Ever order a pizza from a new place and open the box to find that it’s almost entirely sauce with just a few sad dollops of mozzarella cheese? And the sauce has made the crust soggy, and the result is so disappointing it takes all the excitement out of splurging on a take-out pizza? Suddenly it’s a game of sauce roulette as you try out the different places nearby. Will this one be consistently good? Or will they let you down the one time you order for a party? Solution: Make your own, and skip the marinara altogether!
This pizza uses pesto as the sauce for a much more flavorful, less sauce-y pie, which could also be a work around for young, picky eaters who demand non-red pizza (after all, is "white pizza" really pizza?). Plus, the end result is as beautiful as it is tasty, so everyone wins.
Pesto pizza with garlic and onions
3
23 minutes
7 minutes
30 minutes
1 cup fresh basil, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoon pine nuts
2 clove garlic, peeled
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
1 pound pre-made Pizza dough
Cornmeal for dusting
2 large tomatoes, sliced
¾ cup mozzarella cheese, torn
Place a pizza stone in the oven, and set the temperature to 500F.
In a food processor, combine the basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese. Pulse until a smooth pesto paste forms. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Once melted, continue to swirl until brown solids form and the butter gives off a nutty smell. Add the sliced onion and sauce until translucent. Set aside.
Once the oven has reached 500F, roll the pizza dough out on a baking sheet flipped over and dusted with cornmeal (or a pizza peel dusted with cornmeal, if you have one) to be a circle about ¼ of an inch thick, but slightly thicker around the edges.
Spread a thin layer of the pesto sauce onto the center of the pizza with the back of a large spoon, working your way out but leaving the crust bare.
Top with an even later of the onions, then the tomatoes, and finally the shredded mozzarella cheese.
Bake about five to seven minutes, checking regularly to ensure the pizza does not burn. Allow it to cool slightly before slicing and serving.
