Pesto–Heirloom Tomato Pizza

Name: Pesto–Heirloom Tomato Pizza
Yield: Makes 2 (12–14-inch) pizzas
Ingredients: 1 to 2 cloves garlic, crushed (optional); 1/2 to 1 cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves, or to taste; Juice of 1/2 lemon or 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice, or more to taste; 1/2 cup walnut halves or shelled unsalted pistachios or 1/4 cup pine nuts (omit nuts if you’d like a less caloric pesto); 6 ounces baby spinach, arugula, watercress, or a combination; Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste; Whole-Wheat Pizza Crust; Heirloom tomatoes, sliced, to taste (preferably a mix of yellow and red varieties); Basil leaves, thinly sliced, for topping; Vegan Parmesan-style cheese and fresh oregano for topping (optional)

By Nava Atlas

July 11, 2017

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Photo by Hannah Kaminsky

Top a baked pizza crust with garlicky spinach pesto and raw sliced heirloom tomatoes for a wonderfully fresh summer dinner.

Recipe information

Yield
Makes 2 (12–14-inch) pizzas

Ingredients

For the pesto sauce:

1 to 2 cloves garlic, crushed (optional)

1/2 to 1 cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves, or to taste

Juice of 1/2 lemon or 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice, or more to taste

1/2 cup walnut halves or shelled unsalted pistachios or 1/4 cup pine nuts (omit nuts if you’d like a less caloric pesto)

6 ounces baby spinach, arugula, watercress, or a combination

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

For the pizza:

Whole-Wheat Pizza Crust

Heirloom tomatoes, sliced, to taste (preferably a mix of yellow and red varieties)

Basil leaves, thinly sliced, for topping

Vegan Parmesan-style cheese and fresh oregano for topping (optional)

Preparation

Make the pesto:
Step 1
Combine the first five ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is evenly combined yet still coarse in texture. You may need to add the spinach in batches if your processor has a small or medium-size container.
Step 2
Stop the machine and season the mixture gently with salt and pepper; taste to see if you'd like to add more lemon juice, then pulse a few times to mix.
Make the pizza:
Step 3
Bake pizza dough rounds in a preheated 425°F oven for 15 minutes, until crust is golden.
Step 4
Spread pizza crust with pesto, then load up with sliced heirloom tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and top with plenty of thinly sliced basil leaves. Some Vegan Parmesan-style cheese and fresh oregano leaves would add a nice touch, too. This can be served at room temperature.

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TagsPizza Heirloom Tomato Tomato Vegetable Basil Herbs & Spices Main Dinner Dairy Free Vegetarian Vegan Oven Bake Food Processor Cookbooks Harper Collins

Recipe information

Ingredients

For the pesto sauce:

For the pizza:

Preparation

Make the pesto:

Step 1

Step 2

Make the pizza:

Step 3

Step 4

Recipe notes