Although I haven’t been able to convince my children of the joys of hummus (back HERE), I have won them over quite whole-heartedly to pesto.
They make pesto paninis like they’re going out of style, and they adore grilled pesto chicken (recipe for that back HERE). So when I told them I was whipping up some pesto pizza they their eyes sparkled.
And that is kind of a heart-warming thing when you’re a mother, I tell you.
Another thing that warms my heart about pesto pizza is that it’s like pretty much the easiest thing I can possibly make.
I use Trader Joes pizza crusts (yum), basil from Costco, a rotisserie chicken from Costco, and shredded mozzarella cheese.
That’s it.
Oh, and corn meal on the pan so it doesn’t stick…I like corn meal.
All you do is preheat the oven to what the pizza dough tells you to (450 degrees).
Roll out the dough. Spread pesto all over it.
Spread chicken and shredded mozzarella cheese over the top.
(Of course you could sauté your own chicken and whip it up for the pizza, but buying a rotisserie chicken from Costco just simplifies life. And I like simplicity when I can get it.)
Bake for the allotted time Trader Joes tells you to (8-10 minutes). While it’s cooking whip up a side salad.
Watch your kids devour that thing while their eyes sparkle.
I like sparkling eyes at dinner time 🙂
yum!
Love the chicken addition! We also put a little fresh grated parmesan and pine nuts! Yummy!
I love pesto! My favorite is a pesto pizza with grilled pineapple rings and grilled Canadian Bacon or Ham! Delish
That looks so good. I want it now!
Honestly. That sounds SO darn good. I am going grocery shopping today, and this is definitely what we are having for dinner! 🙂 Thanks for sharing! (P.S. I am so glad you updated the house blog!) We are about to (hopefully) buy our first house so your posts give me a lot of inspiration!
I make a very similar pizza but first I roast a whole bulb of garlic and spread it on the dough. It's delicious!
Yes!! Pesto pizzas are the BEST, and so, so easy. I love turkey pesto roll-ups (with a little cream cheese), too.
Is the Trader Joe's crust frozen or refrigerated? We are in FL and don't have a Trader Joe's just wondering what would be comparable. Also you have mentioned a few times about your kids and the paninis– what bread do you all use for that? Looks yum! Thanks for sharing!
That sounds yummy!
That looks incredible! We love that pesto. I make a quick dough because I have to be careful with salt levels and premade doughs normally have too much salt for my husband, but I will definitely be trying this pizza soon!
Ooooh that looks so yummy!
This sounds amazing! You can't beat the rotisserie chicken from Costco. It's so moist and delicious, and it's usually 2 or 3 dollars cheaper, bigger and better than the rotisserie chickens at the grocery store. I'm making this tomorrow.
Try using jellied cranberry sauce instead of pesto. Same toppings. YUM!! Ill be trying this pesto. Thx.
You've got to try this with tomatoes. Slice them thin and layer pesto, mozzarella, then tomatoes. It's amazing, especially in the summer with fresh garden tomatoes!!!
Wonder what your kids would think if you added 1-2 tsp of pesto to the hummus? Only way to eat it in my opinion!
Have you tried using the Costco naan bread as the crust with the same toppings?? So fast and so good!
I tried this recipe last night to great success! I have a kid who hates tomatoes in all forms so traditional pizza isn't his favorite. This was AMAZING! I also like finding another use for my Costco pesto. Thank you so much for the tip! I struggled a bit rolling out the crust though. It ended up a little small and thick. Do you have a secret technique?
We do a pizza with pesto, cheese and then sweet chilli sauce drizzled over the top. It tastes really good too!