Summer Pesto Pizza

Name: Summer Pesto Pizza
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1/4 c basil pesto sauce (see eve anderson's classic pesto or another favorite from this site); 1 pizza crust prepared per the directions; 1-1/4 c crumbled feta cheese; 2 medium sliced roma tomatoes; 4 sliced pitted kalamata olives; 1/4 c chopped artichoke hearts; 1 Tbsp olive oil; 1 medium roasted red bell pepper (char in oven or on stove top and place in bag to sweat off skin, cut into strips); 1 tsp coarse sea salt (to taste); 1 tsp coarse ground black pepper (to taste)

By Brian Blackley
@bblackley

During the dog days of summer, my basil crop is exploding as are the local tomato crops, so I find this is great for a crisp, fresh summertime meal.

This is more of an aggregate recipe, combining a classic pesto (I love pesto and Eve Anderson's Classic Pesto on this site is one of many good ones), a pizza crust and an assortment of toppings. As with any good pizza, customize to your tastes, adding red onion, jalapenos, roasted red pepper and other toppings to suit your local fare or your current craving.

Rating:

★★★★★ 1 vote5

Comments:

1 Comment

Serves:

Prep:

45 Min

Cook:

20 Min

Method:

Bake

Ingredients

1/4 c

basil pesto sauce (see eve anderson's classic pesto or another favorite from this site)
1

pizza crust prepared per the directions
1-1/4 c

crumbled feta cheese
2 medium

sliced roma tomatoes
4

sliced pitted kalamata olives
1/4 c

chopped artichoke hearts
1 Tbsp

olive oil
1 medium

roasted red bell pepper (char in oven or on stove top and place in bag to sweat off skin, cut into strips)
1 tsp

coarse sea salt (to taste)
1 tsp

coarse ground black pepper (to taste)
Add Ingredients to Grocery List

How to Make Summer Pesto Pizza

Step-by-Step

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Spread pesto over the crust as evenly as possible (the crust should be in the stage of preparation where it is ready for toppings). You may see gaps in the pesto where you see the crust; that's fine.
Top with kalamata olives, chopped artichokes, roasted peppers and any other selected toppings excluding the tomatoes (red onions are a great addition!).
Cover with feta cheese.
Top with Roma tomato slices evenly space.
Sprinkle tomatoes with salt and pepper.
Bake in oven 15-20 minutes until tomatoes are roasted and crust begins to turn golden brown at edges.