This pizza makes for some mean, green, delicious cuisine. It’s perfect for a pizza party with friends—just encourage your guests to bring their own dough and ingredients for a funky culinary adventure.
This pie makes a quick and elegant dinner for two, or, if you’re dining alone, save the extra slices for lunch-on-the-go all week.
Ingredients
3 cups basil leaves
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 shallots, minced
1 lb prepared pizza dough
1 1/2 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tsp dried oregano
1 14-oz can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
1 cup arugula
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
Salt and pepper
If you’re short on time or lack a blender, the pesto sauce can be easily replaced with any prepared, store-bought pesto.
Many recipes suggest flouring the pan before kneading out your dough. However, most store-bought dough is elastic and buttery enough that it spreads out better on a nonfloured pan (but still won’t stick when it’s cooked and crisp).
If you don’t have a round pizza pan, no worries: a baking pan of any shape will do. Just be sure that your crust is as even as possible, about 1/4-inch thick.
For an extra kick of flavor and protein, try a variation of this recipe by adding slices of cooked chicken apple sausage.
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a blender or food processor, blend basil, garlic, parmesan and 1/2 cup olive oil. Add additional olive oil and blend if sauce is not smooth enough. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
In a small pan, saute shallots in butter for 4 minutes until translucent, then remove to a plate. Stretch pizza dough with your hands and press it flatly into the corners of a 12-inch round pizza tin.
Spread and distribute pesto sauce onto dough with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle with shredded Monterey jack cheese, then top with feta cheese, oregano, artichoke hearts, arugula and shallots.
Bake 8 to 15 minutes until crust is crispy and cheese has melted. Remove from oven and let cool 4 minutes. Top with freshly chopped tomato and salt and pepper to taste, and serve.