Homemade Pesto Pizza

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Every year come spring, I purchase multiple basil plants because I use them so much once the tomatoes and summer squash are coming in. Before it's time to harvest squash and tomatoes I love to make pesto from the basil. We also plant arugula from seed and it is the very first thing to come up every year. Arugula makes for great pesto! There are times that I combine both basil and arugula in a pesto, so yummy either way.

Pizza is one of the ways I love to use pesto, but pesto and pasta is a close second

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Pesto

 

The great thing about pesto is that after it is made it can be frozen to use months later.

 Ingredients

1 cup basil or arugula, firmly packed leaves

2 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Place basil, pine nuts, salt, pepper, garlic, and Parmesan cheese into a food processor or blender. Turn the food processor on, and add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Continue processing until a soft paste has formed. Store in the refrigerator or jar and place in the freezer for future use.

 

 

Pizza

 

Ingredients

Packaged 12" pizza crust (I prefer thin crust)

1/3 cup pesto

1/3 lb. (about) raw shrimp and  a couple of slices of Prosciutto julienned
or 1/3 lb.Chicken Caprase Sausage 

1/4 cup chopped onion (red onions, shallots or onion of your choice)

1/4 cup Kalamata olives (coarsely chopped) if using shrimp/Prosciutto

1/4 cup sliced black olives if using Caprese Sausage
Thin slices of tomato according to taste
8oz. fresh mozzarella or shredded mozzarella 

1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Fresh basil or arugula to top off the pizza

Obviously you can add or eliminate ingredients as you like. I like Kalamata olives and Prosciutto with shrimp because the shrimp needs something salty to go with it. I also cut the shrimp in two so that it cooks through on pizza.

Directions

Spread pesto evenly over pizza crust. Add meat, onions, slices of tomato, mozzarella, olives and sprinkle Parmesan over entire pizza. Bake in oven using crust instructions provided.

  

I just have to sing the praises of the chicken caprese brats that I use on the pizza. I found these brats at our farmer's market in Brookfield, WI and absolutely love them! I squeeze the meat out of their casings in little blobs onto the pizza just as you would pizza sausage.

It's time to sit down and enjoy the pizza and the beautiful weather!