Pizza is a family favorite dish. Friday pizza nights are always super relaxing for me! Homemade pizza is easy to make and tastes great if the right ingredients are put together. We love the regular marinara / red sauce pizza, but Pesto Pizza had a unique flavor. It was new to us when we moved to the US. I had my first ever “Pesto Pizza” from MOD Pizza and we loved the flavor, which was very refreshing and fragrant.

This year I grew Basil for the first time and made some homemade “Basil Coriander Pesto”. It tasted great.

My instant idea was to make some homemade chicken pesto pizza with minimal toppings. It turned out absolutely delicious. Also had some leftover pesto which was used to make some delicious “Pesto Spaghetti with Parmesan Cheese”!

The Pesto sauce can be used in many ways such as, sandwiches, wraps, etc! Freezes well for months! Try out this simple Pesto Pizza and enjoy!!

Homemade Pesto Pizza

Basil Coriander Pesto

Ingredients

• Basil + Coriander leaves – 1 cup
• Walnut – 1/4 cup
• Garlic – 2 cloves
• Parmesan Cheese – 1/4 cup
• Olive Oil – For grinding
• Salt – 1/2 tsp
• Lemon juice – 1 tsp (Optional)

Procedure

• Grind walnuts, garlic, salt and parmesan cheese.

• Then add in the basil, coriander leaves, salt, lemon juice (optional) and olive oil.
• Grind to a smooth paste and transfer it to a jar.

• Add more olive oil on the top and refrigerate. Freeze the pesto if you want to store for a longer period.

Pizza Base

Ingredients

• All purpose flour – 1.5 cups + 3 tbsp
• Salt – 1 tsp
• Instant Yeast – 1 pack (or) Fleischmann’s Pizza Crust Yeast – 1 pack (or) 2 1/4 tsp
• Warm water – 1/2 cup + 3 tbsp (Adjust accordingly)
• Olive oil – 2 tbsp

Procedure for Pizza Base

• In a wide bowl, add in all the ingredients.
• Add warm water and start kneading the dough. You can either use your hands to knead or use a stand mixer. I hand kneaded the dough.

• The dough will be sticky. At this stage add in very less extra flour and some olive oil if you are not able to handle the stickiness.
• After kneading for 7 to 8 mins, the dough will be soft and easy to handle.

• Kneading is very important, as that decides the soft crust of the pizza.
• After kneading, the dough is ready for making pizza. This dough does not require any resting time.
• That was quick! Isn’t it!

Chicken Pesto Pizza

Toppings

You can adjust the toppings quantity as per your requirements.

• Chicken – 250 g (Cooked)
• Olives – 1/2 cup
• Sliced Onion – 1/4 cup
• Tomato – 1/4 cup
• Capsicum – 1/4 cup
• Shredded Mozarella Cheese – 1.5 cups

Pizza Assembling

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• In an oven safe pan, lightly coat the surface with a parchment paper or spread some olive oil. Then, spread the required pizza dough to desired thickness. I used a 12 inches pan.
• Prick holes on the top after spreading.

• Spread a layer of pesto sauce, leaving the 1/2 inch border.

• Next start assembling the chicken and veggies.
• Again top it with mozarella cheese.

• Bake for 15 mins or till the cheese has melted.

• Serve hot!

Notes

• You can use this pesto sauce for pasta, sandwiches, wraps or as a dip.
• Pesto freezes well for months. Originally, pesto is made with pine nuts, but you can substitute with any nut like walnut, almond or cashew.
• You can swap the herbs as well. Try experimenting according to your taste.
• This pizza base can also be divided to make pan pizzas.
• Baking time varies in each oven. Bake according to your oven settings.
• Any toppings of your choice can be used.