Pesto Pizza

Pesto Pizza is a shebangy bunch of flavors and textures that will make you forget about any other pizza in your life. The sauce is a punchy pesto, topped with creamy goat cheese, briny green olives and artichoke hearts, and tangy feta. Some shredded mozzarella keeps the toppings snuggled in tight, and roasted red peppers bring the pops of color. Did I mention the whole cloves of fried garlic? This is not your mother’s pizza, friends.

I mean unless that sounds exactly like the pizza your mom makes.

We have to exercise caution who we serve this to, because it is most definitely not for the plain cheese pizza devotees.

The first time we invited our neighbors over for pizza, we served our pesto pizza. Risky, I know.

But this is how we learned our Oregon neighbors could handle the exotic. We later served savory hummus waffle stacks, and our neighbors made a Thai nacho platter.

The fusion cuisine is strong with us.

Pesto pizza starts off with none other than our perfect pizza dough. It’s simple, it’s quick, and it’s perfect. Soon you can see how your friends and neighbors feel about whole cloves of garlic on their pizza.

Ingredients

• Perfect pizza dough – This recipe is super easy and turns out every time. We usually make two large pizzas and one smaller-medium pizza from this recipe, but we’ve squeezed a fourth pizza out of it too.
• Basil pesto – Store-bought pesto works great, but feel free to make your own if you have a favorite recipe.
• Green olives – I’m a green olive convert. The first 19 years of my life I couldn’t stand them, but in college I came around. Garlic-stuffed olives are fun if you can find them, but the little jars from the dollar store work too.
• Artichoke hearts – These and the green olives are a great find from Costco or Sam’s Club. If the artichoke hearts come whole, quarter them so they are more of a manageable bite.
• Roasted red peppers – These are also a good dollar store find. Drain them well so the pizza doesn’t get soggy and cut them into strips. And if you can’t find roasted, fresh are fine too!
• Whole fried garlic cloves – Some stores sell big bags of peeled garlic cloves that are PERFECT for this. We sizzle them up in some oil and top the pizza generously. Feel free to omit that if you aren’t a fan of garlic.
• Goat cheese – This pizza has all the controversial stanky ingredients. I personally love goat cheese, but if you don’t, stick with a cheese you prefer.
• Feta cheese – Once again, I find it delicious and complex. If you’re not a feta fan, just skip ahead to the mozzarella.
• Shredded mozzarella cheese – The cheese trilogy might seem excessive, but we don’t need tons of each, and they each have a job. Goat cheese brings the mild creaminess, feta has the briny chewiness locked down, and mozzarella reminds the toppings they’re all in this together. Lil’ pizza family.

Equipment

Most of the equipment needed is actually in the Perfect Pizza Dough recipe. Otherwise it’s just a matter of spreading sauce and sprinkling toppings.

• Pizza stone – Pizza stones make the best pizza, and cast iron skillets make the best deep-dish pizza. If you plan to make homemade pizza with any degree of regularity, definitely invest in a stone or two. Our favorites are from Pampered Chef.
• Equipment for Perfect Pizza Dough

How to Make

Make the pizza dough to the point where you have it rolled out on a pizza stone or other pan. The time when the dough is rising is the perfect opportunity to prep the toppings.

To make the fried garlic cloves, heat about 1/2-inch of canola oil or preferred cooking oil in a medium skillet (cast iron works well). Add the garlic cloves and fry until they are golden and tender. Remove from oil and drain on a stack of paper towels.

To assemble pizza, spread pesto over the dough to almost the very edge. No naked crusts here. Sprinkle with the toppings, using just enough mozzarella to hold all those beautiful toppings down.

Bake at 450 degrees F for 15-18 minutes, or until crust is golden and cheese is melted. Feel free to broil the top for a minute to get the cheese nice and golden.

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