Pesto Pizza with Roasted Garlic & Tomato

A close up of a pizza with cheese, tomato slices, fresh arugula, and oil drizzles.

This pesto pizza is sure to pleaseafter all pizza made at home always just tastes better!

Ingredients:

2 lbs. Pizza Dough (freshly made, Boboli, or store-bought in rolls)½ C. roasted garlic paste¼ cup The Olive Tap's Basil Fusion Crushed Olive Oil¼ cup Pesto GenoveseCoarse cornmeal for the baking sheet4-5 large, vine-ripened tomatoes, of any color or variety, sliced 1/8 inch thickSea Salt & freshly ground pepper1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheeseOUR HALLOWEEN TWISTNew Ingredients:

  • Sliced Mozzarella Cheese Slices – 6-8 (depending upon cheese level preference)
  • Ghost Cookie Cutters (small enough to cut at least 1-2 ghosts from the cheese) or another adaptable Halloween Cookie Cutter.
  • Chopped Black Olives for Ghost Eyes or for non-Olive lovers, Aceto Balsamic di Modena Riserva Drops, for use post baking.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Place baking sheet in oven to preheat.Shape 1/3 of pizza dough into a 10 inch circle on a lightly floured board. Spread with 1/3 of the garlic paste. Be sure to spread to within a half-inch of the edge. Drizzle with 1/3 of the basil Olive Oil then sprinkle 1/3 of the pesto on dough and spread out smoothly on top of garlic paste.Remove baking sheet from oven and sprinkle with cornmeal. Transfer pizza to baking sheet and put in oven. Bake until light brown and bubbling, about 10 minutes. Remove pizza from oven and quickly arrange sliced tomatoes on top. Do not overlap slices. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Sprinkle with 1/3 of parmesan cheese and return pizza to oven another 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese melts. Immediately transfer to a board, cut and serve. Repeat for two remaining pizzas.OUR HALLOWEEN TWISTWe simply added a few ghosts to our unique Pesto Pizza Recipe for a fun Halloween twist. Be sure to not “sever” the ghost with your pizza cutter!Additional Instructions:

  1. Take cheese slices and cut out the Ghosts with the cookie cutter while the cheese is cold. Set aside on a plate at room temperature.
  2. Bake the prepared pizza, per the Recipe until light brown and bubbling, about 10 minutes.
  3. After this step, remove pizza from oven and lightly sprinkle with 1/3 of parmesan cheese.
  4. Thereafter, quickly arrange sliced tomatoes and ghosts on top of the pizza along with the black olives for the ghost eyes.
  5. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
  6. Return the pizza to oven another 3-5 minutes or until cheese melts.
  7. Immediately transfer to a board and drizzle in the Ghost Eyes with Riserva if you did not already use olives.
  8. Cut “strategically” (to not sever a ghost) and serve. Repeat for two remaining pizzas.
  9. Serve the remaining parmesan cheese with the pizza when served. Note: This recipe uses a high-heat approach, so please watch the pizzas carefully to prevent burning.

Ghosts Inspiration for Recipe Adaptation from The Simple Sprinkle.

Products featured in this recipe
A bottle of The Olive Tap Basil Olive Oil next to olives and leaves with an inset showing a fresh basil on a light background with the words "fusion crushed!" at the bottom of the picture.

Basil Olive Oil

Basil Olive Oil
From $24.95
Bottle of Aceto Balsamico di Modena Riserva from The Olive Tap surrounded by grapes in front of a wooden barrel, and a sweetness scale indicating a five.
Sold out

Aceto Balsamico di Modena, Riserva

Aceto Balsamico di Modena, Riserva
From $23.95