If you love pizza but you’re sick of marinara sauce, you’ve got to try The Best Pesto Pizza recipe out there! This flavorful pizza is made with my favorite spinach-feta-basil pesto sauce, which makes the sauce super creamy and nutritious. This pizza is bursting with fresh spring flavors and is perfect for your next pizza night.
We eat a lot of pizza in this house, and I tend to get sick of regular pizza with red sauce. Using pesto as a base for your pizza will add so much fresh flavor, and it still goes well with most pizza toppings. In my opinion, this is the Best Pesto Pizza Recipe out there. It’s creamy, nutritious, and perfect for spring.
Why You’ll Love This Vegetarian Pesto Pizza Recipe!
- It’s easy to make – If you make the spinach-feta pesto sauce ahead of time, and use a pre-made pizza dough (like the one from Trader Joe’s), this pesto pizza comes together in just about 25 minutes.
- Super flavorful and delicious – This feta pesto sauce is one of my favorite pesto recipes and it really brings the flavor. The basil overpowers most of the spinach flavor and the feta cheese adds saltiness and creaminess. Add as much garlic and lemon juice as you like.
- Great way to add spinach to your diet – The pesto used for this pizza recipe is packed with fresh baby spinach leaves, which add lots of iron and vitamin C.
Pesto Pizza Recipe Ingredients
- Pizza Dough – You can use homemade or store-bought pizza dough for this recipe. I love the kind from Trader Joe’s because it’s affordable and always make the pizza super delicious! I prefer to use pizza dough, but you can definitely use a pre-made pizza crust, that has already been cooked.
- Pesto Sauce – The specific type of pesto used makes this the best pesto pizza. I shared the recipe for my Basil Pesto with Spinach and Feta Cheese yesterday, and it is perfect for this delicious pesto pizza.
- Cheese – I used a block of mozzarella cheese that I shredded myself. You can also use pre-shredded cheese. Fresh mozzarella or another cheese like Monterey Jack also work.
How To Make The Best Pesto Pizza Recipe
- If using fresh pizza dough, pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees F and grease a large baking sheet or pizza pan. If using a pre-cooked pizza crust, pre-heat the oven according to the directions on the package.
- Place the pizza dough ball onto a floured cutting board or surface, and use a rolling pin to roll the pizza out to your desired thickness and shape. I usually roll the dough out a bit and then use my hands to stretch it manually. Once the pizza dough is to your liking, lay it on the greased pizza pan and poke it with a fork a few times to help with air bubbles forming.
- Next, spread pizza dough with about a cup or so of the spinach-feta pesto sauce. You can leave a little room at the edge of the dough, or you can cover the entire thing with the pesto sauce. It is really up to you how much sauce you use.
- Sprinkle the top of the sauce with the shredded mozzarella cheese, and place the pizza in the preheated oven. Bake the pizza until the cheese is golden brown and melted and the dough is completely cooked through.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes before slicing. Store leftover pizza in an airtight container and reheat in the oven, microwave, or air fryer. Enjoy!
Pesto Pizza Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
- Make this recipe vegan by using vegan feta cheese in the pesto sauce and vegan mozzarella for topping the pizza with.
- Make this recipe gluten-free by using a gluten-free pizza dough or crust.
- Make this recipe tree nut-free by using pinenuts or sunflower seeds in the pesto recipe. You can omit all nuts if desired.
- How much pizza does this recipe make? I created this recipe for one medium-large pizza, depending on how thick or thin you roll the dough out. This recipe is for approximately 2-4 people.
- What is the best way to store and re-heat this pesto pizza? Allow the pizza to cool completely before storing it. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 4 days.
- Can this pizza be frozen? Yes, you can feeze it. I would suggest assembling the pizza until just about to place in the oven and then freezing it. Bake from frozen at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or so.
Have a question I didn’t answer? Ask me in the comment section below, and I will get back to you ASAP.
Looking For More Delicious Vegetarian Pizza Recipes?
Summer Squash and Tomato Pizza
Mini Tortilla Pizzas with Roasted Vegetables
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The Best Pesto Pizza Recipe
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2-4 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
If you love pizza, but you’re sick of marinara sauce, you’ve got to try The Best Pesto Pizza recipe out there! This flavorful pizza is made with my favorite spinach feta basil pesto sauce, which makes the sauce super creamy and nutritious. This pizza is bursting with fresh spring flavors and is perfect for your next pizza night!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 prepared pizza dough ball, or a pre-cooked pizza crust
- 1 cup basil pesto with spinach and feta cheese, recipe below
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, or more if desired
- Fresh basil leaves and red pepper flakes, for topping
Spinach Feta Pesto Ingredients
- 1 (5 oz) package baby spinach leaves
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 2–3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 (8 oz) package feta cheese, diced up or crumbled
Instructions
- If using fresh pizza dough, pre-heat oven to 500 degrees F and grease a large baking sheet/pizza pan. If using a pre-cooked pizza crust, pre-heat oven according to the directions on the package.
- Place the pizza dough ball onto a floured cutting board, or surface, and use a rolling pin to roll the pizza out to your desired thickness and shape. I usually roll the dough out a little bit and then use my hands to manually stretch it.
- Once pizza dough is to your liking, lay on the greased pizza pan and poke it with a fork a few times, to help with air bubbles forming.
- Next, spread pizza dough with about a cup or so of the spinach feta pesto sauce. You can leave a little room at the edge of the dough, or you can cover the entire thing with the pesto sauce. It is really up to you how much sauce you use.
- Sprinkle the top of the sauce with the shredded mozzarella cheese and place pizza in the pre-heated oven. Bake pizza until cheese is golden brown and melted and pizza dough is completely cooked through.
- Remove pizza from the oven and let cool a few minutes before slices. Store leftover pizza in an air-tight container and re-heat in the oven, microwave or air fryer. Enjoy!
Notes
The pesto recipe can easily be cut in half, if needed.
You can also use a store-bought pesto sauce and then blend your own feta cheese into it.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Dinner, Vegetarian
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American/Italian
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