salt, and pepper in a blender; blend pesto until desired consistency, 5 to 8 minutes. Add 1 extra tablespoon olive oil at a time for a thinner pesto. Set aside.
• Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; stir in mushrooms, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Saute until mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 naan and cook until crispy, about 2 minutes per side. Spread naan with a generous amount of pesto, and top with ricotta cheese, feta cheese, and sauteed mushrooms. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cook until cheese is melted. Repeat with second naan and remaining ingredients.

PESTO AND MOZZARELLA FRENCH BREAD PIZZA

Steps:

• Make the pesto: Heat the oven to 450 degrees with a rack in the middle position. Combine basil, 1 garlic clove and pine nuts in a food processor, and pulse until finely chopped. With the machine running, stream in the olive oil. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add Parmesan and salt, and pulse to combine.
• Prepare the pizza: Combine the 1/4 cup olive oil and grated garlic in a small pot over medium. Cook, swirling occasionally, until the garlic starts to sizzle (but doesn't begin to brown), 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Place the French bread cut side up on a baking sheet. Brush cut sides with garlic oil. Bake until edges are golden, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Spread the pesto over the two halves all the way to the edges and top with the cheese. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is evenly melted, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to broil and broil (watch carefully!) until the cheese is bubbly and browned in spots, 1 to 2 minutes more. Let cool 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Top with red-pepper flakes, oregano and more Parmesan, if you like.